One of my favorite movies of all time is Tootsie. I'm a little on the older side, so for those who aren't familiar with the movie Dustin Hoffman is a struggling actor who can't get work so he decides to dress up like a woman and audition for a soap opera. Surprise, surprise he gets hired and mayhem ensues as he tries to simultaneously keep up the charade while juggling three potential love interests (one who thinks he's gay, one who thinks he's a lesbian, and one who thinks he's a woman). Oy.
Apparently Seth McFarlane shares my love of the film, because the recent Family Guy episode, "Go Stewie Go," takes this plot almost directly as a story for Stewie. He wants to be cast on his favorite children's show Jolly Farms. Unfortunately, the show is only looking to hire little girls. Not to be discouraged, Stewie dresses up like a girl and is cast for the role. He's a big success, but soon develops a crush on one of his co-workers (a little girl who could be the animated double for Jessica Lange, it was so adorable).
Both shows end the same way with Dustin and Stewie, unmasking themselves as men on camera during live tapings of their respective programs.
As we explored the concept of Drag Kings, crossdressing, and androgyny in class this week, I thought this was a fascinating example for several reasons. First, while we know that Stewie opted to dress as a girl out of percieved necessity, its fascinating because Stewie's sexuality is at times questionable. Despite being a baby the show has on many instances hinted at him having same-sex attractions. On the other hand the show has also shown him having crushes on girls. Maybe we're to assume that Stewie is bisexual. I don't know. The point is the decision to dress up as a woman did not come out of him expressing his sexuality, whatever it may be. It was out of the desire to get a part on the show.
While we're discussing Stewie's desires, I've always found his relationship with Brian very interesting. My personal belief is that Stewie might have a bit of a crush on Brian. This adds complexity to the show because we all know that Brian has a thing for Lois who is married to Peter who just happens to be Brian's best friend and Stewie's dad. I've read analysis of the show that says the Brian/Stewie relationship is more of a father/son relationships since Peter is such a screwup. If you notice we almost never see scenes of Peter and Stewie together, always Brian and Stewie. Maybe that relationship can be interpreted as a Stewie looking to Brian as a surrogate father.
As we discuss androgyny, I think Meg is a good case study. We know that she's a girl, but not necessarily by her attire. She wears the cap and glasses with t-shirt and jeans. Its not particularly fitted of feminine. She acts like a teenage girl, but her appearance doesn't really do much to emphasize that she is.
You can see the Family Guy episode discussed in this blog by clicking here.
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