I'm just not that into you. Via Yley Coyote @ Flickr.
PhDork pointed out this New York Times profile of Spike TV exec Sharon Levy to me yesterday morning. I confess, when I read it I rolled my eyes so hard and so repeatedly that I was worried they’d get permanently stuck to the underside of my skull. The reporter, Edward Wyatt, doesn’t just hit on a few gender stereotypes, he absolutely bangs out those suckers out of the park like Babe Ruth, one after the other. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, not even in the New York Times, whose trend pieces are increasingly–if subtly–sexist. Since Wyatt apparently feels he can’t write about TV for men without slagging on women, he goes out of his way to make sure that we know that even though Sharon Levy is technically a woman, she’s totally not, like, a chick or anything!
Let’s start with the lede:
Sharon Levy is the first to admit that she is not what anyone would call a girl’s girl — just ask her, for example, about her television viewing habits.
“Grey’s Anatomy?” she repeats, incredulously. “Kill me now.”
Fuckin’ A! Only chicks watch that crap! I mean, yeah, it’s won tons of Emmys and Golden Globes and has a trend-setting African-American female producer but ugh, it’s just so GIRLY–amirite??
But even though she’s totally down with the whole dude thing and so not a dumb chick, let’s not make it sound like she’s, y’know, butch. Because that would be uncool:
“She’s got as much testosterone as any guy I know,” said Doug Herzog, the president of MTV Networks Entertainment Group, a part of Viacom and the parent of Spike. “She was standing in the hallway recently, talking about ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Star Trek.’ She’s into video games and that geeky guy stuff. At the same time, she will turn around and tell you how awesome her new handbag is.”
So don’t be scared, guys, she’s still femme enough to be fuckable! She’s not one of those humorless bonerkillers who can’t take a sexist joke!
But just so you feminazis out there don’t get your panties in a knot, Ms. Levy herself wants you to know that despite having pioneered “The Man Show”, one of the most sophomoric and casually sexist shows on TV–it closed with shots of big-breasted women called “the Juggies” bouncing up and down on trampolines–she’s actually a true friend to womanity, and wants to make sure that women aren’t trashed or exploited on her watch:
“We have been trying to figure out how to do a show with women in it that is sexy and not misogynist,” Ms. Levy said. “We have to crack that code.”
Jesus Christ, it’s not nuclear fusion! You’re not landing on the moon! You’re not solving Fermat’s Last Theorem! There are a hell of a lot of women executives out there–like Shonda Rimes, who produces the show you so despise–who are striking a pretty good balance.
But apparently, trying to find the right balance is just…so…hard for Ms. Levy. And no wonder–look at the company she keeps. Hard to get inspired to produce smart television about women when you’re at Spike TV. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas, etc. But “Monster Garage” star Jesse James empathizes with her struggle:
“She’s trying to survive in a man’s world, so she’s got it tough,” Mr. James said. “She’s like that cool chick in college that you drink with and go out and party with. She has her girly moments, but not too often.”
Not too often! Well, thank God for that! You wouldn’t want her acting feminine, after all. Because when that happens, ladies, you can kiss your credibility goodbye! (One can only hope that Jesse James’s wife, the rom/com star and former cheerleader Sandra Bullock has cast off those icky girly moments for the sake of their marriage!)
This whole article was so replete with bullshit stereotyping: MEN R CRUDE N DUMB! THEY LIKE GAMEZ AND BEWBZ! CHICKS R LAME! SHOWS WITH GIRLS SUCK! that it really gave me a headache. There were dozens of ways that Edward Wyatt could have written this article that didn’t insult either Ms. Levy, the work she does, the network she works with, or the audience for her shows. But that would have required real nuance on the part of the reporter, and maybe a little more self-awareness on the part of the subject.
This reminds me of the lyrics from a Flight of the Conchords song:
My rhymes are so potent that in this small segment
I made all of the ladies in the area pregnant
Yes, sometimes my lyrics are sexist
But you lovely bitches and hoes should know I’m trying to correct this.
In other words, I know my history sucks — but I swear I’m trying to change it, so STFU you silly women! Except it was actually funny when it was Flight of the Conchords and not so funny with Spike TV.
I clicked on this article yesterday. After the Grey’s Anatomy quote, I thought, “Do I really want to read this article?” After the line about the handbag, I decided that the answer was “Definitely not.”
So with you, Becky. It’s time to change my homepage.
And don’t get me started on Douthat’s column this morning. AVOID.
@ShinyObjects: Douthat makes me want to throw up. Just on principle.
ugh. fail fail FAIL.
why must every story about a successful woman have to include the meme OMG she has a vagina & is successful BUT DONT WORRY she likes “manly things” BUT DONT WORRY she’s still totally HAWT! lololololz oh my god stop it
SOALG – Yes! it’s Pavlovian.
I wonder if the increasing frequency of these kinds of articles has anything to do with the overall flailing of the newspaper industry. I’m pretty sure the Times is losing money to the same degree as smaller papers. Is this a desperate attempt to keep white male readership by giving credence to privileged, misogynist attitudes? I don’t recall this many deplorable articles oh, five years ago. At least, I don’t recall feeling disgusted so often. But I may have blocked those feelings from my memory, and happily so.
Quick note: the producer of “GA” is actually Shonda Rimes, not Chandra Wilson, who plays Dr. Bailey.
Not like I watch the show anymore or anything, because, like, gag me with my new handbag, ZOMG.
This reminds me of that disgusting comic that someone made about the female designer working on the videogame Assassin’s Creed. She happened to be the Creative director in her division of UBisoft, so she did some of the talking points for the advertisement of the game.
But uh-oh, she happened to be pretty and smart!! And working in an industry pretty much dominated by men!!! Oh god, we have to take her down a notch! And then, when she gets upset that someone made a very graphic comic about her giving head to her male fans, we need to all roll our eyes and say “What did she expect making herself all public like that?” (classic victim blaming).
Srsly. Lip service is paid to gender equality, but the inequality police are working day and night to make sure no women take that seriously and, you know, actually get a job in the sorts of arenas they like to hang out in. Or if they do, they’d better know their place!
*Head-shake of disgust*
@cherryames: Ah, crap. My mistake. Will fix later. Thanks for the catch!
(I actually don’t watch Gray’s Anatomy. Maybe I’m secretly a dude?)
I hear you, Becky. I, too, am just not that into the NYTimes. The relationship started off so beautifully — buying the Sunday Times to read in bed or at brunch. After a while, I switched to the online version, because it wasn’t about magic anymore, it was about convenience and saving money. The NYTimes must have sensed my growing apathy, and began posting passive-aggressive and increasingly normative-sexist BS articles. Most of the real journalism and good writing were gone, if they ever really existed. And now I just click it out of habit, without joy, wondering how much more I can take before I up and leave altogether. Sigh.
OT: Does anyone know the how to pronounce Douthat? Would you mind phonetic-ing it for me? It’s becoming hard to read with no corresponding head voice.
Thanks!