The Selective Feminism Of Tina Fey
On DeathAndTaxes, Jamie Peck notes that Fey complained all over the media that Colin Quinn had called her a "cunt" when she was head writer on SNL, but then rips into inappropriately sexual women. As Peck puts it:
Women who code as falling on the lower rungs of America's class society. Women who dare to use their sexuality to get by (or ahead) in a game that's doubly rigged against them.
Peck quotes Fey's rip on SNL's Weekend Update "into Michelle "Bombshell" McGee for "stealing" Sandra Bullock's husband Jesse James. (Jesse James himself was not mentioned.)" (Bracketed bits are by Peck):
There is no Oscar curse. The curse is that there are women like Bombshell McGee walking around.I know we shouldn't judge people on their appearance but when your body looks like a dirtbag's binder from 7th grade metal shop, it doesn't bode well for your character.
You know there's a term for women like Bombshell McGee, they're called Bombshell McGees. Seth, the world has always been full of whores. For every Sandra Bullock, there's the woman who got a tattoo on her forehead because she ran out of room on her labia. [Tattooed people are gross!]
For every Elin Nordegren, there's a Hooters waitress who spells "Jamie" with two e's and a star. [I'm sure she's working at Hooters because she loves it.]
You could be the woman who cures cancer and you'd still be up against some skank rocking giant, veiny fake boobs where the nipples point in different directions like the headlights on an old Buick. [She could at least have had the decency to be able to afford a better boob job.]
But wives, you are not the losers in these situations. You are the winners, because this has to be the loser.
Things are hard enough for women as it is...
Peck writes:
It's not my goal to police the feminism of random celebrities. But when you publicly brand yourself as a feminist and reap huge rewards from that brand, you open yourself up to criticism and debate. Being a feminist is not just about standing up for people like you. It's about standing up for all women who are being oppressed for bullshit reasons, which include interlocking factors of race, class, gender identity, sexuality, et cetera. I find it disappointing (if unsurprising) that not a single interviewer has held Fey's feet to the fire about this essential hypocrisy as she promotes her latest movie to the masses. Consider this my attempt at doing just that.
via @TranceWithMe
When I reached the part about Colin Quinn calling Tina Fey a "cunt," I thought perhaps some historical context would be in order. Tina Fey was a head writer of SNL in season 23 ('97-98), a time when the word "cunt" was considerably more powerful as an insult. It was the worst thing you could call a woman. At the time, if I had heard someone refer to anyone as a "cunt," I would have snobbishly deemed them unsuitable to associate with.
Nowadays, the word's bandied about like candy, and it has completely lost it's power because anybody can be called a cunt. (There is, perhaps, a lesson in this for the black activists who insist that "nigger" or "nigga" is their word to be used only among themselves. And supposedly they use it to take the sting away, but it should be obvious by now that that's not working; the word is more offensive than ever. Brandishing double standards is not helping their cause, but I digress.)
The word "cunt," at least as it was, was once uniquely sexist and ranked among the crudest in the English language.
With all that rhetorical vomit I just spewed in mind, I'm not quite prepared to dub Tina Fey as hypocritical. The insult came from a man. And as there is no masculine equivalent for the word "cunt," Fey had no way of retaliating. Quinn sunk as low as he possibly could, and Fey, being a woman, has nothing of equal potency to respond with. If only Quinn had stuck to "bitch."
When vilifying Bombshell McGee, Fey was attacking another woman and didn't use anything that couldn't be hurled back at her. Nothing stopped Bombshell McGee from drawing on the universal arsenal of trampy insults and flinging them back at Fey.
Plus the classic "other woman" is still universally loathed (to say nothing about how adored and pitied Sandra Bullock was at the time), so there is the element of justification. Not too many people would dispute that Bombshell McGee deserved what she got. This, despite the fact that Tina Fey could have chosen to reserve some of that venom for Jesse James.
We don't know what prompted Colin Quinn to call Tina Fey a cunt. As far as anyone knows she's done nothing that merits The Very Worst Insult Of All.
TL;DR: I don't believe the two situations are comparable.
Patrick at April 26, 2016 6:24 AM
"Equality". They don't even manage to do it among themselves. That makes it even less likely that feminism (that grand "philosophy and movement of equality") can treat men "equally".
Stephan at April 26, 2016 6:28 AM
While I realize that third wave feminism is a far cry from what feminism is supposed to be, feminism is supposed to be about equality for all, including men.
Patrick at April 26, 2016 6:35 AM
Tina Fey is a comedian, not a feminist. Her goal is to get laughs and make money. The "selective feminism" is her using whatever topics will get laughs and attention.
