With Keith Olbermann. Just watch:
It's sad to have to be thinking about Rush Limbaugh ever again, but in recompense Keith is giving me butterflies.
[via Feministing.]
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Stop The Presses, I'm In Love
Friday, August 8, 2008
NON-Animated Role Models: Poached From Defamer
Like, forever ago, I posted a list of my animated female heroes and swore the list of live-action ladies was soon to follow. Well, obviously not. There are just too many! I will try and get back on this but in the meantime, Defamer has just posted a really awesome tribute to "The Top 10 Female TV Characters Women Want To Be Like And Men Want To Be With." It's awesome! There's one with which I viscerally disagree, but with the others I viscerally AGREE. Check it out.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Some People Are Like This, and Other People Are Like This!
Jezebel linked to a stupid article in the London Times about how US women are well-groomed and British women are busted. He describes things like waxing, tanning, and teeth whitening as "obligatory beauty maintenance," and essentially says that we're superficial bitches who tell our friends they're fat--yknow, in a good way! Blah blah etc, he is stupid and sexist and basing his concept of America strictly on L.A. This we know. I didn't even read the whole article because who gives a fuck.
However, I thought I'd share with you my OWN sweeping cultural generalizations. Having lived the better part of a year in London,* I determined that Londoners (at least) have a healthier attitude towards sexuality, in particular female sexuality. Furthermore, the guys have less stringent beauty standards. Now, it's been suggested to me that "Susan B.'s London is not everybody's London," but you're just as likely to spot a couple where the guy's more attractive as the other way around**. The women in their sitcoms are hot, but look like actual people. Bah, I saw the first episode of the pitiful American version of Coupling, which I'm told was almost word-for-word the same as the first episode of the awesome British original, and the guy who was supposed to be kind of dopey and not great with women was of course played by a chubby balding guy, even though the plot concerns him and a super-hot woman. In the British version, that character isn't much more or less attractive than his buddies-- they show his dorkiness, and this will shock you, through the WRITING AND ACTING.
Also, you can buy vibrators in Luten airport.
The author of the lame article talks about liking British girls, going to college in LA, then coming back and wondering what happened to the pretty. My guess? The girls didn't change, he just developed a taste for silicone and fake tans. As for me, at least once a week it occurs to me that if I actually wanted to be, yknow HAPPY in this life, I would move to London and marry some nice indie rocker who likes to dance***.
*OMG almost a year! I'm like a native, and totes qualified to comment on the culture! For reals.
**[Insert boasts about my pulling guys way hotter than me.]
***And start a meaningful theatre career, since theatre there actually matters, but that's a tangent.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Whom I'm Thankful For: Animated Edition
Inspired by a lovely TV-and-movie critic I know who is working on an end-of-the-year list, I thought I'd try my own compilation. So I shall here list my favorite female TV characters of all time. The criteria were a mix: embodiment of feminist principles, coolness, strength, intelligence, importance, making it in a man's world, badassosity, and my personal affection. In short, characters who made me say, "She's so frickin' awesome!" and who made me feel cooler about being a girl. And extra points for any character I dressed as for Halloween. I've decided to make a separate list for animated shows, since they were highly represented! So, without further ado: Oh man, I loved this broad. Oh man, I STILL love this broad. Not the game show or the video game version (though I loved them by association)--the cartoon series version. The version where she was voiced by Rita Moreno and always got away. Not only was she an outlaw and a rebel, she was smart, witty, badass, cucumber-cool, and could operate solo just as well as with her legions of overly-appropriately-named henchpeople. The secret to her success? In her own words: "Think out your plan like a woman of action--act out your plan like a woman of thought." (In 8th grade it meant so much to me that I could quote that and it specifically said woman.) Her pride was sometimes an asset, sometimes a liability, and her refusal to use violence opened the door to 100% likeability for girls like me. And she taught me about female pirates! Halloween costume? Check--11th grade. Truth be told, I would be her anyday. 3) Rogue (X-Men) Storm was too Spock-like, Jean unforgivably lame for preferring Cyclops to Wolverine. But Rogue? She was a firecracker, had awesome powers (flight, invulnerability, super strength) and an awesome backstory, plus the affections (however star-crossed) of Gambit, who was let's-be-honest SO FRICKIN HOT OMG. But I digress. The serious downside of her power (draining people's strength=not so much with the smooching) only made it cooler that she held onto that southern charm--and Gambit dug her even if she couldn't put out. I would be her for H-ween in a second if I thought I could pull off the unitard. 