Kristen Wiig, I love you.
After a seemingly rapid rise to success in the comedy world Kristen Wiig has another accolade to add to the list since the success of Bridesmaids. GQ has made Wiig an honourary bro!
Bro of the year? Dude! Congrats man! Major fist pump action.
Only…what does it mean that GQ couldn’t think of a better compliment for a funny woman than to award her some kind of frat-boy status?
Call me crazy but doesn’t GQ like to style itself as kind of classy? The thinking man’s Nuts, if you will. A magazine that often has a man on the cover, looking all suave, doing his best suited and booted Bond impression (you know, looking up as he fastens a button on his suit, or looking up as he straightens his cuff, examples here, here, here and here) (and here)
Fine, yes you can wear suit and still appreciate the idiom of college age guys. It’s not really the choice of epithet for this award I have any problem with. It’s the message awarding it to a woman gives. A woman who has achieved her popularity and recognition by being talented and funny.
Bro of the year? Dude! Congrats man! Major fist pump action.
Only…what does it mean that GQ couldn’t think of a better compliment for a funny woman than to award her some kind of frat-boy status?
Call me crazy but doesn’t GQ like to style itself as kind of classy? The thinking man’s Nuts, if you will. A magazine that often has a man on the cover, looking all suave, doing his best suited and booted Bond impression (you know, looking up as he fastens a button on his suit, or looking up as he straightens his cuff, examples here, here, here and here) (and here)
Fine, yes you can wear suit and still appreciate the idiom of college age guys. It’s not really the choice of epithet for this award I have any problem with. It’s the message awarding it to a woman gives. A woman who has achieved her popularity and recognition by being talented and funny.
Somehow this recognition dismisses the notion of the funny woman and makes it easier for mankind by applauding a comic heroine whilst still equating funny with masculinity. Everybody wins! NOT.
Awarding Kristen Wiig Bro of the Year is suggestive of a little conflict in the GQ offices. ‘Wiig’s a woman, yes, but she made us laugh. Seems there’s only one way to get round this… Congratulations Wiig! You’re funny, like a man! In acknowledgement of your sense of humour, which we all know few ladies are capable of, we are giving you Bro status! Now, take off your top’.
Yeah, you knew I couldn’t write this without mentioning the accompanying photo-shoot. It’s the lingeried elephant in the room. But are you surprised by GQ’s styling, or let down by Wiig’s decision to go with GQ’s rule of thumb; male on the cover? Suit up a brother, cover with lady? Let’s get shady.
Ok I made that rule of thumb up. But I bet that is what they go by, and I hope it’s delivered in rhyme form.
Kristen Wiig won this prestigious award (joke, sometimes I make jokes) by being talented, funny and fearless. Ms Wiig is a grown woman more than capable of asking not to be photographed in her underwear. Personally I think an opportunity for the first GQ Muu-muu cover has been missed but that’s an entirely different argument.
Just as Sarah Silverman chose to be photographed for Maxim emerging from a gorilla suit in her underwear, Wiig has chosen to pose in semi-clad and pulling faces.
These women are successful enough and (more importantly) old enough to make an informed decision on what to wear for a magazine cover shoot. If we keep on forcing the ‘feminist role model’ label on every intelligent woman who finds fame, then we not only set ourselves up to be disappointed, but in venting our disenchantment we end up dismissing her achievements.
We are missing an opportunity here; we aren’t asking the right questions. Not ‘Why is Wiig in her underwear on Gentleman’s Quarterly?’ The answer’s in the magazine title. But ‘Why is comedy, once again, being presented as a male territory only?’
Squeamish Kate
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Awarding Kristen Wiig Bro of the Year is suggestive of a little conflict in the GQ offices. ‘Wiig’s a woman, yes, but she made us laugh. Seems there’s only one way to get round this… Congratulations Wiig! You’re funny, like a man! In acknowledgement of your sense of humour, which we all know few ladies are capable of, we are giving you Bro status! Now, take off your top’.
Yeah, you knew I couldn’t write this without mentioning the accompanying photo-shoot. It’s the lingeried elephant in the room. But are you surprised by GQ’s styling, or let down by Wiig’s decision to go with GQ’s rule of thumb; male on the cover? Suit up a brother, cover with lady? Let’s get shady.
Ok I made that rule of thumb up. But I bet that is what they go by, and I hope it’s delivered in rhyme form.
Kristen Wiig won this prestigious award (joke, sometimes I make jokes) by being talented, funny and fearless. Ms Wiig is a grown woman more than capable of asking not to be photographed in her underwear. Personally I think an opportunity for the first GQ Muu-muu cover has been missed but that’s an entirely different argument.
Just as Sarah Silverman chose to be photographed for Maxim emerging from a gorilla suit in her underwear, Wiig has chosen to pose in semi-clad and pulling faces.
These women are successful enough and (more importantly) old enough to make an informed decision on what to wear for a magazine cover shoot. If we keep on forcing the ‘feminist role model’ label on every intelligent woman who finds fame, then we not only set ourselves up to be disappointed, but in venting our disenchantment we end up dismissing her achievements.
We are missing an opportunity here; we aren’t asking the right questions. Not ‘Why is Wiig in her underwear on Gentleman’s Quarterly?’ The answer’s in the magazine title. But ‘Why is comedy, once again, being presented as a male territory only?’
Squeamish Kate
Related posts
Fox News notes new comedy phenomenon
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