Amazing, Gorgeous, Not Like That Analysis

In Stephen Tanner’s The Art of Self-Deprecation in American Literary Humor, he explains self-deprecating humor as a means for the reader to understand the writer on a relatable level. He writes, “The reader, instead of feeling superior to the character, sympathizes with him or her and feels, ‘Here’s a person who suffers much the same frustrations I do…’” (55). In Fey’s case, she uses herself as the character and explains to her reader, females in particular, how she is different from the stereotypes that are said about their gender. She starts first on pages 23 and 24 of Bossypants, by lists all the beauty attributes that women are expected to have (according to societal standards). The list includes: Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, …show more content…
She argues, “It’s better than all these disgusting injectibles and implants. Isn’t it better to have a computer to it to your body than to have a doctor do it to your face” (Fey, 145). She writes that the technology is not going away and then compares the complaints from female critics about Photoshop to oil paintings, “… those people didn’t really look like that!” (Fey, 142). Fey goes on to say her beliefs that Photoshop should make someone look like they are having their best day, not like the are a younger baby-fied version of themselves. Virginia Sole-Smith, a freelance writer, whose articles have been published in Elle, Health, and the New York Times magazine, writes on her website her issue with Tina Fey declaring that everyone can tell the difference between a Photoshop enhancements and real flesh (Fey, 142). In bold letters, Sole-Smith writes, “This is so that women’s magazine editors and celebrities tell themselves so they can sleep at night. The average American woman or girl absolutely can’t tell.” She continues to argue that it is not the images that are Photoshopped themselves are not causing the problems, but that they encourage the small voice in the back of minds of the self-conscious women to repeat negative connotations about body image. The voices that are spawned by the images are the real problem. She does defend Tina, saying that she liked the Photoshop job that the feminist journalist’s at Bust magazine did on Tina. And she does say that Photoshop has its uses, like getting rid of flyaway hairs, bra straps, and other issues that us women feel the need to re-take a million pictures of the same pose because of. In the conclusion of the article, Sole-Smith writes that there is no woman, not her or Tina Fey, that have not attempted to change something about themselves before posting a picture. Sole-Smith makes a valid point;