4) Ivy (Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?) 6) Officer Renée Montoya (Batman: The Animated Series) Even before she was outed in a comic book, I knew Montoya was the real deal. She would probably be higher on this list if she'd been in the cartoon a little more, but she certainly wasn't neglected. A foil to the sloppy and pig-headed Bullock (pictured), she was the only one of Gotham's Finest besides Gordon whom Batman, and the audience, could totally trust. When suspended due to a mysteriously botched bust involving Batman, Montoya pursued the case even without gun and badge, and was proven right in the end. A resolutely tough cop, she was still undeniably human--in one episode, upon hearing the (false) news of Batman's death, she allows herself a rare moment of vulnerabilty, not just in front of us, but in front of Bullock. Far grittier and more interesting than, say, Bat Girl--in part because she's a creature of reality and not fantasy--it's no wonder she got more attention in 52. 7) Daria Morgendorffer (Daria) If I sounded critical of Ms. Morgendorffer before, well, the greatest heroes are flawed. But who could not relate to this girl, whose chirpy, popular younger sister derides her as a "brain," whose parents and teachers don't understand why she can't put down the books and hit the pep rally...whose friend Jane has a dreamy musician older brother who would never be right for her but...oh Trent...drool... Sorry, where was I? Right. As the series went on, her character actually developed (!) and she was more than just a collection of deadpan quips. But her words from the first episode are still the most telling: "I don't have low self-esteem! I have low esteem for everyone else." Who hasn't been there? (Halloween: two years ago.) 8) Aeon Flux (Aeon Flux) Do I really have to explain this one? She's a renegade, a double agent, on no one's side but her own, she kicks ass in EPIC AMOUNTS and her sexuality is totally her own. And don't let the ridiculous fetish garb fool you--business comes first. In this strange totalitarian regime run by her on-again, off-again lover Trevor, she might appreciate boning for old times' sake, but fond feelings don't mean she won't put a bullet in your head. Plus, the show is SO WEIRD. But I think I'll pass on Halloween for this one. 9) American Maid (The Tick) [Sorry for all the links...man I love this show.]
2) She-Ra (She-Ra)
I have a great attraction to sidekicks. And like many sidekicks, Daria Morgendorffer's artsy friend Jane was the coolest character on the show. This gravelly-voiced, alternative-looking lady was just as sarcastic and principled as Daria, but you got the strong feeling that she was an outcast because she WANTED to be, not because she had to be. Though a scholastic underachiever, she was a gifted artist and, in one episode, a track star (before quitting out of disgust that athletes were given academic shortcuts), and when she wanted to she did well with boys. In an early episode she meets a guy at a party and promptly makes out with him in the laundry room, and you know that's behavior I approve. In a later episode they even addressed the burning Would-Jane-Sleep-With-A-Girl question. (The answer was no, but it was impressive that they broached the subject.) Perhaps most importantly, she was a crucial foil to her bespectacled best friend. She actually had interests and wanted to DO things--and she often got Daria to step a little bit outside all those fences she put between herself and the world. Way to send the message that high school may be lame, but you don't have to be.
I hope you all know this show--if not, you definitely owe it to yourselves. If you are familiar with the escapades of that giant blue moron, you will also remember American Maid, the only competent superhero living in The City. The "World's Most Patriotic Domestic" was your go-to girl-- she had strength, agility, and a tactician's level head. Though she'd roll her eyes at the ineptitude of Die Fledermaus, Sewer Urchin, and The Tick himself, she never hesitated to dive in with them, whether battling Chairface Chippendale or checking out that new superhero nightclub. But just when you think she's all-business and too cool for this crowd, her constant bickering with Die Feldermaus (obviously her ex) would interfere at a climactic moment, and you'd love her all the more. Halloween? Last year! I got recognized, like, once, but it was worth it.
10) April O’Neill (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Honorable Mention: Detective Elisa Maza (Gargoyles)
Next time: Live action!
*Actually, a lot of these ladies had low/rich/gravelly voices. Interesting.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Fictional Ingrates
My roommate and my neighbor and I have a Monday tradition. First: dinner at our local bar cuz food is half-price on Mondays. Second: How I Met Your Mother, which is an awesome show, and is by and about graduates of our alma mater. Third: Neighbor Steve buys beer, we flip away from The Big Bang Theory as quickly as possibly lest it injure our brains, and we watch the second half of Chuck*. We have never seen the first half of Chuck, due to HIMYM, but we very much enjoy the latter half. Every time we tune in, a gun is pointed at somebody's head (and sometimes something's threatening to blow up!). It's like skipping to the sex scenes in a romance novel. (Though we are still planning to by the DVD when it comes out and have a party where we watch only the beginning of each episode.)
