Women and Women First Bookstore

Painted with a brush of genius, IFC's original show, Portlandia, never fails to deliver a pungent dose of satire and gut busting round of laughter. But what exactly am I laughing at? In particular I want to discuss one of the reoccurring, fan favorite, skits of the show: "Women and Women First Book Store". The skit consists of two women, one played by Fred Armisen, the other by Carrie Brownstein, who own a local bookstore. The sketch revolves around the antics of two "feminists" who constantly barrage men and women alike for not being purged of all gender bias. Their characters jump to conclusions, immediately accusing customers of misogynistic practices, usually leading to a heated and hilariously uncomfortable debacle. What may confuse some people is the laughter produced by the gross misinterpretation of feminist ideals, but that's precisely the genius of it. Although some people might be befuddled by the feminist satire, people fail to recognize the lens through which it is being constructed, and therefore miss the point of the skit. The skit uses satire to mock our society's perception of feminism and deconstruct our warped vision of it.

The very first on screen appearance for these women occurs in the first episode of the series where Steve Buscemi stops into their shop just to use the bathroom. When he exits he is bombarded by the two, and forced to buy something due to their "bathroom 4 customers only" rule. Steve replies with "the four threw me off, when people use numbers to spell things out I can't read them". Fred replies with "You mean women" in the most condescending way possible, immediately assuming Steve was demeaning women. The women in the skit have ultimate agency, and are not afraid to use it, and it clearly shows. Relentless in their grilling of Steve, when he tries to buy a coffee cozy just to leave the shop, and pulls out fifteen dollars, Carries exclaims "This is not a back alley, Hooker - Pimp transaction here". Dumbfounded, Steve asks, "Do I look like a pimp to you?". Carrie answers with "When a man pulls out money, away from a register, I have to wonder". It's situations and quotes like these that vividly highlight the exaggerated and sarcastic portrayal of a stereotypical feminist: Uptight, accusatory and rude. However, if watched with a bit of knowledge and awareness, one begins to see the true genius behind the sketch, and how unbelievably false these stereotypical images of feminism are. What Fred and Carrie have done is truly remarkable, and deserves nothing but the utmost acknowledgement. They have constructed a skit through the lens of America, and with the use of satirical comedy, are able to mock our societies perception of feminism. Fred and Carrie are playing what America actually takes to be true, but after watching the sketch, you realize how ridiculous these notions actually are, which completely deconstructs our accepted notions of what it means for a woman or a man to be a "Feminist". After all, one of the women in the sketch is played by a man! Through their exaggerated stereotypical actions, Fred and Carrie are able to highlight our warped perception of feminism, and using comedy as their tool, eliminate our skewed belief.

Watching this skit and show will not only help one generate thought and develop awareness, but it will also  be the most enjoyable thing you watched all day. Making sure that works of genius, such as this show, are watched and read is crucial, not only for gender equality, but for any societal issue. This show is just one small example of an enormous vault of positive, funny, and smart forms of media just waiting to be tapped into and spread throughout America. It's works like these that deserve everything that is bestowed upon them.