Friday, August 12, 2011

See that aspiring model there? That was me, Deb.

I have purchased a few tv shows on DVD purely on the assumption I will like them, having never seen an episode before. I haven't been wrong (JAG still isn't my favorite, but I am still only a few episodes in.)
This is how I first came to see and love The Big Bang Theory.
The only thing I love more than nerdy men is funny nerdy men.

I heard a few things about Drop Dead Diva before I made the decision to watch all of season one in a day or two. Everything I'd heard about this show screamed my name. Courtroom comedy about a chunky chick who loves fashion? Check. Cover that is predominantly pink? Checkity check check.

I have an obsession with law. (Law, geology, astronomy, meterology, paleontology and cosmetology. I basically want to study rock formations, stars, clouds, dinosaurs and the science of beauty while becoming a lawyer or FBI agent. At the moment? Hairdresser.)
(I love that Legally Blonde is resolved [umm, spoiler alert?] by Elle Woods proclaiming that due to the sodium thioglycolate in the perm [to weaken the disulfide bonds in the protein structure of the hair] the witness would not have washed her hair {as it would loosen the curl.} My worlds collide! Science of hair meets law!)
What was I saying...? Oh yeah, I have an obsession with law shows so I had high hopes for this one. (And the goofy drama in the courtroom did not disappoint.)

When I first heard about Drop Dead Diva it was touted as a vehicle for a plus size woman to play the lead. Fat Acceptance blogs were going crazy. A normal looking person is going to star? And they are letting this happen?

The creator of the show has been quoted as saying "beauty has been defined as size 2 and under 25; hopefully we can help redefine the paradigm."

Really? A standard of beauty that actually includes me?

Really?

Really?

Really?


IT IS LIKE HE DIDN'T EVEN SEE/READ HIS OWN PILOT EPISODE!

The entire first episode is "You're fat now? Eww." and overwhelming cravings for doughnuts.
A great start for a paradigm being redefined, no?

The story is that Deb crashes her car while painting her nails and talking on the phone to her best friend Stacy. She dies, gets sent back to Earth and lands in Jane's body.
I hate, hate, hate (p.s., hate) the way they handle her transition from Deb (blonde aspiring model) to Jane (brunette lawyer)


Deb, waking up in Jane's body: "Why do I feel bloated?" looks at her new body "You sent me to Hell?"
---
Having explained the situation to her best friend, Stacy: "So let me get this straight, you died, went to heaven, pressed a button and they turned you into a size 16?"
Deb/Jane: "Pretty much."
Stacy: "That is so unfair. I mean, fat things shouldn't happen to skinny people."
---
Deb/Jane about her fiancé: "He loved Deb, but he'd run from this."
---
When Jane is stressed out her assistant, Teri, squirts spray cheese into her mouth to calm her.

What in the crap?!

Hang on a moment, remind me again why I am supposed to love this show? The show that was supposed to be so empowering and paradigm redefining?

Thank heavens it has evolved a bit. I now love this show. They've stopped shoving in your face just how lesser Jane was to Deb. They don't quite scream that tall, thin, blonde and stupid (gotta keep those stereotypes right) Stacy is the only pretty one on the show anymore. Jane's wardrobe is better, hair is nice, makeup done well...no longer the dowdy Jane.

She is New Jane.


Oh New Jane -- with the smushed minds of Deb (fashion, beauty, pop culture) and Jane (law, culture, actual intelligent conversation.)

If New Jane were a lot taller and a heckuva lot nerdier she'd be Susannah.

(But not New Susannah, because I have no idea who that is.)

2 comments:

Tashina said...

I love this show too! My mom and I started watching it on Netflix one night while I worked on my portfolios for school. I think we managed to watch the whole first season in a couple of days of sitting on my living room floor, assembling stupid boards for my design class. And now I'm watching season two online because they still haven't released it on Netflix. I loooove Netflix.

Amy said...

I love "Drop Dead Diva". In fact, I need to make sure to watch it tonight.