And to the suits who call the shots- I'm gunning for you. Where there's a Best Of list, there's a Worst Of not far behind and the list is long and depressing. It needs to be addressed, even if it exists here where only I can see it. I'm thinking of calling it, "Stop treating us like stupid whores."
Queen Latifah's Jenny Craig commercial
Why? Latifah's take on the weight loss-spokeswoman franchise is refreshing- turning it into a pledge to get a little healthier over succumbing to some unrealistic Size 2 For Everyone mantra.
Reese Witherspoon
Why? I will admit that I have a spastic "Reese is on the cover- must have magazine" twitch. I can't help it. I've stopped fighting it. As someone who is consistently wondering why women continue degrade themselves all over pop culture and, separately, why affluent parents have become so frightened of their children as to coddle/spoil/ruin them for the rest of mankind, any time Reese Witherspoon opens her mouth I breath a sigh of relief. She believes in discipline. And manners (she writes thank you notes. C'mon). And she believes women should be portrayed a way that doesn't crucify the whole gender. They should play to their strengths and use their brains. And then she actually goes out and makes movies that prove her point- ahem, we're looking at you Heigl (are you smirking out there that Legally Blonde didn't quite make the list? Maybe you should watch it again. And pay attention this time.)
Reality TV- Amazing Race, How to Look Good Naked
Why? One asks contestants, of both sexes, of all races, size and creed, to use their wits, guile and resolve. Shocking. The other seeks to undo decades of poisonous programming that an imperfect body is a reason to torture yourself until you have to squeeze yours eyes shut in a dressing room or hide under the covers instead of going to a party with your friends. In a week. The results never fail to bring me to tears.
Tina Fey
Why? Say what you will about the first female head writer of notorious boy's club Saturday Night Live- that is a big deal. So is her work on 30 Rock, which just might be the most important sitcom since Seinfeld. So is being named one of 2007's 100 People Who Shape Our World by Time magazine. So is just shrugging it all off and going back to work.
Dove ads
Why? Dove's biggest statement is To make more women feel beautiful everyday. God, it's nice when a company actually walks the talk. It would've been simple to attempt to prove this statement by filling ad space and commercial blocks with the same long-tressed, perfect-skinned, stick-thin, Who Are These Women? models that everyone else uses. Instead, Dove gives us women we actually recognize. And now I use Dove. See how that works, advertising cronies?
The makeup artists/costumer designers of Crime TV- All the Law & Orders, Cold Case, The Closer, and Medium
Sure, you get them all dolled up on the red carpet and they're knock-outs. But on the small screen? They're a little working mom-schlubby (Alison on Medium), they routinely forget to brush their hair (Lily on Cold Case, Brenda on Medium), they ignore or downplay makeup completely and wear clothes that make SENSE for the job (the cops and lawyers on Law & Order). The result? We believe these women are who they say they are (You hear that, Ally McBeal?). And a special bonus to Patricia Arquette for famously turning down the demand that she lose 25 lbs for her role, arguing that she is exactly what a real working mother of three looks like, just as she is.
Ugly Betty
Why? Tell me if you've heard this one. A chubby girl with braces, bushy eyebrows and a Guadalajara poncho walks into a high fashion magazine office and the world at large goes crazy with love and joy. Where have you been all my life, Betty Suarez? I sure could've used you when I myself was a T-shirt-over-the-bathing-suit kind of girl.
The How-To Women of the Food Network (Except you, Sandra Lee. Sorry- there's something about your Stepford Wives persona that I cannot stomach)
Why? Wait. Food is the enemy. How come y'all don't all weigh 110 lbs? How come you're not telling me to stick to my fat-free cream cheese diet? The lesson learned here is more than just how to whip up egg whites. It's about appreciating the blend of creativity and efficiency, savoring all the world has to offer and perfecting the art of making something out of nothing. Things all women thrive at when they give themselves the chance.
Spanglish
Why? Because it's a great movie. Because daughter Bernie is too familiar and just breaks my heart. And it has this passage- "American women, I believe, actually feel the same as Hispanic women about weight. A desire for the comfort of fullness. And when that desire is suppressed for style, and deprivation allowed to rule, dieting, exercising American women become afraid of everything associated with being curvaceous...such as wantonness, lustfulness, sex, food...motherhood. All that is best in life."
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