Feyminism

“Feyminism” 

“ The advocacy of women in media and society in general. Largely inspired by Tina Fey, the comedienne who made great strides for women in comedy.”

I wish I could say I was clever enough to come up with that word.

(However, I found the definition on urban dictionary.)

I thought this week I would take a break from all the numbers and statistics and highlight a woman in the film and television industry who many people admire…

Tina Fey

Tina Fey is a role model to many and she has made huge strides for females in the comedy world.  Many look up to her as she has emerged as one of the funniest people in Hollywood. (Notice I didn’t say woman)

Because like I’ve mentioned before a joke should be funny no matter who says it.

She’s conquered the world of comedy in every facet. She’s an Emmy winning writer/producer of “30 Rock”; she’s been the head writer of “Saturday Night Live”; and is the screenwriter of some hilarious films such as “Mean Girls”, and “Baby Momma.”

She has worked her way up a very long ladder, especially in a male-dominated industry.

There are still people who are very uncomfortable with female comedians and think that women aren’t funny.

Fey says that there are people who continue to insist that women are not funny. 

“You still hear it,” she says. “It’s just a lot easier to ignore.”                   http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/04/funnygirls200804

And that’s exactly what Fey has done. She’s ignored it and rather than stand on top of a soap box she’s made thing s happen and has proven to be extremely successful.

I mean, “The greatest revenge is proving them wrong.”

For example, her memoir Bossypants was number one on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s a hilarious read that talks about her journey into the world of comedy. She provides hilarious anecdotes about her childhood and brushes upon issues in the industry.

Fey is a role model to many but some feel that Tina Fey is a woman filled with contradictions.

For example, she is a strong female character in her show 30 Rock but some argue that her self-deprecating humor  diminishes her power and makes her play the role of a “fragile” woman.

Some feminists think that Tina Fey has not taken a bigger stand on the gender issues that exist in the entertainment industry and that she should serve as a bigger advocate for women’s issues. 

She does address these gender issues, but she uses humor to do so.

For example she talks about the difference between female and male comedy writers:

 “The men urinate in cups. And sometimes jars. Not all of the men at SNL whizzed in cups. But four or five out of 20 did, so the men have to own that one. Anytime there’s a bad female standup somewhere, some idiot Interblogger will deduce that ‘women aren’t funny.Using that same math, I can deduce that male comedy writers also piss in cups.”      http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/03/07/tina-fey-the-new-yorker-men-urinate-in-cups/

I think this lighthearted and humorous spin on things makes her likeable in that she’s not victimizing herself and she doesn’t alienate herself from the male population by bashing them.

She doesn’t need to talk about how great she is, all she has to do is show them how great she is. (And if her Emmys aren’t proof enough, then I don’t know what is.)