Stephen Colbert Creates a Different Lie

We all know Stephen Colbert as the guy who pretended to be a Republican pundit on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. Some of us, of the more liberal persuasion, were comforted by the warmth of the satire. But that security blanket is gone and the honest persona has entered the scene, the real Stephen Colbert as brought about by The Late Show With Stephen Colber. However I think we were lucky to find that he's still funny and personable, I know I was excited to watch this new Stephen. But, to mimic the dramatic affect of Colbert's former character, we're still being lied to.

Back in August, Glamour magazine ran an article, written by Colbert and some of his writers, promising to make his new show a place where women would have a presence. It was called "Stephen Colbert Shares Why He Thinks Women Should Be in Charge of Everything". Colbert wrote impassioned about his quest to make sure The Late Show would be a feminist creative space, one that late night television specifically was lacking. Here are some choice sections I'll share:

"While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest."

"To be honest, sometimes I wonder whether the world would be a better place if women were in charge. It would be pretty easy to make that happen. Simply tell the men of the world that you're trying to start a campfire. While we're all arguing with one another about proper kindling placement and whether using lighter fluid is cheating,* women can just quietly start getting stuff done."

"Point is, I'm here for you, and that means I'm going to do my best to create a Late Show that not only appeals to women but also celebrates their voices."

Women everywhere, including myself, rejoiced! "Yes" I thought, "Stephen Colbert has follow through, this will be the first late night show that gets ahead of that criticism and we'll see a balance in late night comedy"

Lol.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has exactly 2 female writers. There are 17 male writers. And then an additional 0 women. Stephen Colbert has yet again feigned sincerity to bring attention to an issue. Except this time instead of playing a trick old evil Republican old white dudes he's fooling women everywhere, especially female comedians. And just like the members of the GOP, I feel let down to realize he's not actually on our side.

 

Genna Davis at IC

Genna Davis an Academy Award Winning Actor and Founder of the Genna Davis Institute on Gender in the Media. She recently visited the beautiful Ithaca College on Tuesday, March 31, where she addressed Gender Equality in the Media.

Genna Davis Institute for Gender in Media is a non-profit program which engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentage of female characters---and reduce danger stereotyping --in the media made for children 11 and under.

In her speech she addressed that in almost all her roles she plays is a strong women.  This is true through her part of the first female President on ABCs hit show Commander in Chief.  Currently, Davis plays Dr.Nicole Herman on Grey's Anatomy.

Some of her other films included Toostsie, The Fly, Beetlejuice, Earth Girls Are Easy, Angie, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Stuart Little and A League of Their Own. <----- My TWO FAVS!

Some very interesting points that I feel were valid in her speech are:

• Males outnumber females 3 to 1 in family films. In contrast, females comprise just over 50% of the population in the United States. Even more staggering is the fact that this ratio, as seen in family films, is the same as it was in 1946.
• Females are almost four times as likely as males to be shown in sexy attire. Further, females are nearly twice as likely as males to be shown with a diminutive waistline. Generally unrealistic figures are more likely to be seen on females than males.
• Females are also underrepresented behind the camera. Across 1,565 content creators, only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female. This translates to 4.8 males working behind-the-scenes to every one female.
• From 2006 to 2009, not one female character was depicted in G-rated family films in the field of medical science, as a business leader, in law, or politics. In these films, 80.5% of all working characters are male and 19.5% are female, which is a contrast to real world statistics, where women comprise 50% of the workforce.

(http://seejane.org/research-informs-empowers)

Mad Men

Mad Men is a AMC show created by Mathew Weiner back in 2007. Since its air back in 07, the show has been very popular, winning countless awards including 4 Golden Globes and 15 Emmy's. My Personal view on the show corresponds with the general public; I love it.

The show takes place in New York City and takes its views into a 1960's advertisement agency called "Sterling Cooper" which is a fictional company designed for the show. 

 The show follows many characters through countless different conflicts but its main character Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm  is in my opinion the most interesting. He is in the first season a business man working for the agency, but quickly gets promoted to partner by the end of the first season. His character is a very intelligent and unorthodox salesmen that does not like loosing.

Don Draper also is victim to treating women poorly like many men of this time period did. Women's rights were more limited at this point in time and it is strongly reflected in the show. the Women characters are all viewed as inferior to the men of the show. We get a direct view of the differences in the Draper household. Don's wife Betty,  played by January Jones, doesn't have any power unless she consults with Don first. If she does something with out asking him first then he often gets mad. The other female characters in the show are also viewed as a lesser to men.

While the women in Mad Men don't have much power in the show, their character often have the largest impact on the viewers. In my opinion the women in the show are extremely powerful because, as young adult, I have never known a world where women weren't equal to men (or at least considered to be). Women in our time period have all the same rights and also occupy many of the same jobs as men which would been outrageous to think of back in the 1960's.

Mad Men in my opinion is one of the best shows currently on TV. It is a very unique story isn't over-dramatic. I find it to be the perfect mix between a soap opera and a drama. If you don't watch Mad Men, I highly recommend you start. 

Don't Get Married #Bridezilla

Having watched the entirety of the first season of Bridezillas, I feel qualified to say I know what true bat sh*t crazy behavior looks like--excuse my french here, but if you've watched it you know I'm putting it mildly! 

To those underprivileged humans out there who haven't had the pleasure to binge on the undeniably entertaining nonsense this show provides for the world, I will take the next couple lines to quickly summarize what you've been missing.

