It really bothers me that the American public seems to find it amusing when women (especially young women) in entertainment are crude and brash in the name of being comical. I believe in free speech, I’m not trying to apply a gender double standard, and I don’t think women should just look pretty and say nice things all the time. On the contrary, I like when women are honest and real. Still, I am disappointed that some female public figures base much of their careers on being unapologetically vulgar.
d
“The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”
(and don’t be mockin’ her because she rocks the 80s looks!)
dd
dd
Jennifer Lawrence and Ellen DeGeneres are 2 women in the public eye who are, in my opinion (and most other people’s as well!), very, very funny. They are not prudes, they express themselves, but they keep it clean most of the time. And they do NOT degrade or insult others. Classy lasses, I think.
gg
What are YOUR views on (young) women in the media, specifically about what is (un)acceptable behavior and speech in trying to be funny?
I was a bit disappointed that for her Halloween special, she featured this young boy wearing a wrecking ball costume, an obvious nod to the infamous Miley Cyrus music video (read my critique of it here!). The video is inappropriate (duh), and having this boy reference it is also somewhat inappropriate.
Don’t make things that are NOT cute/ funny try to seem cute/ funny,
especially when children are involved!
*Friends, I have LOTS of thoughts on Ellen. The vast majority of them are positive!
When it comes to our world and its issues, there is a lot to say!
… And a lot to criticize
There are absolutely times when it’s important to speak plainly and even harshly. To reprove with sharpness (Doctrine and Covenants 121:43) , and to not beat around the bush (From what I understand, my grandfather Ernest Wilkinson often preferred this approach.).
So I occasionally will speak harshly (but still intelligently!) about subjects, but my passion does not overrule my logic (and vice versa).
And there are certain topics that Katherine simply will not explore in a comedic way (humor is great, but out of bounds can be dangerous, obscene, and grossly offensive).
You will never see any joke on my blog about racism, abuse, pornography, or violence.
And it is NOT that I am afraid of alienating readers (although I do seek to maintain them!). It is that those jokes are not a part of my life AT ALL, and therefore most certainly will not be part of my blog.
However, when it comes to less serious (but still important!) issues like modesty, time spent on Facebook, and dating, things that are relevant to many people but are especially present in my psyche as a Mormon living in Provo, I like to (try to) be funny! I often think deeply about the issue (let it cook in the crock-pot of my mind for a while), but usually say very little. It’s that whole “economy of words” things again.
Sure I know how to write 15 page papers, but in this case, I think that often the less said, the better. Brevity IS the soul of wit, ya’ll!As long as what you are saying is funny, uplifting, entertaining, honest, but still speaks an important truth and sparks discussion and thought, I believe that often the point gets across most clearly and perfectly. The idea of “truth in jest” shows up in almost all of my posts, and it is the core of my approach to satire.
(2 Shakespeare references in 1 paragraph-not bad!)
Two of my greatest influences in this respect are Ellen DeGeneres and Brad Paisley. Both are brilliant comedians and satirists (Brad is also extremely good looking and could shred a guitar to pieces), but are NOT preachy or unkind. They respect the intelligence of their audience. And I believe this is what makes them so good. Check out these two examples:
Well done, you two. Well done. Thanks so much for your inspiration.
And now back to the woman of the hour…
My satire may not be perfect, but it is funny, witty, occasionally sexy, intelligent, clean, refreshing, and overall pretty darn awesome, if Ido say so myself.