Can you be sexist if you have Frank Oz's hand where your parts should be?

[captainsblog]

("Funny talk you would Frank if Oz's butt hand up had you.")

Eleanor and I watched our DVD of The Muppets last night. It translates nicely to the small screen, which of course is where we all met the gang in the first place, and other than "Life's a Happy Song" being permanently earwormed into my head all day today like Ensign Chekhov's creechurz een our boddeez, how could you ever think, much less say, a bad thing about it?

Well, somebody could- and I saw the critique right before watching it, so I paid attention to the thesis to decide if it was right or not.

It came from a friend of a friend, who said this in the original blog post found here:

I get that the movie is a bit retro in its attitudes, as it’s trying to keep things innocent and fresh. I appreciate that. What I did not appreciate, however, is that the screenplay makes a strong point that women are nothing without their men (or frog, as the case may be). Really, Muppets? In 2012? In 2012, the female character can’t go out for the day by herself or eat lunch by herself without falling into despair about it (and singing a big musical number about it)? Her big first number has to voice her ultimate (and apparently only) desire that her boyfriend marry her?

Male characters in this movie have dreams. They make things happen. They save the theatre, and find their talent. The ladies just go along for the ride and complain about not getting the guy. After the muppets save the theatre and treat us to a big, happy ensemble number, the movie comes to a satisfying conclusion. However, just to emphasize the point that all happiness comes from gettin’ yer man, the film adds a penultimate scene with Gary getting down on one knee and proposing to Mary. Blergh.

Later, she critiques Piggy's ultimate decision to stay with the Muppets at the end instead of holding her ground and making Kermit be the one to say "whither thou hoggest" and return with her to Paris- with the side benefit of providing, "voila, set-up for a Muppet movie in France!"

Did this blogger see the same movie I did? 

The one I saw begins with the supposedly submissive female lead Mary teaching her Smalltown class, not in home economics, but in V-8 engine repair. If that didn't kick stereotypes right in the nutz from the get-go, what else would?  Yes, later on she breaks into song about having to explore the non-Muppet corners of SoCal on her own- but this is a freakin' musical, where people and monsters alike can be counted on to spontaneously start musical numbers when they take a dump. And unless I missed it, Mary never, exactly, said yes to Gary's final-scene proposal. She said ""Mahna Mahna," which we now know to have originated in a 1960s Italian soft porno and would fit well within Camille Paglia's theories of enabling female sexuality.

(If you think I can shovel BS about this, just wait till you see the paper I'm submitting to Hofstra next week;)

As for Miss P? She's hardly a submissive piece of bacon candy here. For crysake, she leads, and succeeds at, the Ninja capture of the needed guest star for the telethon.  Before that, Kermit accepts her decision to leave the group, and she, independently, overrules her own choice for her own reasons, and brings the stupid white green male around to understand her point of view by the time the thing is over. If anything, the critic's suggestion of ending the film by her returning to a career at Vogue- which presents as stereotypical and objectifiable views of women as any media ever has or likely will- would be a hoof-step backward for the grrl. In high heels, yet.

So, sorry, ain't buying it.  And if you disagree, well, sorry. Everyone's a sittle bit lexist.

Comments

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. God. They're puppets for cripes sake. Way to suck the joy out. I'm so tired of women (or men) telling me what I should find offensive as a woman. I have a sense of humor for rent if anyone needs one.