My chosen article was entitled “Don’t Ask me, I’m Just a Girl”: Feminism, Female Identity, and The Simpsons, written by Matthew Henry. This article was a very long but interestingly insightful on the way the mass media has viewed and projected women over time.
The author begins by giving a history of The Simpsons. The animated sitcom premiered in December 1989 and is currently in it’s 19 season. It is the longest running animated situation comedy in history. The writers of the show tend to address issues that are currently a topic in the media. The adult themes of the show are relevant to both men and women and are concerned with the relationships they have with each other and how they interact as a family unit. The show is also highly driven by political issues.
The show is so popular and recognizable that President Bush, Sr. actually discussed it at a 1992 convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. He stated that: “We need a nation closer to The Waltons than The Simpsons”. This statement proves the authors point that we as a society are easily influenced by the images that are placed on television. The Waltons are seen as the idealized family where the father works hard, has all the answers, and takes care of the family. While the mother does her motherly duties in the home, and the children get good grades in school, stay out of trouble, and always mind their parents. The Simpsons, on the other hand is viewed completely the opposite. Homer (the father) is a simple man who really isn’t all that smart, he is always making politically incorrect comments, and really doesn’t understand how to take care of his family. Marge (the mother) is simple herself, in that she tends to be a bit naive to Homer’s ignorance, she occasionally has to go out into the world and get odd jobs in order to help support her family. Bart is the families black sheep because he is always getting into mischief. Lisa’s character is a very liberal, confident young lady who is very intelligent (more so than most residents of their town), and is generally the moral voice of the show. Maggie is the youngest of the three children and is just a baby but is still a vital character to the show.
What Bush failed to see in his statement is that these were only media constructed images of family and community realities. The Simpsons leans more towards highlighting real issues of society. There is almost always a positive message at the end of the show. Generally someone always learns a strong life lesson. Because of the way that mainstream mass media depicts a woman’s proper place and roles in culture, there seems to be some confusion in many women today. They are torn between very traditional stereotypical roles of who and what they should be.
The author highlights Marge, Lisa, and Marge’s twin sister Selma. He discusses how The Simpsons has gained popularity in American culture and is one of the most celebrated and recognizable icons today. It depicts the traditional family in American culture and explores the influence upon highly politicized issues in contemporary society. The article explores how the show engages the politics of feminist movement and articulates a feminist sensibility with its satire.
I believe the author wrote the article for the intended female audience. One who is interested in the feminist view that is placed on the female characters of the show and their “intended place” in society. As I stated before this article was rather lengthy but was well organized and gave numerous examples of situations and entire episode descriptions where women’s issues were specifically addressed.
The author also discusses specific episodes of the show that deal with the potential infidelity of both Marge and Homer, the choice made by Selma of motherhood as a single parent, Marge being a stressed out overworked and underpaid housewife, Marge becoming a police officer, which is typically seen as a male career, and finally Lisa battling the Malibu Stacey (similar to Barbie) doll. All of these episodes have a message for women. A message of choice. They all relay to the female audience that we are equal, we do have rights, and if we stand up for those rights we can achieve anything.
I found it interesting that all of the episodes mentioned in Matthew Henry’s article were written and mostly produced by men. It proves that these men are also aware of the current state and view of women and their rights. They are able to transcend current issues and the way they are viewed to a mass audience.
Though our society still tends to be a patriarchal one, women have come a long way since the first wave of the feminist movement. We are gaining more rights everyday and have become much closer to having equality than ever before. The Simpsons offers viewers a complex combination of strength and weakness to male dominance and patriarchal structures.
REFERENCES
HENRY, M. (2007). “Don't Ask me, I'm Just a Girl”: Feminism, Female Identity, and The Simpsons. Retrieve Jul 7, 2008 from The Journal of Popular Culture, 40(2), 272-303.
4 comments:
Kristy, I thought you captured this article the best in your statement that it was written by men and that they were aware of issues facing women. I think today, more than ever, men are indeed aware. I'm not sure of the statistics, but I saw a show on Discovery or National Geographic that discussed how many more men are becoming involved in helping their wives achieve their goals, as well as helping around the house more. I am thankful for a progressive society! :o)
It is interesting to see The Simpsons mentioned in an article about serious issues. It was one of the first adult cartoons I can remember and pretty much created the genre. Without The Simpsons, there would probably be no "Family Guy", "King of the Hill", or similar cartoons.
As you said, women have come a long way and we will keep on tugging until we are treated just as good as the men. In our society male dominance is still a problem. For example, at my current employer the men who have no college degree or real experience in the banking field are still hired in at a much higher rate of pay than a female. It doesn't matter if the female has been doing the job for over 10 years with a college degree. It is just one of the many problem within our society and I'm glad that these adult cartoons are starting to publicize those issues and hopefully help with the problems.
I love the Simpsons and really beleive as well that the show does a good job of bringing current issues to the attention of its viewers. I do find it interesting that the writing staff for the show are all men, but I do like the fact that they can see the current issues that women still today in the 21st century. This was a great article choice.
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