For Part II of my blog I analyzed Bossypants by Tina Fey for my work of print literature. I hadn’t read a book for leisure in a while so this seemed like the obvious choice because it was really the only choice – unless I wanted to dig through my boxes of high school lit and have to torture myself by re-reading all of the “intellectual” comments I wrote in the margins of Macbeth. The first time I read Bossypants I couldn’t put it down. I also proceeded to procrastinate this assignment by reading this book a second and third time before doing anything productive. After re-reading my Aesthetics Page, I realized that my visualization of Bossypants has a lot to do with the personal motto I created for myself in part I.
Revisiting my motto: “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” In my motto description I wrote “I try to project this type of mentality in my daily life. I really like making jokes and adding humor to situations that would otherwise be stressful or negative.” This explanation of my personal aesthetic reminds me a lot of the second review done on the book Bossypants that I mentioned in my “Online” page. The author saw Tina Fey as someone who addresses issues of gender discrimination, politics, and management in a humorous way that has social impact.
I’ve always admired Tina Fey and saw her as a role model, but I didn’t realize until I dissected her book exactly why I felt so connected to her. The reason is that I really relate to her story of success and I feel that I embody a lot of the same qualities that she does. Much like Tina Fey, humor has allowed me to become a great leader. Whenever I put my bossy-pants on while I’m at work, my internship, or even in group study sessions for school, I tend to use humor to motivate others around me into doing what I want – and it’s worked pretty well so far. Not to say that I’m being manipulative; humor just allows me to say what I want to say in a way that’s well received. I always remember the phrase “you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” Just like Fey, I often use humor to my advantage.
Within the last few weeks, I’ve also started to identify myself as a feminist. Through my personal experience, I’ve always tended to veer away from this label – scoffing at drop out friends who refused to shave their legs and demanded rights! I shrugged from a distance, pulled my bossy pants up to my waist, and turned my attention to my role as captain, president, supervisor, etc. etc. I may seem like a braggart, but I’m projecting Fey’s unapologetically awesome attitude: “That makes me sound like a jerk, I know. But remember the beginning of the story where I was the underdog? No? Me neither.” Regardless, my analysis of Bossypants has allowed me to own up to my image as a third wave feminist and it has made me feel really empowered. Truthfully, Tina Fey never identifies herself as a feminist. But when I read the Slate review of her book which I referenced on my Online page, I thought, “well, duh.” I think the case with Fey and I is, if it looks like a feminist, acts like a feminist, then it’s a feminist. Eek even saying that word multiple times is making me cringe again.
semestersequestered 