30 Rock is one of my favorite television shows. Tina Fey is one of the funniest writers on television today. However, the one problem I repeatedly have with the show is the constant digs at Liz Lemon, Tina Fey’s character. Liz is presented as overworking, clutsy, and obsessed with fattening food. Liz has trouble dating and keeping a boyfriend, and often talks about her weird quirks. Liz also is portrayed as incredibly geeky and ugly, which is funny to a point, but I sometimes feel that it goes too far.
Tina Fey is an average sized, pretty woman. She is not anorexically thin, and she is not heavily airbrushed. But she also is not obese or disgusting looking! I understand that she is the main writer of the show, and therefore a lot of this is self-deprecation, but at a certain point it makes viewers think “if Liz Lemon calls herself ugly, then what am I?”
Tina Fey is an incredibly positive image in the media—she is smart, hilarious, witty, and made a successful career by her own merit and nothing else. So why are we supposed to feel bad for her character on TV, which we can only assume is based on true life? 30 Rock is an example of how the media polarizes pretty and smart/accomplished women—it is very rare you see an example of a smart woman who men find attractive in the media. Liz’s character is a wonderful alternative to the stereotypical woman on TV, who men find attractive but does not seem particularly intelligent. However, it is about time we see a woman on TV who has beauty and brains.
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