They Said That Would Happen In Health Class
This entry has been a really, really long time coming. Apparently my subconscious is telling me that if I just keep procrastinating, it will write itself. That's a hypothesis I'd like to test out someday, but not on this subject. As it is, Superbad is nearly to its release on DVD (which I'm sure I'll purchase).
What I want to talk about it female sexuality in guy-centric pop culture as inspired by the hugely popular movie Superbad as well as an episode of HBO's Flight of the Conchords.
Let me preface this by saying that these are two bodies of work that I love dearly. Flight of the Conchords is my favorite, well, anything to come along in a very long time. As for Superbad, I love everything the Apatow machine has churned out since Freaks and Geeks and feel very protective of his oeuvre. But that doesn't mean that either gets a pass from my criticism.
I'll start with the movie. What I found very good about it: it was hilarious. Profane and often overblown, but it appealed directly to my sense of humor which at times I do believe actually belongs to a teenage boy. The casting was spectacular, from the scene which included cameos by David Krumholtz, Martin Starr and Kevin Corrigan (my three all-time favorite ugly-sexy actors) to the revelation that is Christopher Mintz-Plasse to the always wonderful Michael Cera. I loved the sweet and uncomfortable mining of the nature of Evan and Seth's friendship, and I loved that there were no true heroes or villains. As writing goes, there was an impressive amount of depth and verisimilitude concerning the teenage experience. Except, well... female characters, specifically the love interests of the leads, Becca in particular.
Becca is not a caricature, exactly. I think the actress who played her did a good job of conveying how nice, normal, attractive-but-not-unrealistically-so teenage girls can be terrifying even when they aren't evil. But that's pretty much all she gets to work with, that and a humiliating, alcohol-fueled attempt to throw herself at Evan.
Becca's would-be seduction culminates in the promise of providing oral sex for Evan, but she is copiously sick over him before it can happen. She makes a reference to being turned on as a part of pre-carnal banter, but, though Evan pines for Becca from the movie's beginning, he is plainly horrified by her advances. The audience knows at this point that sensitive Evan wants a relationship with Becca and is not ready for the aggression she shows in the bedroom. And his discomfort is funny. What boy wouldn't be thrilled with a girl he adores throwing herself at him? Who wouldn't switch places with him in a heartbeat, right?
The more I think about it, the more I wonder if, beyond the fresh start the two have to make a go of it the next day, Evan will ever be ready to accept Becca as a sexual being. It's a lovely twist on the norm that he wants to take it slow, but it occurs to me that her sexuality actually shatters his preconceived image of her. What we really never get to know, and what would make for a more well-rounded character, would be if we could actually get an idea of Becca's perspective, to know if her actions are reflective of what she really wants with Evan or if it is a reflection of what societal pressure tells her she is supposed to want. Is sex the only way she thinks she can win him, or is she really interested in jumping into a sexual relationship? That is the thing we never get to know-- what we do get is a picture of a complex male in danger of being eaten alive by a Jeckell-and-Hyde sexually voracious female.
Again, both actors are incredibly funny and the role reversal sets up an instantly humorous situation. But the farther you descend below the surface, the less subversive it actually seems, just a different way to rehash old stereotypes. Yes, this is a guy movie and the focus is on the guys (the tentative nature of male best-friend-ship gets a wonderful treatment while also being funny). The characterization of the women, then, seems to be beside the point-- Becca and the other female characters are mainly there to showcase the phenomenon of young women wielding the sexual power. But still, for the young women, it's a no-win.
Something similar occurs in Flight of the Conchords, Episode 8, titled "Girlfriends." In it, Bret, the more sensitive, innocent member of the titular two-man band, dates a woman named Lisa who pressures him endlessly for sex until he ultimately gives in. She then dumps him unceremoniously and goes so far as to recommend him to friends as someone who "likes to have a good time." The tone of this show and its brand of comedy is patently absurd. Lisa's over-the-top appropriation of the traditionally oversexed male role ("If a woman gets turned on and doesn't climax it could cause permanent damage!") is uproarious in its very absurdness, as is Bret's prim reticence. Eventually, after giving in to Lisa under duress (she claims she is about to shipped off to Iraq), Bret is left traumatized by the experience (there's a post-sex clothed-and-crying-in-the-shower scene I won't even bother getting into), and is later heartbroken when it is revealed to him that she lied and was only after sex.
There's one significant departure when comparing Lisa to Superbad's Becca, and that is that Lisa is relentless in pursuit of her own pleasure - she doesn't want to please Bret, rather uses him until she gets what she wants. In a way this makes her grotesque, a cipher suited to FoC's brand of humor who is less complex a character than Becca. In this way, though, the message that sends out it is a bit less disturbing. There is no reason to question Lisa's motives. She could be any sexual predator, the point being that everyone knows that men behave one way, and men another, and when they switch roles, that's comedy! In Superbad, Becca's motives don't get a second thought. All we can see is that she's scary to Evan, but this scariness plays out into hilarity for us on both of their parts.
What these two examples drive home for me is that the idea of a sexually threatening--or at least sexually aggressive--woman is terrifying to the average man, but in order to show this, it needs comfortable distance provided by humor. Or is it that the idea in itself is laughable? That the men couldn't actually feel threatened by these women, and if they are, it's because they are too sensitive. The funny comes from the winking attitude, that "come on, guys, in real life it's not possible! " we get as assurance when the sidekicks such as Seth in Superbad and Jemaine in Flight of the Conchords express the desire to switch places with their counterparts.
It kind of sounds as if I am advocating for the equal right to be rapists. Ha! What I'm getting at is this: that in one pop-culture reference after another, I'm taking away that it's commonly accepted that women's sexuality, when not defined or controlled by men, is not to be taken seriously.
Considering that I'm talking about two comedic pieces, this sounds like an incredibly humorless post. I know the impulse is encourage me to lighten up. But seriously, I understand what makes comedy work and why these particular things are funny. I know we find humor in life's truths. I'm not trying to kill the comedy, especially since I've already stated that I hold both works in high esteem. It just makes me uneasy, this tension between how women are expected to behave and the ways in which they are punished in the name of comedy when they deviate from the expectations. I think it deserves real exploration. Even further, I believe there can be comedy that addresses societal mores that can actually champion women. It might require a bit more work, but isn't it worth it?
This is not a new phenomenon. It's something that consistently bothers me in YA titles, especially in the male-centric ones I otherwise really love, such as King Dork and Doing It. I expect the most from the writers and artists I adore and respect, and when something's amiss, I really notice. It's all the more disappointing.
With all that said, I'd still recommend Superbad in a heartbeat. And, though all the episodes are awesome and no other ones tread on such touchy subject matter, I'd still give a thumbs-up to the "Girlfriends" episode of Flight of the Conchords-- there are some great lines as well as two of my favorite musical performances. The point is that plenty of thought goes into producing what makes us laugh, and that just because it's funny, it doesn't exempt it from scrutiny or excuse ideological laziness. Well that's only really an installment in an ever-evolving thought process. But it's a start.
I'm just now in possession of Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List and I'm overjoyed about this.
Written material © 2007 Dawn A. Emerman
