Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2011 Situation comedies and the single woman on television Ashli LeeAnn Dykes Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Dykes, Ashli LeeAnn, "Situation comedies and the single woman on television" (2011). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 325. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/325 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. SITUATION COMEDIES AND THE SINGLE WOMAN ON TELEVISION A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of English by Ashli L. Dykes B.A., Henderson State University, 2002 M.L.A, Henderson State University, 2005 May 2011 i Dedication To my mother and father: If this doesn’t make me the favorite, I don’t know what will. ii Acknowledgments This project would not have been possible without the support of my teachers, friends, and family, and I am eternally grateful to them all for the support and encouragement over the past two years of this process. I have been blessed with amazing teachers and professors throughout my academic career. From Lake Hamilton School to Henderson State University to Louisiana State University, these teachers have informed my thinking on topics in both academia and life by encouraging me to think critically about the world around me. To Ms. Christine Black, thank you for introducing me to feminism by giving a name to the feelings and beliefs I was trying to express in fights with my male classmates in sixth grade. I would not be the writer and scholar I am today without the guidance and instruction of Ms. Golden Lloyd, who taught me to appreciate literature beyond just the childhood love affair I had with it when I entered her classroom. I would also not be here without the guidance and mentorship of many professors at Henderson State University. During both my undergraduate and masters programs, Dr. Clinton Atchley, Dr. Marck L. Beggs, Dr. Angela Boswell, Dr. Wayne McGinnis, Dr. David Thomson, and the late Dr. William Gentry challenged me to work harder and think more critically, even when it was torturous for all involved. I am forever indebted to Dr. Peggy Dunn Bailey, who has served as my mentor and inspiration. It was her dream, literally, that led me to LSU, and I am eternally thankful that her subconscious steered me in the right direction. I am also grateful for the amazing professors at LSU with whom I have had the privilege to work. Thanks must go first and foremost to my dissertation director, Dr. Robin Roberts, for all the guidance, encouragement, and Girl Scout cookies. I have not always been the easiest of students, but I have the utmost appreciation and gratitude for her patience and advice throughout iii my general exam and dissertation processes. I am also thankful for the advice and support of my exam and dissertation committee members: Dr. Rachel Hall, Dr. Benjamin Kahan, Dr. Michelle Massé, Dr. Dan Novak, and Dr. Loretta Pecchioni. I am exceptionally lucky to have a wonderful group of friends. To “my boys” back home in Arkansas, Wendell Scott Turner and Michael McClard, thank you for always opening your home and lives to me. Your generosity and love constantly amaze me. Thanks to Elizabeth Heller, who graciously served as a reader and has been a sounding board for me, both for this project and in life. My Baton Rouge family has been a constant source of support throughout this process. To James Ayers and Edward Fowler, thank you for always being able to make me laugh, even in the toughest of times. Thank you also for giving our urban family a “home” in the form of the Woodshop, where we can all come together to celebrate, complain, and just enjoy each another’s company. Thanks to Gentry Hanks for being there whenever I need a shoulder to cry on or someone to compliment my baking. To Casey Kayser, I will always be grateful for your kind and understanding presence in my life. Whether we were sharing wine on your back porch or commiserating long distance, you have always been there to advise or just listen. Thanks must also go to Jessica Vallelungo, who often had to bear the brunt of my frustration and mood swings during the creation and completion of this project. Thank you for your confidence in me (even when I didn’t believe you), your willingness to partake in elaborate dinners (even when you recognized that they were just a tool for my procrastination), and all the support you’ve given me over the years. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. Thank you to the management and staff of Perks Coffee and Teas. This project was almost entirely conceived and composed on their patio, and I will always be grateful for their iv willingness to let me spend hours there writing and the staff’s ability to make my iced latte just the way I like it. Most importantly, thank you to my family. To my brother Alex, thank you for loving and supporting me even though we’re nothing alike. And to my baby sister Mollie, thank you for loving and supporting me even though we’re exactly alike. Thanks must also go to my grandparents, my “Ma” and “Pa,” Bertie and Herman Mullings. Ma, you were my first feminist inspiration, and I am so grateful for the active role you and Pa had in my upbringing and continue to have in my life. To my step-parents, Ray Overturf and Jodie Dykes, I appreciate the two of you loving me like I was one of your own, even when I was being a sullen teenager or whiny adult. Finally, even though words could not begin to express my gratitude and love, thank you to my parents, Steve Dykes and Jan Overturf. Daddy, thank you for being my biggest and best cheerleader. You’ve supported me even when you claimed to not understand what I was doing, and you’ll always be the person I call when I need someone to cheer me up. Your big heart and tenacity are a constant inspiration to me. Mom, you are the reason I am here today. You taught me to be independent and showed me that toughness and femininity can go hand-in- hand. I know I don’t say it nearly often enough, but thank you for being my mother and raising me to be the woman that I am today. v Table of Contents DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………….ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………….….iii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………..…………...….vii INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………...1 FROM GIRL FRIDAYS TO FRIENDS: A HISTORY OF SINGLE WOMAN SITCOMS……18 “AND I STARTED WONDERING. .”: VOICEOVER AND CONVERSATION IN SEX AND THE CITY…………………………………….………………………………………………….61 FINDING ONE’S OWN AVOCADO TREE: SINGLE MOTHERHOOD AND SEXUALITY ON GILMORE GIRLS…………………………………………………………………………...94 “IT LOOKS LIKE QUEENS THREW UP”: BEAUTY AS SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION ON UGLY BETTY…………………………………………………………………………………...131 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………166 WORKS CITED…………………………………………………………………..……………171 VITA…………………………………………………………………………………..………..182 vi Abstract Through an historical overview of the never-married female character in twentieth century situation comedies and an in-depth analysis of three twenty-first century American sitcoms, this dissertation investigates how television creators, writers, producers, and actors have interpreted the figure of the single woman and attempted to make her appealing and acceptable to a broad viewing audience. Because of its traditionally family-friendly offerings and preponderance of female characters in comparison to other popular culture genres, the situation comedy presents a significant case study for the analysis of female representations on television. Through its encouraged identification with characters and portrayals of issues that face not only the character, but also the viewer, television opens the door for discussing and confronting deeply-held beliefs about the role of women in society. In order to understand the current situation of women, particularly those women who grew up with the medium, one must investigate what television has “taught” its viewers about the place of women in contemporary society. Drawing on feminist and television critical theories as well as more mainstream discussion and analyses, my focus on the single woman in the series Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, and Ugly Betty illuminates how the life and desires of the single woman has been presented in sitcoms. These characterizations are negotiated with the prevailing cultural views about heteronormativity, motherhood, and feminism in ways that reveal changes in our cultural ideas about the single woman. vii Introduction Through an historical overview of the never-married female character in twentieth century sitcoms and an in-depth analysis of three twenty-first century American sitcoms, this dissertation investigates how television creators, writers, producers, and actors have interpreted the figure of the single woman and attempted to make her appealing and acceptable to a broad viewing audience. Because of its traditionally family-friendly offerings and preponderance of female characters in comparison to other popular culture genres, the situation comedy presents a significant case study for the analysis of female representations on television. Like other fictional genres, the situation comedy genre is not intended as wholly realistic or representative view on the cultural status of women in our society. However, through its encouraged identification with characters and portrayals of issues that face not only the character, but also the viewer, the genre does present a significant case study for discussing and confronting deeply-held beliefs about the role of women in society.