In the article, “Don’t ask me, I’m just a girl”: Feminism, Female Identity and the Simpsons, author Matthew Henry (2007) takes on the task of interpreting The Simpsons with an emphasis on the feminine roles portrayed there. This publication is geared toward the academic side of popular culture, looking at the everyday events and going beneath the surface to uncover how these things reflect our culture. This article, for example, draws out the feminine and feminist issues discussed on the popular Fox Network cartoon, The Simpsons. It is intended for an audience of women, talking about the different roles that Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and Selma Bouvier play as a mother, wife, friend, employee, sister and woman in this long-time running show. It may also draw in hard-core Simpson fans who are interested in any insider information on their favorite show. It also analyzes Homer, the near-Neanderthal husband of Marge’s and father to Lisa and how he treats the women in his family to illustrate the role he plays in how they think of themselves, whether good or bad.
In the beginning of the article, the author goes into some length describing the relationship that Marge and Homer have. He discusses the dynamics of their marriage. They seem to have a good relationship but in two back-to-back episodes they both involve themselves in some almost extra-marital affairs. In one of the episodes, Marge is gifted with a bowling ball that Homer assumes is going to soon be his because a woman has no place at a bowling alley. Marge takes offense and decides to keep the ball and get lessons and is then wooed by her bowling instructor. She almost has an affair with him before deciding to go back to Homer and her children. In the very next episode, Homer is seen dancing with a stripper by his son, Bart, and after being admonished by Marge, voices his surprising admission that although women can drive a man crazy with their bodies, they are not objects but someone’s daughter, sister, or mother. The Simpsons seem to be full of these odd little remarks on the state of the popular view. Henry also discusses the fact that it is a team of male writers that tie in these feminist views to the dialogue.
Henry goes on to analyze the character of Selma Bouvier, Marge’s sister. Selma is described as the more emotional and needy of Marge’s sisters (she also has a sister named Patty). In one of the episodes, she is shown searching for a mate and even decides to have a baby via artificial insemination. This, the author explains, is the show’s writers making a statement about the comments that then Vice President Dan Quayle makes about the also fictional character of Murphy Brown. He states that an educated and successful woman having a child alone ridicules fathers everywhere. Another point made about Selma is the sexist attitudes she faces when posting a clip on a video-dating club. Henry argues that our culture puts too much attention on the way a woman looks and not what is in her mind or heart.
The last feminine character that the author discusses is Lisa Simpson. She, he feels, is the ultimate feminist. There is no confusion in her mind about what she is. She is a staunch believer in woman’s rights and they illustrate this numerous times on the show. In one episode Lisa, a fan of the Malibu Stacy doll (a representation of Barbie), goes to the store for the release of the newest talking Malibu Stacy doll. To her disdain, the only sayings that Stacy utters are very sexist, such as, “I wish they taught shopping in school” and “don’t ask me, I’m just a girl”. In broaching this subject, Henry is connecting the real-life issues surrounding the “Teen Talk Barbie” that was introduced not long before this episode was aired. He reports that the doll said things like, “Math class is tough”. He goes on to describe Lisa’s attempt to design her own feminist doll and the town’s disinterest in it, instead buying another Stacy doll with an updated hat.
The style that the author brings to the page is notable. He links so much of what is seen on the popular cartoon to current events. He makes connections from the show and also ties in quotes from other feminist writers to illustrate the climate of our culture’s stand on feminist views and femininity. By integrating the show into his writings, he brings interest into the subject.
As a pretty traditional-minded woman myself, I found this article to be very interesting. Although I am a stay-at-home mom who puts her family first, I am also working hard to complete my degree and I found the conflicts that face Marge very similar to my own. (I am not trying to relate my husband to Homer, though!) This article sends home the message that woman are not one-sided, they have many matters that pull them one way or another. It also brings up the idea that television shows like The Simpsons are one window into the soul of our culture.
References
Henry, M. (2007 April). "Don't ask me, i'm just a girl": Feminism, female identity and
the simpsons. Journal of Popular Culture, 40, Retrieved June 21, 2008, from http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=24195726&site=ehost-live
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3 comments:
It's hard to imagine that anyone's husband is like Homer, but I enjoy watching the Simpsons and Homer is my favorite character. He's lazy, but yet loveable. I think the Simpsons incorporates real families into the show and it's how we can relate to them and basically laugh at ourselves in a way. The point about Selma being artificially inseminated and how Dan Quayle said that ridicules fathers. I think it shows how strong women are in the world and that we can survive on our own without help. Same goes for the situation with Marge in the Bowling Alley. You don't have to be a man to bowl. I enjoy bowling, even though I'm not very good at it! Good article and analysis. I enjoyed it.
This was a good subject and a great analysis. I remember when the Simpsons first started airing and it is amazing how the show has advanced both technologically and subject-wise over the years. It was a big deal when it first aired because it had been since the Jetsons and the Flintstones since a cartoon had taken such prominence on prime time television. The point you made about the writers being mostly male was a great point. That fact surely has a great deal of influence on the topics dealt with or presented in the show.
I could not disagree with Dan Quayle's opinion more. Who cares what Dan Quayle thinks anyway and why does it even matter what his opinion is? Men can't have children without women anyway, and for that matter women can't have children without the male's "Donation". Both sexes are equal but just different. That is nature and we can't get around it.
Great in-depth analysis of a very deep topic. Thanks for your point of view.
David Ackerman
I've watched the Simpsons for years and remember when they started out on the Tracy Uhlman Show. It still amazes me how many articles in books and magazines refer to this cartoon show to compare to real human lives. However, the length of time it has been on is testimony to how the general audience can relate to the characters in their own life issues.
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