Essentially, the brides are unbearable and insane, and their husbands-to-be are typically a hybrid between a defenseless baby bird and a neutered cat. You know, real studs. And though you may think I'm being a little too harsh on these men...allow me to get my Lawyer on and present you with some evidence:

I hope to dear God you chose not to watch that whole thing. Really, ten seconds are enough to get the point! Bridezillas are insane and somehow they're still getting married. 

 

  

The Women of Wall Street

Everyone's seen The Wolf of Wall Street. And if you haven't, you need to get on that. Seriously, watch it. It's a miracle you've been able to hold any sort of conversation with people since its release. Just kidding, I saw it about a week ago. But I mean, look at this face:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Anyway, if you have heard of it, you're aware of the certain misogynistic themes that run rampant throughout the entire 180 minutes of the film. But Meghan, it's a biographical film! It's supposed to be funny! They have to stay true to the characters! And yes, I do admit that there's something outrageous and alluring that sets The Wolf of Wall Street apart from the other hundreds of thousands of "Men-Are-Powerful, Women-Are-Sex-Objects" films, but it's interesting to think about how the movie would've actually went if the roles were reversed.

And that's where Los Angeles writer, Nicole Donadio, comes in. A couple of weeks ago, she released a video called "The Women of Wall Street", a parody of the original The Wolf of Wall Street trailer. Line for line, and almost exactly shot for shot, she recreated the trailer, but with a twist. All of the roles switched genders. The concept is more impressive than the actual production of the video, but in my opinion, it was very well executed and edited. First, here's the original trailer:

And here's Donadio's version:

At it's worst, it's a silly parody of a blockbuster film. At it's best, it's a nod to the inequality of women in not only the film industry, but the corporate world as well. What I found extremely interesting were the surprisingly negative comments on the Youtube page. Commenters treated the word and the concept of "feminism" in a very critical light. Although "feminism" has always been viewed as a dirty word (known to many as "the F-word"), I found it alarming how many people took the time to express their hatred for not just the video, but the feminist ideals behind it. Regardless, I'm all for these kinds of videos starting discussions and bringing to the surface some of the issues of gender that are mostly shoved under the rug. Props to Donadio, and I'm excited to see if this sparks any more critical parodies.

And in case any of you are interested, here's a link to a well-written critique on The Wolf of Wall Street from a feminist stand point. Because you know, feminism.

Orange is the New Black

"Orange is the New Black" is a Netflix original series based on Piper Kerman's memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.  The show follows Piper Chapman, who is sent to prison for carrying drug money for her ex-girlfriend many years ago.  Piper acknowledges her fault and tries to keep an open, positive mind in the facility.  But by the end of season 1, the injustice and severity of the prison causes Piper to snap, leaving the audience with an excellent cliff hanger.

The show's initial success has set high standards for the upcoming season.  It's anticipated that season 2 will have even more drama and will introduce new characters.  Lori Petty was added to the cast, although there are no details on her role.  In fact, OITNB has barely released any details about the second season.  According to Jason Biggs (Larry Bloom), this season will be "better than the first."

The show presents the audience with a multitude of different cultures, lifestyles, and women. Each character comes with a unique and realistic backstory, and being in a prison allows the audience to see the characters in their rawest form.  Creator Jenji Kohan truly outdid himself with this series.  I personally can't wait for season 2 to finally be released.

My Big Issue With Women in Television

In the past few months, I've been told by dozens of people that I am overly critical of female characters in television shows. Maybe this is true. But there's a reason that none of them live up to my expectations. I am a sucker for the antihero. There is nothing I find more fascinating than rooting for the bad guy, or watching a character blur the lines of good and evil. Unfortunately, female characters are crippled by the limitations of those writing them. I acknowledge that there are some television writers that have tried to break free from the woman stereotype, but all have failed again and again to create a successful antihero.

No antiheroine has ever clung to viewers the way Dexter Morgan or Walter White have. A major flaw with attempts to create this role is that writers are afraid of going to the extreme. Their hesitance bleeds into the character, preventing the birth of a strong, captivating woman that the audience wants to watch. Of course it's unsettling to think about a female serial killer or meth manufacturer, but it's those kind of extremities that a female character needs in order to prove herself to the viewers. What if Dexter was called Debra? A show about a female cop with deep urges to kill, who's brother is a blood spatter analyst and always on her tail without realizing it. Now that's a show I would watch. What if Breaking Bad's leading character was Skyler White? A show about a woman who's the breadwinner, which is not saying much, but diagnosed with cancer. The doctor's best guess is that she only has a few more months left, and the pilot ends with her finding out she's pregnant. Maybe she runs the show, forcing her high school chemistry teacher husband to cook meth to support her family when she's gone, and turns into a monster. I can't even imagine what those writers could do with a premise like that. But television has nothing remotely close to a female as dangerous and edgy as either of those examples.

There are a few female roles that somewhat satisfy my antiheroine needs as a viewer. Alicia Florrick, also known as The Good Wife, takes her life back after having to stand beside her political husband as he makes a public apology for a sex scandal. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her go from a suppressed stay at home mom to a very successful lawyer who has taken back control over her own life. Still, I wouldn't consider that antiheroic, as much as I would call her a strong, independent self-heroic woman. I have seen a hint of antiheroism in Nurse Jackie's leading lady. Jackie Peyton is an unfaithful, rule breaking drug addicted nurse that any woman could relate to. She constantly goes around the system to do what she believes should be done, no matter how immoral her means are to make it happen. Even with all of that, she lacks the edge that I'm looking for.

I have searched far and wide with no luck in finding a female character that can rank among Dexter Morgan and Walter White. At the end of the day, I've decided that there is only one way I'm ever going to find the antiheroine I am searching for. Time to write her myself.