However, last night's episode betrayed me. Not the main plot, the plot with Chuck's Dorkier Friend Morgan (a male Morgan). They all work in a Buy More, a big electronics store in a strip mall, and apparently something embarrassing happened with Morgan and the hot (and Asian! which is TV code for hot) sales clerk Anna. I of course don't actually know what happened but whatever. Then, as this is TV, Anna comes to like the less-attractive Morgan and they make out. Morgan is excited because Chuck was in a relationship, and maybe he was feeling left out or something? Cuz when Chuck breaks up with his girl, Morgan immediately goes on the Buy More FUCKING LOUD SPEAKER and casually rattles off, "Anna, it's been great but it's just not working out." (Or something to that effect.) Obviously, it's far better for he and Chuck to be single together (cuz y'know, THAT was going so well for them) then for Morgan to score with someone seriously cool.
WTF, mate? Morgan sorta gets his comeuppance (Chuck reveals that he's actually getting back together with his OLD gf), but it still pissed me off. That is the worst TV dumping since Berger left Carrie that Post-It note. Roommate Katey, less miffed, fondly noted the homosexual bond between male friends, and its frequency on TV. And, true. But. What a douche! I am personally laying a curse upon Morgan's head: may he never again feel a woman's touch, as he is incapable of truly appreciating it. I spit upon you! You have lost all ability to arouse empathy OR sympathy, which is half the point of a Dorkier Friend!
Sheesh. Nerds today.
*And then we watch Heroes and as much as we can of Journeyman before getting bored, but that's irrelevant to the post.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Skate Fast Good, Fall Down Bad!
As some of you know, I have a passion for roller derby. This is not the kind of derby like that in Roll Bounce or whatever--it's the kind from A&E's Rollergirls. Seeing that show a few times whilst in Texas is what got me into it, and when I returned to the Republic of New York I googled the shit out of that sport. No, sadly, I am not a practitioner--I wish! But as I am without time or talent, I must be content to cheer from the bleachers. Which, this Saturday, I did--Championship game! And my favorite team, the Bronx Gridlock, won it all, in a very dramatic game with a miraculous near-comeback from the Queens of Pain--it all came down to the last 2 minutes.
For those unfamiliar, there was an article in the Times on Saturday. I think it's ok, but it makes it sound like it's not a sport, and that the crowd is men who come to gawk. Make no mistake--these women are ATHLETES. It's like rugby on skates, plus fishnets and make-up. Rugby without any assumptions about sexuality. To cite the interview with derby girl Penny Larceny:
Derby originally appealed to Penny as an opportunity to be more social and feminine. Unlike some incoming skaters, Penny had already pursued other aggressive and physical activities such as kickboxing and martial arts, but viewed derby as a way to "reclaim certain girl traits without trading in power. Skirts and makeup to go along with skill and strength, instead of replacing it."
This is the kind of thing I love more than anything. The, "Look, we can be badass and powerful AND be girls!" There's nothing sexualized about a derby match, but the women clearly feel sexy and strong, and there's a lot of individuation--everyone's uniform is a little different, everyone has their own style and personality. There are women of all sizes and shapes (though unfortunately the league is mostly white), and they all have their own strengths.
So yeah, this last game was INCREDIBLE. Bronx was killing Queens, and in the second half Queens was slowly closing the gap but clearly didn't have enough time on the clock to catch up--until Suzy Hotrod...
...scored an incredible FOURTEEN POINTS IN ONE JAM. The score was 93 to 90 Bronx, 1:13 left to go, and all the Bronx jammers were in the penalty box, so Queens was skating unopposed! But then Brigitte Barhot got out of the box and managed to keep Queens at bay! The whole crowd was on its feet.Another cool part of the game was an exchange I had with my friend Dael:
Dael: Who's the leader of the E Street Band?
Susan: Um, Bruce Springsteen?
D: No, of the actual band.
S: Oh, I dunno. Max Weinberg? Stevie Van Zandt? Those are the only names I know.
D: Who's that guy sitting up there behind us?
S: Oh my god that's Stevie Van Zandt*.