Liz Lemon, Fey's character on 30 Rock was a classic feminist fantasy, an executive woman struggling to have it all and failing, running into a wall of testosterone put up by the patriarchy. She was pretty, but grotesque in her personal habits; and always overshadowed by her shallow, but prettier and more glamorous friend ('cause the man's world can't handle smart women). She favored comfort (t-shirts and sweats) over dressing like a grown up. 30 Rock both celebrated the Liz Lemons of the world and mocked them.
Tina Fey fancies herself an "everywoman" because her audience fancies themselves everywomen.
Fey is reaching that age when women no longer have the ability to be a sex kitten, and she feels the sexuality grim reaper getting closer, so she's milking it for all she can get and mocking it in the next breath. She poses for Jane Russell -esque photographs in an effort to enjoy being a sex object while she still can, all while insulting the younger modern-day Jane Russells (the Bombshell McGees) - fending off potential rivals for the older male demographic she covets.
Her rant against Bombshell McGee was a preemptive shot by an aging woman - perhaps inspired by a fear that her own husband's eye might be wandering. She felt for Sandra Bullock because she can see herself in the same situation, abandoned for a younger woman at a point in life where she fears her own sex appeal is beginning to fade.
That said, since the schools cancelled metal shop years ago and those blue cloth-bound three-ring binders haven't been sold since the 1970s, did anyone under the age of 40 even understand her Bombshell McGee rant?
Conan the Grammarian at April 26, 2016 6:36 AM
I worked with Jesse James, 15 years ago, which is how I know that Sandra Bullock 'stole' him from his then-wife, Janine Lindemulder, who I have also met. Do not Google her, she is definitely NSFW.
Note the selective outrage - the tattoo-ed Ms McGhee 'stole' James from the sweet, all-American Sandra Bullock, and so she is denigrated with every demeaning epithet that is always applied to 'loose' women - and by another woman! But what of Ms Bullock, who did the precise-same thing to Ms Lindemulder, but since she was an adult-film actress - that doesn't count the same? I say - typical liberal-media-elite double standards, where some rich, elite white woman gets to decide what women's choices are 'good' or 'bad', and which women will and will not be supported by the 'sisterhood'.
Jesse James was a fun guy when I worked with him, but seems plagued in this one arena with a seemingly-endless stream of dreadful choices.
llater,
llamas
llamas at April 26, 2016 6:55 AM
If what you say is true, and not an attempt at satire, then Jesse James is no prize, either.
Patrick at April 26, 2016 7:01 AM
"feminism is supposed to be about equality for all, including men."
Well sure, that's how they sell it.
They were never serious about it.
dee nile at April 26, 2016 7:08 AM
Show me someone I can steal out of a relationship, and I'll show you someone who can be stolen from me.
I R A Darth Aggie at April 26, 2016 7:11 AM
@ Patrick, who wrote:
'If what you say is true, and not an attempt at satire, then Jesse James is no prize, either.'
Depends what game you are playing. My time with him was an absolute laugh riot, as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. There was this time with the two Long Beach police officers, and the handcuffs . . . . but I digress. But I'm a guy, he's definitely an alpha male, and we were doing 'guy' things. I wasn't rating him as a life partner :-)
I never grasped his matrimonial roller-coaster. I met his first wife Carla, one time, briefly, with their two kids, who must be, oh God, in their late 20s now. She seemed like a smart, sensible woman, attractive, with strong family values and business sense. It seems like he got famous and just lost his mind - ditched her for the porn star, then ditched her for the huge 'conventional' movie star, then ditched her for - well, I don't know his situation now.
I really liked the guy - but I always had the impression (based solely on working with him, we never socialized) that he was just a little bit lost in his skin. Like he had put on a Jesse James suit, and couldn't disconnect the ways that other people react to the suit vs react to the person inside it. This was at the peak of his 'reality TV' fame, and I know full-well that 'reality' TV is nothing of the sort. I think it screwed him up. He was married to Carla for 10 years, had two really-nice kids (when I met them), so he wasn't always that way.
llater,
llamas
llamas at April 26, 2016 7:24 AM
"... did anyone under the age of 40 even understand her Bombshell McGee rant?"
I'm 35 and fairly well educated about things that happened before I was born. So to answer your question, nope. Effectively no one under 40 knows what a Bombshell McGee was. I even asked my wife and nope, not a clue.
Tina Fey has always struck me as a bit schizo in her work. She obviously puts in a lot of work and takes very good care of her appearance and then jokes and talks about how fat, ugly, and gross she is. The cognitive dissonance messes me up.
Ben at April 26, 2016 8:00 AM
John Cena is famous and handsome with big muscles. NOT FAIR.
