Last night’s Emmy Awards were, well, kind of a snooze fest, to be honest. The same ol’ people and shows won (Jim Parsons, Modern Family, Breaking Bad and so on and so on ad nauseam). I expected nothing less; the Emmys are creatures of habit and, were it not for PopWrapped, I likely wouldn’t have watched at all.
However, since I DID watch and live-tweet the entire event, I was subject to the boring, predictable program that everyone else had to sit through.
One segment in particular shifted the entire tone of the show from boring to straight up sexist and offensive. You know what I’m referring to: Sofía Vergara put on a spinning pedestal and objectified for the entire Academy and nation to see.
Yes, Vergara has a face so beautiful that you can hardly look directly at her. Yes, she is the personification of Jessica Rabbit brought to life. Nobody is going to stand here and deny her physical beauty. But do you know what else she is? She is a three-time Emmy nominated actress. She has won a SAG award. She is an absurdly hilarious actress that just-so-happens to have a leading role in one of the most successful comedies in recent television history.
She is a woman that deserves respect; not to be the subject of lust for all of America as a way to gloss over the boring speech being given by an Academy member. Now, to be fair, Vergara has responded to the nation’s objections by defending the entire maneuver. But OF COURSE she’s going to defend it: she agreed to it!
Vergara said about the segment: “It means that somebody can be hot and also be funny and make fun of herself.” Except you WEREN’T making fun of YOURSELF, Sofía. You were being made fun OF. You were made to be a joke. That short segment almost negated your entire career because you chose to be a trophy instead of a woman. You chose to be Vanna White instead of, well, Sofía fucking Vergara! You AGREED to be a prop!
Yes feminism is about choice and you were certainly well within your rights to choose to be a prop, Sofía. But my choices do not impact a nation. My choices affect me and my daughters, not every little girl that admires a beautiful, talented and hilarious artist such as you. I know, I know; celebrities “Shouldn’t be held to higher standards as far as role models go because it’s not what they signed up for” and yada yada.
But when a world-famous actress, a MINORITY actress if we get right down to it, allows the patriarchy to use her as a pretty little trophy instead of putting her actual talents to use, I take issue with that.
Maybe that makes me intolerant. Maybe that makes me inflexible. Or maybe that just means that I expect more from the world, and especially from Sofía Vergara.
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