Friday, October 8, 2010
Sassy Gay Friend: Sassy or Sissy?
aaand also...
After watching the first part of The Celluloid Closet today in class, I thought of these videos. Through these, it is clear that homosexuality's most popular function is comedy. This depicts the stereotypical gay man who acts like a "sissy" (or Sassy, as claimed by the title). It's obvious that the creators of these videos are exaggerating for comic effect, but is it simply entertainment, or can this be detrimental to the gay community?
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Honestly I don't even find these videos funny.
ReplyDeleteI think The Celluloid Closet made a really relevant point when someone (was it Harvey Firestien?) said he liked the "sissy" gay image because any exposure, albeit detrimental, is better than no exposure.
I feel like today, now, people are much more conscious and aware of LGBT representation, in society and also in the media. Since we have progressed this far, I don't see why silly clips like these are produced for comic effect. Eventually, they will run themselves out when their audience disappears.
I don't think these videos are running themselves out any time soon. I think that, unfortunately, though we see the "sissy" stereotype perhaps a little bit less in popular media, it is because there are now a plethora of popular LGBT stereotypes to use. The sissy image is still around; I don't think it's going to go away until we see a change with the foundational structure of portrayls of homosexuality and even anything considered not regular in popular media change.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my friends and I find the Sassy Gay Friend videos hilarious. It's not because we're laughing at the man, but more because I know people like that. It, for me at least, is like a comic who makes fun of his life, and people laugh because they've either been through the same thing or know what the situation is like. In this cake, I think that those who will be offended by the video are those who have no connection to it, or those who would be offended by a comic's performance about his life. However, having not seen the first part of The Celluloid Closet, I can't comment on how the two are related.
ReplyDeleteI'm inclined to agree with Tricia, I think these videos are hilarious. And I might note as well that what I find funny about them personally isn't really how camp gay he is, but the concept itself. I'm kind of a Shakespeare geek, and I find more humor in the parody of the play/situation and how much of a "stupid bitch" the given character is than in Sassy Gay Friend's gayness. Though I am also inclined to agree with Tricia in that yes, it's n over-the-top parody, but there are actual gay men like that, which is part of why it's funny. Just because the Sissy can be used to mock homosexuality doesn't mean he always is. (Incidentally, I also know two openly gay men who love the Sassy Gay Friend videos, one of whom is my uncle and one of whom is my high school theater teacher.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you're interested, Brian Gallivan, the guy who plays Sassy Gay Friend, recently made a video for the "It Gets Better" project, featuring him out of character and speaking quite seriously to scared gay youth.