Reinforced battle lines
Re-demarcating gender lines and (re)enforcing expected body representation
I saw Grown-Ups 2 today and, by and large, it was a standard, American comedy. Nothing wrong with that, of course - here in the US we appreciate physical humor; fart jokes, groin shots, and grappling take up multiple minutes on the screen, and that's fine. I enjoy slapstick as much as the next person.
What I don't enjoy, though, is the ramming of whole and complex human beings into restrictive and damaging tropes.
The character that I fixated on from the moment I first saw her is simply credited as "Beefcake Kitty," and is portrayed by the beautiful, blonde, bodybuilder Kris Murrell. When Kitty is introduced to the audience, it is immediately established that she is aggressive and "macho" when she confronts Deanna (played by Maya Rudoplh) about her misbehaving toddler. Deanne dismisses Kitty's frustration, says something about her hairy feet, and then goes further by threatening Kitty to sic the child on her. A few moments later, the toddler discovers a jock strap in Kitty's bag and asks her if its her's. Kitty then makes a show of saying that the strap isn't her's.
After that scene ended, I got up and stepped to the theater doors for a minute. I spat out my gum, pulled out my phone, and texted a friend of mine who is aware of my height and the generous carpet of fur that covers the lower half of my body (I haven't owned a razor in more than a year or two): "...watching grown-ups 2, and there's a woman bodybuilder that they're calling 'hairy' and 'a man...' ...i just really detest hair removal and happen to be almost 6 feet tall - why does that qualify me as a man? :/"
(It wouldn't be until after the movie that I saw her response: "Ppl are assholes, thats why")
I was livid. And embarrassed. And caught-off-guard. I had multiple reactions to how Kitty's physicality was being treated, and I want to try and unpack that now...
When Kitty first appeared on-screen, a not-so-small part of me went, "daaaaamn - look at her shoulders!" I have no desire or aspirations to be a bodybuilder but seriously - Kitty (Kris) could kick my ass and then I would pull myself off of the floor and ask for her help in the gym. Her immediately visible strength and assumed level of fitness (high) were dismissed as unfeminine and unbecoming, and there was even the hint that she was using steroids. Which brings us to the next part -
Kitty was called "hairy," and then I spent the rest of the movie trying to find out where she had body hair. The answer? None. Her legs, pits, arms, face, and we assume pretty much everywhere else except for her eyebrows and scalp were completely bald. (In the end of the film she dressed up as Hulk Hogan and as such had a lovely, accurate, blond mustache, but that won't count as having body hair because she's not actually growing it.) So why the accusation, then?! I couldn't honestly figure out why someone would be called hairy if they weren't hairy until the person I went to see the movie with told me that steroid use by Kitty had been implied...
I also had a hard time with Kitty's brusque mannerism. Since this was a comedy it wasn't too surprising that many of the supporting characters (like Kitty) were largely flat and blown-out-of proportion, but at the same time - why did Kitty only have one (emotional, mental) gear? Why was she always in more or less the same mood?
...I understand that, if you've been bullied, you start to anticipate it and want to beat the bullies at their game, but I didn't want to believe that Kitty had given in to that... There's a real danger in becoming what people tell you you are if you hear it often enough. :(
In the end, Kitty has an affirming experience and the film (somewhat cautiously) allows her a happy ending. Marcus Higgins (played by David Spade) proclaims that "she's his woman,"and openly admires her built physique. Seeing as how he had apparently only been treating her as a fuck buddy previously and she had been unhappy with the arrangement, this is a somewhat heartening (if heteronormative and cliche) turn of events.
...When I returned to my seat in the theater and adjusted myself so as to be leaning against the person I came with, I leaned my head against his chest and tried to relax. Just as Kitty and Marcus could be said to be in a queer relationship, so too could I and my significant other be in one; "queer" relationships being defined as relationships that challenge the status quo and what is expected of us. Marcus is smaller (physically weaker) than Kitty, and doesn't have a problem with it (in the end). My significant other is very clear about how much he likes my body hair, and happily holds my hand in public. In both instances, the female bodies can be seen as challenging traditional notions of femininity, and the male bodies that are attracted to them lend legitimacy by proclaiming their affection for them.
(But unpacking all of the aspects of what makes my romantic relationship queer is a topic for another day.)
Overall, Grown-Ups 2 was an entertaining film if somewhat disappointing in that many of the characters are still collared by a web of un-examined privileges and biases. There's still hope for mainstream media, though. At least, I hope there is.
