Friday, October 22, 2010

Big Bang=Dead to me

I'm done with the douchebaggery of Big Bang Theory.

This kind of makes me sad, because my tolerance level reached it's limit just in time for Mayim Bialik to be a regular. I love Mayim Bialik.

Anyway, i've always been kind of on the fence about Big Bang Theory because well, I have issues from childhood that make me feel inadequate. I spent many years trying to get the males in my life to consider me a female. I was one of the guys to the point of being genderless. Granted, I wasn't all that into makeup and skirts, so maybe I did bring a little bit of this on myself. But still, I watched boys who had Catalano status in my mind look past me to the girls who were more obvious, but with whom they had nothing in common.

Now, I've always been the type to fall for a mind and the body follows. I'm not saying this is the way everyone should be, but I do think people should keep open minds about what is attractive. Having a "type" with a strict criteria that is never deviated from is never a good thing. Remember, Val once demanded "long blond hair, big green eyes, ass that won't quit and legs that go all the way up", but he married Rhonda, the cute PhD student.

I think Dustin Hoffman tells the best story about this. When speaking about "Tootsie" on the AFI 100 Years of Movies special, he got very serious. He said that when he was being made up to be Dorothy, he told the makeup artists that he wanted to be really pretty. They said no offense, you're a good looking guy, but we can only do so much in making you a woman. He thought about this, and became very ashamed and sad. What upset him was that he thought he made a very interesting woman, and he wondered about all of the interesting women he missed meeting and knowing because he passed them up at parties because they didn't meet is perceived notions of what was acceptably attractive. At this point in his story he stopped talking and smiled, and it was obvious he was trying to keep the tears from coming, and he said "This was not a comedy for me." I of course have about as much respect for a human being as one can have for Dustin Hoffman now because of this. If I ever meet in him in person, I will simply thank him for this story, and try not to hug him.

I first started watching the Big Bang Theory as a Monday night ritual with a very dear friend, so I suppose I will have a soft spot for it for that. But they way the writers slam geek girls on this show is just kind of not cool. Granted, the guys on the show aren't exactly being held up as pillars of society or anything, and I suppose that is the comedy of it. I just don't find it all that funny anymore. We can have a show about how geek guys can be lovable, but geek girls are still freaks. And I know, I've said before, "if I want a show about geek girls, pitch a show!" And that's not necessarily what I want, I just don't want a show that bashes them.

So first season, I let it slide when Leonard said that any woman who would be willing to play laser strip chess wouldn't be someone you want to see naked. And I've never had an issue with Penny. She doesn't have much in common with the guys, but they all get along and enjoy each other because mostly, it's a crew of nice people. She teaches them things, they teach her things, it's fine. And she's cute, but personally I'd be more likely to obsess over someone with whom I shared commonalities other than just being neighbors. But that's just me.

I let the ridiculousness of the Leslie Winkle and Amy Farrah Fowler characters slide too. Not all nerd girls have scientific approaches to social interactions, but I love the actresses who played them that I just let it slide.

But this season, when Stewart the comic shop owner said that his new girlfriend is "terrible" because "when she wants sex she puts on her plus sized wonder woman outfit and says 'who wants to ride my invisible jet'", I was just done tolerating the nerd/geek girl bashing. Oh, how sad for you, Stuart! You met a woman at SDCC who likes what you like and shares your interests! What a tragedy that she doesn't have the stereotypically perfect body! Because you could have your pick of women with your gangly frame flowbie haircut. I don't know how you keep the supermodels from disrupting your business!

This is in no way meant to insult Kevin Sussman, the actor who plays Stuart. But I think most people would agree with me that he's not the kind of guy you'd expect to see in Cosmo's Guy With No Shirt pictorial. He's a perfectly fine looking person, appears to have good hygiene, and according to the imdb he actually did work at a comic shop before he was an actor professionally. So he seems cool enough, and there is nothing wrong with him. I'm only picking on him because the character Stuart looks like him. The character who by the way, preferred a debate with Sheldon over sex with Penny. Just sayin'.

Anyway, I'm sick of this "watch our show about these lovable nerdy geeky boys, but ewww, nerdy geeky girls are freaks and mutants and should never be considered for dating purposes ever!" message that the show seems to have. I'm not saying the show needs to change, I'm just saying I don't like it because of this, so I'm not watching it anymore. It's off the DVR.

To be fair, I'm not a big fan of people in real life thinking they have some right to judge others by looks. While I'll admit to judging people by their hygiene skills, I've never not wanted to know someone or checked someone off a list of possible date candidates due to the fact they they have extra pounds or because they aren't Jude Law clones. And yes, perhaps I don't do this because I know how terrible it is as it has been done to me. I may be heavy, but I'm far from hideous. And let's be honest, if we want to get specific, we can find faults about everyone. You can pick anyone apart and find flaws in everyone's appearance-she has thick ankles, he has a unibrow, she has a hook nose, his back is hairy....this game is never ending.

So all I'm saying is this-stereotyping someone is bad, but shutting someone out of your radar based on the fact that they don't look like a Photoshopped model is almost worse. I'm not saying get the ugly girl to marry you or hook up with someone who you don't find attractive for the cause. I'm just saying keep a broad horizon on what is attractive. That shlubby nerd guy? He might be the best kisser you've ever known. That pleasantly plump girl? Look at her eyes, I'll bet they are beautiful. Does that skinny guy have your favorite movies on his shelf, as well as numerous cds by your favorite band and a sign for your chosen candidate in your yard? Maybe that woman who has the sweet smile but never wears makeup loves the same authors you do. You just never know unless you look with both eyes and look longer than a glance. And yeah, maybe a heavy girl might not look like Lynda Carter in a Wonder Woman costume, but she might be very skilled with that lasso, so hey....