Response Post Feb. 3

Douglas’ “New Girliness” is set up by the media idolizing the happy medium between Janet Reno and Cher from Clueless. Again, she tries to show how these programs would put on a façade of feminism or showcase decisively feminist moments, but Douglas persists that more subliminal messages were reaching the girls watching at home. Legally Blonde makes the statement that when a girl applies herself and sees her own worth, she can achieve anything. Still, though, Elle Woods was motivated mostly by the desire for a man (and later, the desire to spite that man). The charm of watching Miss Congeniality is seeing a completely non-feminine woman attempt and fail at the most feminine activities. She too undergoes a major change to be brought out of her extreme into the happy medium of femininity.

I found this chapter to be the least compelling of Douglas’ arguments thus far. (Perhaps I’m just growing intolerant of the inordinate amount of detail she gives on each plotline for each show or movie she references.) She is completely right, and justified in most of her opinions; but these observations seem too obvious to warrant their own chapter. This narrative of “finding the happy medium” is a generic Hollywood script not at all specific to femininity. There are countless films where the happy ending is achieved because the main character who was too tough, or too quiet, or too crazy or too ___________ learns a lesson and comes closer to the social norm. Happy Gilmore could be seen as one example. Happy is extreme in his rage and hitting ability, which gives him strange powers to hit a golf ball absurdly far. But it is only when he can leave that rage behind and come down from his extreme that he is able to piece his whole golf game, romantic life, and family life together amicably. Similarly, Austin Powers must lose his hyper-masculinity (his mojo) to realize the power inside him and the power of love. He can only achieve his happy ending if he parts with his overly-masculine ways.

These are just a couple movie examples showing that the same process that Douglas points out applies to more than just praising an “appropriate” level of feminism. In fact, I’d argue that the media gives the same pressures to men. Being hyper-masculine, like Arnold Schwarzenegger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoIlgdNxwrI) or Sly Stallone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh1ghJDHpgU&feature=related) will get you made fun of on SNL just as often as the public figures like Richard Simmons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XArCup0hrLI)or Andy Dick. Maybe I’m just in the devil’s advocate mood, but I think the same can be said about Douglas’ next chapter. The pigeonholes that women of color fall into are not that different from the expectations that society casts on men of color, especially in comedy and television. This doesn’t mean that Douglas’ points are invalid or unimportant, I think we just need to be aware that these are conventions of society that aren’t specific to females or their struggle for equality.