I saw Grown-Ups 2 today and, by and large, it was a standard, American comedy. Nothing wrong with that, of course - here in the US we appreciate physical humor; fart jokes, groin shots, and grappling take up multiple minutes on the screen, and that's fine. I enjoy slapstick as much as the next person.
What I don't enjoy, though, is the ramming of whole and complex human beings into restrictive and damaging tropes.
The character that I fixated on from the moment I first saw her is simply credited as "Beefcake Kitty," and is portrayed by the beautiful, blonde, bodybuilder Kris Murrell. When Kitty is introduced to the audience, it is immediately established that she is aggressive and "macho" when she confronts Deanna (played by Maya Rudoplh) about her misbehaving toddler. Deanne dismisses Kitty's frustration, says something about her hairy feet, and then goes further by threatening Kitty to sic the child on her. A few moments later, the toddler discovers a jock strap in Kitty's bag and asks her if its her's. Kitty then makes a show of saying that the strap isn't her's.
After that scene ended, I got up and stepped to the theater doors for a minute. I spat out my gum, pulled out my phone, and texted a friend of mine who is aware of my height and the generous carpet of fur that covers the lower half of my body (I haven't owned a razor in more than a year or two): "...watching grown-ups 2, and there's a woman bodybuilder that they're calling 'hairy' and 'a man...' ...i just really detest hair removal and happen to be almost 6 feet tall - why does that qualify me as a man? :/"
(It wouldn't be until after the movie that I saw her response: "Ppl are assholes, thats why")
I was livid. And embarrassed. And caught-off-guard. I had multiple reactions to how Kitty's physicality was being treated, and I want to try and unpack that now...
When Kitty first appeared on-screen, a not-so-small part of me went, "daaaaamn - look at her shoulders!" I have no desire or aspirations to be a bodybuilder but seriously - Kitty (Kris) could kick my ass and then I would pull myself off of the floor and ask for her help in the gym. Her immediately visible strength and assumed level of fitness (high) were dismissed as unfeminine and unbecoming, and there was even the hint that she was using steroids. Which brings us to the next part -
Kitty was called "hairy," and then I spent the rest of the movie trying to find out where she had body hair. The answer? None. Her legs, pits, arms, face, and we assume pretty much everywhere else except for her eyebrows and scalp were completely bald. (In the end of the film she dressed up as Hulk Hogan and as such had a lovely, accurate, blond mustache, but that won't count as having body hair because she's not actually growing it.) So why the accusation, then?! I couldn't honestly figure out why someone would be called hairy if they weren't hairy until the person I went to see the movie with told me that steroid use by Kitty had been implied...
I also had a hard time with Kitty's brusque mannerism. Since this was a comedy it wasn't too surprising that many of the supporting characters (like Kitty) were largely flat and blown-out-of proportion, but at the same time - why did Kitty only have one (emotional, mental) gear? Why was she always in more or less the same mood?
...I understand that, if you've been bullied, you start to anticipate it and want to beat the bullies at their game, but I didn't want to believe that Kitty had given in to that... There's a real danger in becoming what people tell you you are if you hear it often enough. :(
In the end, Kitty has an affirming experience and the film (somewhat cautiously) allows her a happy ending. Marcus Higgins (played by David Spade) proclaims that "she's his woman,"and openly admires her built physique. Seeing as how he had apparently only been treating her as a fuck buddy previously and she had been unhappy with the arrangement, this is a somewhat heartening (if heteronormative and cliche) turn of events.
...When I returned to my seat in the theater and adjusted myself so as to be leaning against the person I came with, I leaned my head against his chest and tried to relax. Just as Kitty and Marcus could be said to be in a queer relationship, so too could I and my significant other be in one; "queer" relationships being defined as relationships that challenge the status quo and what is expected of us. Marcus is smaller (physically weaker) than Kitty, and doesn't have a problem with it (in the end). My significant other is very clear about how much he likes my body hair, and happily holds my hand in public. In both instances, the female bodies can be seen as challenging traditional notions of femininity, and the male bodies that are attracted to them lend legitimacy by proclaiming their affection for them.
(But unpacking all of the aspects of what makes my romantic relationship queer is a topic for another day.)
Overall, Grown-Ups 2 was an entertaining film if somewhat disappointing in that many of the characters are still collared by a web of un-examined privileges and biases. There's still hope for mainstream media, though. At least, I hope there is.