Tina, cut me a check to assuage my suffering.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at April 26, 2016 8:37 AM
"rich, elite white woman gets to decide what women's choices are 'good' or 'bad'"
And you think this is a LIBERAL women's phenomena?!
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at April 26, 2016 8:46 AM
Talk about sexy, brainy women.
I have loosely followed the career of Kat Cole who women should admire.
Brief Kat Cole bio:
-Began as a waitress at Hooter's
-Worked up the management ranks of Hooter's to a high level
-Management skills recognized, she is hired by Cinnabon and became its CEO about the time Cinnabon franchises were put in airports
-Cinnabon purchased by Focus Brands which owns Schlotzkey's, McAlister's, Carvel, and Auntie Anne's, to name a few. Kat Cole promoted to Group President of Focus Brands.
There must be dozens of women like Kat Cole. I admire them all. Tina Fey.. not so much.
Nick at April 26, 2016 8:59 AM
White Castle also promotes from within, with fry cooks rising up to be VPs. I like that.
Also, I love their sliders.
Amy Alkon at April 26, 2016 9:07 AM
It's only a crime against womankind if a "skank" steals a man from the GND (girl next door), not the other way around.
Amy Alkon at April 26, 2016 9:08 AM
The Bombshell McGee revelation occurred days after Bullock won her Oscar and tearfully thanked Jesse James on live TV for his loyalty, so it was super humiliating for her and all over the mainstream news.
When Fey did this routine, it was timely and familiar to her audience.
The problem with comedians getting political (see Amy Schumer) is that they quickly run themselves out of material they can use without seeming hypocritical and causing the public to descend on them like jackals. Amy Schumer had to apologize not long ago for an old (hilarious)stand-up routine that stereotyped Mexicans. Why? Now she's a SJW poster girl. Eventually she'll have to apologize for everything she's ever said, or else give up being a left-wing darling. I wish she'd stayed publicly apolitical.
A lot of Fey's comedy tackles the subject of how women are our own worst enemies, and how we play directly into the stereotypes we say we hate. If you follow her work over time, you'll see she's pretty fair. She admits in her book and in "30 Rock" that older women feel threatened by younger women, not without reason. She acknowledges what Amy tells us a lot: Most men prioritize "hot" over "accomplished" and "virtuous."
The "Oscar curse" (Winslet, Berry, Witherspoon) demonstrates how many relationships can't withstand the woman becoming much more powerful and influential than the man. It might be because she wants to trade up for someone with higher status than her (now scarce) and/or because he doesn't relish his role as the non-provider and is not MORE attracted to his wife because she won an Oscar.
As for this one routine, I don't see why being a feminist means you can't criticize another woman's look or behavior. Feminism doesn't mean being blindly uncritical of other women's actions. (It shouldn't anyway.) Jesse James was the one who broke a promise to Sandra Bullock--and he got plenty of vitriol, albeit not in this bit--but McGee gleefully leaked the story in the wake of Bullock's success to get her 15 minutes. She even shared intimate details so that everyone knew it wasn't a one-off, and that she and James did e v e r y t h i n g.
Insufficient Poison at April 26, 2016 9:18 AM
I agree with Insufficient Poison. I also think it's not right to pick apart stuff that is so old it has lost its relevance and no one remembers the context. My personal favorite skit she did just last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJEAGd1bQuc
gooseegg at April 26, 2016 9:38 AM
Meh. Fey is a comedian.
And when I read Peck's statement "It's not my goal to police the feminism of random celebrities," I knew that it was a preface for just that. I know we live in Perpetually Offended World these days, but this really seems small beer even by our hypersensitive standards.
Kevin at April 26, 2016 9:41 AM
"A lot of Fey's comedy tackles the subject of how women are our own worst enemies, and how we play directly into the stereotypes we say we hate. "
If that's what she is trying to do, she is doing it with a total and utter lack of self-awareness. It's beginning to dawn on her that when she was talking smack about Sarah Palin, to a considerable extent she was insulting her future self. Now that it's coming back on her, she wants to use the mulligan of traditional feminine privilege. That's third wave feminism for you.
Cousin Dave at April 26, 2016 10:45 AM
If we could just convince people that feminism is REALLY just all about equality -- for EVERYONE.
If we could just convince people that farts REALLY smell nice.
Jay R at April 26, 2016 1:16 PM
I'm not sure I understand what the problem is here but I'm pretty sure that Tina Fey is smarter than any detractors that she might have.
Alan at April 26, 2016 7:31 PM
Also, her flesh is green.
I hate that.