Yep, this guy:
...whom you may also know as Silvio from The Sopranos, was there in all his head-wrapped glory. He was on his own at first but some off-duty derby girls came and sat with him, and he seemed to be very nice. So, that's how cool derby is-- The Boss's right-hand man is a fan!As you should be, too.
*Full disclosure: I actually went around calling him Steve Zahn most of the night.
Friday, November 9, 2007
You've got some nerve!
As in, because I'm ripping off another one of their articles and showing it to you.
A friend of mine (hi Kyle!) emailed me with a question about sex-positive attitudes in Second Wave versus Third Wave feminism. I sent him a way-too-long email in response, but anyway: It brought me back to Carrie Hill Wilner's essay on Nerve, I, Slut, which talks about the sexual liberty that characterizes the Third Wave--and how this liberty is often twisted into something cartoonish, inauthentic, a new standard to which we must pretend to adhere.
Also, it talks about Sex and the City, and how the show did NOT represent Wilner's sexuality, or that of her friends. I have had trouble articulating this--I have mixed feelings about the show, which I find entertaining but also grating and somehow irking. Wilner puts it well:
But what really bothered me about the show was that it presumed to speak for me, the youngish urban female, and her supposedly newfound ability to Have Sex Like a Man and Use Bad Words. It was "shocking," "brutally candid," "honest." The media spoke of Sex and the City as if it were the fucking Rosetta stone of femininity — as if women could no longer understand themselves without the assistance of premium cable... According to Sex, promiscuity was a glamorous pathology, a mutation of the second X chromosome, something unnatural, temporary, alien — like obesity and cancer, an ailment of modernity that must be endured by those who yearn for the ruddy health of monogamy...I guess what I'm trying to say here is that my sexual touchstone isn't a neurotic bitch with a bikini wax.
[My emphasis.]
There is one episode that exemplifies the difference between what SATC espoused and what I did. It was called "Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl..." and Carrie's plot was that she was dating a slightly younger (late 20's?) guy who reveals he's bisexual, and has had a long-term relationship with a man (plus two with women). FIRST of all, I was alarmed by the squareness of the show's stance on male bisexuality--even Samantha says "dump him." But Carrie goes with it, and ends up at a party with all his friends, who get introductions like, "This is Sue, she's having Ryan and Bob's baby" or whatever, and who've all dated each other in various gender combinations, and Carrie's getting skeeved. Then they all play spin the bottle, and Carrie for the first time in her life has to kiss a girl--played by Alanis Morissette. The kiss isn't bad or good (Carries says it "tasted like chicken"), but she realizes this is not her scene and bails.
So, my problem? I would much rather hang with those crazy kids who freak Carrie out so much than with Carrie and her Gucci-worshipping, pseudo-enlightened friends. (And let's not even talk about Candace Bushnell herself, who just seems awful.) For one thing, I doubt any of my female friends will make it to 33 or whatever without having kissed a girl.* And while when I first saw the episode I conceded that I'd be a little weirded out to be in a social circle where everyone had dated each other, that is actually starting to become my reality so I can't complain. But the real point is, not only do these non-Carrie people have a GENUINELY open attitude about sex and sexuality, they seem to spend more time having sex than talking about it, unlike our Fab Four. I mean, spin the bottle? Awesome. Hopefully the guys made out with each other, too, but SATC would never show us THAT. (Actually, do they ever show us two guys kissing? I'm not sure.)
I did, however, love Miranda. And still do. Miranda was the actual feminist, incredibly smart, loved her job and excelled at it, had a baby and married on her terms, when she wanted to, to the best guy we meet on the show, and basically Has It All. She is also the only one who seems genuinely comfortable with both relationships AND casual sex, and manages to date a black guy with it being all, Look, She's Dating a Black Guy! And Cynthia Nixon was the best actor on the show. Her plotline in the above episode actually redeemed it for me,** as it concerned her insecurities about whether she was female enough, which is something a lot of successful women grapple with. So, kudos to her, but blah to the rest of the show for being so self-congratulatory while also being so narrow.
*Especially since I have probably already kissed them.
