Class Reflection #2

For this class reflection I wanted to talk about the discussion we has as a class about "unruly women," as well as women in comedy.

In class, we discussed that being "unruly" entailed being loud, obnoxious, and "unfeminine." We talked at length about Roseanne Barr and Margaret Cho. Both of these women can be considered unruly due to their "loudness" and "potty mouths," but what was most surprising was the fact that weight was a central factor in determining the "unruliness" of a woman.

This is because being "unruly" is synonymous with straying from the feminine norm, and what could be more "unfeminine" than being overweight? Being overweight is constantly associated with laziness, gluttony, and poor hygiene, when in all reality being overweight is something that can also be inherited and have nothing to do with eating or exercise habits. So why else is "fatness" associated with being unruly? Because being overweight does not comply with the hegemonic idea of what "beauty" should be. In the eyes of this culture, beauty is thin, and being this is associated with femininity. It goes without saying that if you take away the thinness then by default the femininity also goes away. Someone in class brought up the fact that Chelsea Handler is crude and loud yet she wouldn't fall under this same category because she is thin.

I also want to bring up the point that someone in class brought up: is the only place for unruly women in comedy?

It seems as though women who stray from the feminine norms are looked at in a way that can only be acceptable to laugh at. People are threatened and offended by women who do not conform to the expectations set for them by men. Therefore, they are not taken seriously. These are serious implications for just simply not conforming to a certain appearance or attitude.

I also want to mention something else we brought up in class which the fact that "unruly" men are taken completely seriously. Men such as Rush Limbaugh for example are unruly and still get taken completely seriously and are respected (well, atleast by republicans...)