Crid at April 26, 2016 10:50 PM
I'm mid-30's and have no clue what Bombshell McGee is referring to. However, take that with a grain of salt as I haven't had TV in over a decade.
Also, I have never had much interest in pop culture. Example: I've heard of Kim Kardashian (spelling??) but have no clue who she is or why the name is bandied about. Just a random name in my book.
Shannon at April 27, 2016 6:38 AM
My question was less about Bombshell McGee (???) and more about the " dirtbag's binder from 7th grade metal shop" - the blue denim binders that haven't been sold since the '70s for a class that hasn't been offered since the '70s.
When we got bored in class, we used to draw designs all over them with a ballpoint pen, hence Fey's reference to McGee's penchant for having every inch of her skin tattooed.
Conan the Grammarian at April 27, 2016 7:03 AM
Nope, not those either Conan. I don't know anyone younger than my parents who went to a school that even offered a shop class of any kind. It would be considered too dangerous.
Heck, you can get expelled for bringing a butter knife to school. You think they'll let us use a drill press?
And to complete the hypocrisy, a school I went to in Colorado had a student smoking spot. Everyone there was under age. Can't posses a perfectly legal butter knife but illegally smoking was completely authorized.
Ben at April 27, 2016 7:14 AM
Metal shop is still a class. My little brother is 19 and took two levels in high school.
I'm young and I got the joke. People drew all over their folders/notebooks/jeans/denim jackets/book covers with ink when I was in school--most memorably heavy metal imagery--so it was pretty easy to extrapolate, even though I didn't have denim binders.
This routine also is from 2010.
Insufficient Poison at April 27, 2016 8:34 AM
My school still had wood shop, auto shop, and I think a construction services class in the 90's. We also still had the work program, where you could leave early for your part-time job and get class credit for it. I don't know if they offer any of that any more, of course- but there were definitely still schools that had those offerings posts-70's. Also, there are some 18-year-old kids doing a 3-week internship of sorts with my husband's company- learning to operate the tools, basic shop and construction safety, basic welding, etc. I don't know if they're high school seniors or college freshman.
*
Tina Fey isn't my favorite, but I don't find it that shocking that a woman has nasty things to say about the woman who was f'ing her friend's husband. As for her belittling a certain class of woman? Sorry, but if you want to tattoo your entire body and run around with your ass hanging out while you're not at your job that involves grinding on people for money and/or being splooged in the face on video, you can be expect to be called skanky. I think sex work should be legal for consenting adults; that doesn't mean I want to invite hookers over to my house for tea and crumpets. I think pursuing married men is a far greater sin than saying nasty things about women who pursue married men.
ahw at April 27, 2016 8:41 AM
"I think pursuing married men is a far greater sin than saying nasty things about women who pursue married men."
I think scorning women (or men) who do that is actually pretty rational.
Jesse James was even worse, but the media was not gentle with him either. He did at least try to keep his head down for a while, whereas Bombshell went on a freakin' media tour. (Which is what spurned side pieces do. Do men forget?)
Insufficient Poison at April 27, 2016 8:50 AM
McGee had swastika and white-power tattoos. She had done a photo shoot wearing Nazi arm bands and an SS officer type hat, so that added fuel to the fire.
Insufficient Poison at April 27, 2016 8:54 AM
So, no crumpets for the strumpets? No teas for the tease?
I'm hear all week folks. Don't forget to tip your servers.
Conan the Grammarian at April 27, 2016 9:05 AM
@Conan: I always forget about "strumpet." It's a great term, and doubly good because the stupid ones don't know what it means.
@Insufficient Poison: I'm friends with exactly ONE lady that has been known to sleep with married men, and I only trust her around my husband because she's HIS relative. She's pathetic and desperate and it's sad.
ahw at April 27, 2016 10:32 AM
> Don't forget to tip your servers.
Got that. Got it.
Crid at April 27, 2016 10:46 AM
Well, with regard to shop class, my middle school had wood shop (I took it twice) and I believe my high school had metal shop and they also had some kind of auto shop.
I lived in suburbia and about 99% of the school went on to 4-year college. Mind, I never went anywhere near the high school shop area - some of the folks who hung out there were a little... frightening.
Shannon at April 28, 2016 5:23 AM
So, I asked my parents about shop class and it turns out I was wrong. My high school did 'have' one. I just never knew of anyone who took it. Apparently you had to get on a bus to go to some central location for all the local high schools and the class was several hours long.
All of that amazes me because having metallic eating utensils (not just knives but also forks and spoons) was grounds for expulsion. The only approved eating utensil material was plastic, preferably spork shaped. But never accuse a school administrator of logic I guess.
Ben at May 1, 2016 2:46 PM
Leave a comment