**And may or may not have made me cry.
There is one episode that exemplifies the difference between what SATC espoused and what I did. It was called "Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl..." and Carrie's plot was that she was dating a slightly younger (late 20's?) guy who reveals he's bisexual, and has had a long-term relationship with a man (plus two with women). FIRST of all, I was alarmed by the squareness of the show's stance on male bisexuality--even Samantha says "dump him." But Carrie goes with it, and ends up at a party with all his friends, who get introductions like, "This is Sue, she's having Ryan and Bob's baby" or whatever, and who've all dated each other in various gender combinations, and Carrie's getting skeeved. Then they all play spin the bottle, and Carrie for the first time in her life has to kiss a girl--played by Alanis Morissette. The kiss isn't bad or good (Carries says it "tasted like chicken"), but she realizes this is not her scene and bails.
So, my problem? I would much rather hang with those crazy kids who freak Carrie out so much than with Carrie and her Gucci-worshipping, pseudo-enlightened friends. (And let's not even talk about Candace Bushnell herself, who just seems awful.) For one thing, I doubt any of my female friends will make it to 33 or whatever without having kissed a girl.* And while when I first saw the episode I conceded that I'd be a little weirded out to be in a social circle where everyone had dated each other, that is actually starting to become my reality so I can't complain. But the real point is, not only do these non-Carrie people have a GENUINELY open attitude about sex and sexuality, they seem to spend more time having sex than talking about it, unlike our Fab Four. I mean, spin the bottle? Awesome. Hopefully the guys made out with each other, too, but SATC would never show us THAT. (Actually, do they ever show us two guys kissing? I'm not sure.)
I did, however, love Miranda. And still do. Miranda was the actual feminist, incredibly smart, loved her job and excelled at it, had a baby and married on her terms, when she wanted to, to the best guy we meet on the show, and basically Has It All. She is also the only one who seems genuinely comfortable with both relationships AND casual sex, and manages to date a black guy with it being all, Look, She's Dating a Black Guy! And Cynthia Nixon was the best actor on the show. Her plotline in the above episode actually redeemed it for me,** as it concerned her insecurities about whether she was female enough, which is something a lot of successful women grapple with. So, kudos to her, but blah to the rest of the show for being so self-congratulatory while also being so narrow.
*Especially since I have probably already kissed them.
**And may or may not have made me cry.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Sex and the City: SO OVER IT [Spoilers, like you care]
Things have been leaked about the upcoming SATC movie. Namely: that Charlotte is pregnant and Carrie gets married, presumably to Big.
WTF??? These facts have officially made me dislike this movie. (Before this, I didn't care.) The WHOLE POINT of Charlotte and Harry adopting was that Charlotte ended up with the family of her dreams...but not her expectations. She learned to build a life outside of the WASPy visions she'd grown up with--even Carrie's final voice over said something about building a family different than expected!
As for the marriage--what I liked about the ending of the show was that it didn't specify whether Carrie and Big were going to get married. Carrie had said that, after the Aidan fake-out, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to get married, and the show's ending preserved the possibility that they would be more of a Susan Sarandon/Tim Robbins-type couple--life partners, without the societal label and the expectations it brings.
I've always had mixed feelings about this show, but I liked that it posed the idea that there are different ways of ending up happy. Some people get married, some people get married more than once, some people find love in different ways.
If Samantha and Smith get married, I'm demanding my money back. Not that it's likely I'll pay to see it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Male Feminist of the Week!
This will hopefully be a regular Monday feature. (I forgot yesterday.) I figure that at the beginning of the work week, we could all use a little pick me up!
Dear Reader,
In these times of trial, it's important for us to remember we're not alone. We're frequently bombarded with negative messages about men--they're jerks, they're all alike, they will hurt and confuse us and break our hearts, they're not capable of real emotion, and worst of all, each and every one of them hates women. Few things depress me as reliably.
But do not despair! Because there are wonderful men out there who are not afraid to take up the cause, who proudly call themselves feminists, mean it, and prove it in both word and deed. So for our inaugural installation of this series, I bring you my favorite contemporary male feminist:
Joss Whedon.
This man of many talents (TV, movies, musicals, graphic novels, demon dances of joy and shame) has produced some of the great works of modern feminist pop culture. Most saliently, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Aside from this being my favorite show of all time, it was explicitly feminist in its conception and (unlike Rob Thomas's initially comparable Veronica Mars) continued to be vocally feminist throughout its seven-year run. His more male-centric shows Angel and Firefly also include varied incarnations of strong women--scientists, warriors, and high-status prostitutes, sweet girls who enjoy casual sex and loving wives who kick serious ass. He sensitively depicts the conflicts and tribulations that being a woman often presents, without making his characters look neurotic or weak.Furthermore, he has spoken at length on feminist issues. In a semi-recent essay on Whedonesque, he decries "honor killings" torture-porn horror movies, and sexism at large. (And introduces the concept of Womb Envy!) An excerpt:
Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence -- is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable...I just think there is the staggering imbalance in the world that we all just take for granted. If we were all told the sky was evil, or at best a little embarrassing, and we ought not look at it, wouldn’t that tradition eventually fall apart?
