Was Sofia Vergara’s revolving pedestal skit at the Emmys ironic or sexist?
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Version 0 of 1. Name: Sofia Vergara. Age: 42. Appearance: Voluptuous, soignee, revolving. Revolving? Yes, on a display stand. A display stand? Yes! At Monday’s Emmy awards, for a joke, while Bruce Rosenblum gave a speech about the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, over which he presides. I see. Hitherto I’d always thought of Vergara as a successful Colombian model, television presenter and actor who found fame in the US delivering Hispanic malapropisms as Gloria in ABC’s Modern Family and was until recently the best-paid woman in American television. You think weirdly. I’m also rather shocked, in whatever year this is, that the Emmys still indulge the male objectification of women. You are not alone there. Journalist Katie Couric and many others tweeted their offence at Vergara’s comic turn. Very funny. So why did Vergara agree to take part in it? Ah. Well it may be because she understood the joke. What joke? Well, Rosenblum was giving one of those pious ceremony speeches about how TV moves people and changes lives through the power of storytelling, blah blah blah … Right. Whereas everybody knows that the appeal of TV, and indeed awards ceremonies, is at least half about looking at beautiful people, especially beautiful women, which is why the majority of female TV actors and female news anchors must be beautiful as well as talented. Katie Couric, for example. I love @SofiaVergara but did anyone find that schtick somewhat offensive? OK. So the joke was: look at the television industry claiming to be high-minded while in fact supplying sexist eye candy. It’s irony. More or less a dictionary example. Allow me to laugh ironically in that case. It would be apt, since a lot of people are now accusing the Emmys and Vergara of actual sexism. “I think it’s absolutely the opposite,” she says, “I think it’s ridiculous that somebody started this—I know who she was—who has no sense of humour [and should] lighten up a little bit.” And what makes Vergara such an expert on humour? Well she has been nominated four times for best supporting actress in Modern Family, which itself has just won its fifth successive Emmy for outstanding comedy series. Otherwise, not much. Do say: “No award ceremony should tell us that women exist to be looked at.” Don’t say: “That’s what the red carpet’s for.” |