Tina
Fey was born on May 18th, 1970 in Pennsylvania. She is a writer,
comedian, actress and producer. Fey joined Saturday Night Live in 1997 as a
writer and soon became the head writer and a performer. In 2004 she adapted the
screenplay for Mean Girls. In 2006 she left SNL and created her own show, 30
Rock. In 2011 Fey wrote an autobiographical comedy book called Bossypants which
topped the New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks after its release.
Fey has also received seven Emmy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, two
Golden Globes, and has been nominated for a Grammy. In 2010, Fey was the
youngest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
In
her writing Fey address many issues that women deal with. For example Fey talks
about body image in Bossypants. She writes, “every
girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic
button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall
ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner,
the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits.”
As
a woman in the media Fey is not immune to body image pressures. In fact her
first big break into the comedy world came after an SNL producer suggested that
she loose some weight when she was a writer on the show. After this comment she
lost 30 pounds. She told The New York
Times, "I was a completely normal weight. But I was here in
New York City, I had money and I couldn't buy any clothes. After I lost weight,
there was interest in putting me on camera."
Fey addressed
gender role issues in her show 30 Rock,
This
reminded Patricia Hill Collin’s piece “Shooting for the Center.” It highlights how
significant gender rolls are in relationships and how these roles are beginning
to change, causing stress in relationships.
Overall, Tina
Fey’s body of work explores many issues that women of all phases of life can
relate to; from Caty in Mean Girls to Liz Lemon in 30 Rock.
Hey Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI loved your video you showed to the class today. :) It reminds me that I need to watch more 30 Rock, after all Liz Lemon is such a strong, funny woman (more people should be like her). I think that scene worked for the class very well because we do mention gender roles so much! James Marsden's character, Criss plays the opposite role in a way, and because this is so different for society to see it that way it creates humor. And although 30 Rock plays with plenty of gender roles, stereotypes, and hot topics at the end of the day, Liz Lemon shows that it's alright to act or be a certain way.
PS: Also, just a little note referring to the bottom of your post. I think Tina Fey played Ms. Norbury, the math teacher in Mean Girls. Lindsay Lohan played Cady. I'm sure you know but the names in the movie probably just slipped your mind.