You make it sound so clear, Joss. I find myself pleased that you had a son--please breed us a race of men like you!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
REQUIEM for a Muppet Hat
Sigh. Last night was the finale of The (aforementioned) Pickup Artist. Kosmo won: 
Ladies, this man is a sweet, shy boxer with washboard abs and top-notch kissing skills. This is not exactly empirical proof that Mystery can transform any AFC (Average Frustrated Chump).
That's the main flaw in this show; they had to cast people who were particularly bad at picking up ladies, and then make them particularly good. I can't think of any other shows like that. (My roommate suggested The Biggest Loser...which is a title that could be applied to TPA in several ways, actually.) It's really hard, in 8 short lessons, to turn dorks into chick magnets, and the show was disappointing because no one made enough progress from episode to episode--Mystery would send them out for challenges, and one person would succeed TOPS. It should be that a bunch of them succeed, and he'd have to choose the best. The only suspense each episode was as to who got booted, not as to who got the first runic medallion. (No joke. Runic medallions.) The two hottest guys ended up as finalists. It was anticlimactic, and you left most episodes wondering how good a teacher Mystery actually is. I liked to imagine him going home after a miserably executed challenge and punching a wall.
Also, Mystery's wingmen (Matador and the questionably British J-Dog) were totally useless. 
And let's be honest--they're more in love with Mystery than with any of the "targets" they "isolate."
And let's be honest--they're more in love with Mystery than with any of the "targets" they "isolate."But alas, it was still a good time. It was a wild ride--we laughed, we cried*, we hated Pradeep. I don't know if there'll be another season (or indeed if I want there to be), but the legacy will live on in my heart. (And in my friend Colin's Halloween costume--I think I've convinced him.) So now for a trip down memory lane, with some of Mystery's weird outfits:
Monday, September 24, 2007
Ode to a Muppet Hat
As promised, it is time for a discourse on my current favoritest show: The Pickup Artist. Most of you probably know the premise--a bizarrely dressed (yet conceivably sexy) guru named Mystery teaches a bunch of losers how to score chicks, eliminating the loseriest losers along the way. The main draws of the show: the oddness of the lingo (IOI, gambit, bounce, kiss-close), the thrilling horror of realizing the techniques work, and Mystery's ridiculous outfits:
And, my personal favorite:
But here's the question: why do I really like this show? The truth is, I was interested in Mystery and the underground "seduction community" before the show aired. I've never actually read The Game (Neil Strauss's book on the seduction community, with Mystery as a prominent figure) or The Mystery Method (what it sounds like), but I confess I've read as many online excerpts as Amazon would let me. Do I wish I were a pickup artist? I suppose, in a way...maybe I just want to be picked up? Or perhaps, less embarrassingly, it's my general interest in psychology, especially the psychology of sex? Especially before the show started, the party line was always, "ew, these guys are gross, the techniques could only work on morons." But I always believed they worked. It made a certain sense to me.
[Of course, the method is targeted at phenomenally hot women--for women like me who have normal insecurities, all those negs might get a guy in trouble. But while I'm not particularly attracted to Mystery, I assume he could pick me up if he wanted to--I am a human, with human psychology, and I'm sure he could successfully manipulate me into wanting to bone him.]
The only comparable Method for women is, of course, The Rules. Those concepts never appealed to me. Maybe it's because they seemed passive (or rather, passive-aggressive), whereas Mystery's method is a balance of active and passive. (The Rules says never to approach first; Mystery teaches how to approach first without seeming like you're approaching.) And while the Rules are colorless and mundane, Mystery makes life and love seem like an adventure, in which you dress like a swashbuckler, have a cool name, and control your destiny. And since Mystery himself started as a hopeless nerd*, he represents that tenacious dream of transformation.
Two of my good friends--a couple--are obsessed along with me. The guy of the duo recently procured a Mystery-esque fuzzy hat and sported it on his birthday; I will try to get him to go full-out for Halloween. But will I just be living vicariously through him?
*And let's be honest, he still is one--but he's co-opted his own nerdiness and channeled it towards getting laid.
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