Female Moments / Male Structures: The Representation of Women in Romantic Comedies

Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again. With this formula it seems that romantic comedies are actually meant for men instead of women. If this is the case, then why do women watch these films? The repetition of female stars like Katharine Hepburn, Doris Day and Meg Ryan in romantic comedies allows audiences to find elements of truth in their characters as they grapple with the input of others in their life choices, combat the anxiety of being single, and prove they are less sexually naïve than society would like to admit. In 1999, a character struggles with her career and love life being the subject of newspaper headlines. In 1959, an older single woman repeatedly interrupts and mocks a playboy’s wooing via a telephone party line, while fending off unwanted suitors of her own. In 1934, a female character uses her leg rather than her thumb to hitchhike, which embarrasses her male guide. Hollywood romantic comedies from the coming of sound to the present address these themes in their details rather than their structure, allowing the female character to shift with each changing decade. However, in each of these films, there are moments of “knowing,” where the female characters or the film undermine the assumed male-dominated structure creating sites of recognition and identification with the audience. It is these moments, which focus on expressions and anxieties of womanhood that mark the films for women and enable us to read the man as an irrelevant narrative device

Female Moments / Male Structures: The Representation of Women in Romantic Comedies

Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again. With this formula it seems that romantic comedies are actually meant for men instead of women. If this is the case, then why do women watch these films? The repetition of female stars like Katharine Hepburn, Doris Day and Meg Ryan in romantic comedies allows audiences to find elements of truth in their characters as they grapple with the input of others in their life choices, combat the anxiety of being single, and prove they are less sexually naïve than society would like to admit. In 1999, a character struggles with her career and love life being the subject of newspaper headlines. In 1959, an older single woman repeatedly interrupts and mocks a playboy’s wooing via a telephone party line, while fending off unwanted suitors of her own. In 1934, a female character uses her leg rather than her thumb to hitchhike, which embarrasses her male guide. Hollywood romantic comedies from the coming of sound to the present address these themes in their details rather than their structure, allowing the female character to shift with each changing decade. However, in each of these films, there are moments of “knowing,” where the female characters or the film undermine the assumed male-dominated structure creating sites of recognition and identification with the audience. It is these moments, which focus on expressions and anxieties of womanhood that mark the films for women and enable us to read the man as an irrelevant narrative device

The Grizzly, November 17, 2016

Town Hall Discusses Election, Future of UC • Ursinus Mourns the Death of Junior Student • International Perspective: Moroccan TA Finds Place in the U.S. • UC Poetry Slams Hard • UCDC Fall Dance Concert to Showcase Student and Professional Work • Get to Know Kristin Evans, New Campus Safety Officer • Opinions: Post-Election Steps: Show Up, Resist, Be Nuanced; Waking Up the Morning After Trump Won • Men\u27s Track Looks to Top the Conference in \u2716 • Fresh Faces to Make an Impact for UC Basketballhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1656/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, February 23, 2017

Laptop Program Comes to an End • Digital Humanities Opportunities Take Off • Here\u27s Why the Wi-Fi has Been so Rough This Semester • International Perspective: A Student\u27s Thoughts on Technology Use While Living Abroad • Exploring Campus Culture in a Plugged-In World • Revisiting Ursinus\u27 Lost Connection to Computer History • Opinions: Excessive Technology Use Harms Student Learning; Students Should Use Technology to Stay Organized • What They Want: Athletes Speak About Dream Equipment • Ursinus HEART Lab at the Cutting Edge of Cardiovascular Researchhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1661/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 23, 2017

Immigration Panel Will Allow Students to Express Their Experience with Political Issues • International Perspective: Reflections on Adjusting to Campus Culture in the Fall • Important Housing Lottery Dates and Advice from Residence Life • Tech Support Updates Outdated Login Service • From Taxes to Spaghetti, Nerd Camp Helps Students Navigate the Real World • First-Person Perspective: Student Reflects on Class Trip to Chicago • Opinions: Does U.S. Happiness Affect UC Happiness?; Trappe Beer and Soda or Austin\u27s Beverages? • From Amateur Wrestler to College Professor: Nick Scoville Does it All • Fun in the Sun: Five Ursinus Teams Traveled Cross Country to Compete During Spring Breakhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1663/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 19, 2015

Tops in the East: Gymnastics Will Head to NCGA Nationals • New Wins Power Games • Ursinus to Host ISGP Conference • Going Global Launches • Schellhase Contest in Progress • Simple Servings Fits Students\u27 Needs • Photo Series on Equality Sparks Discussion on Race • Hamlet Comes to Stage with Puppets • Opinion: Ditch the SAT Once and For All; Being Biracial Does not Mean Choosing Sides • Golf Teams Tee Off in 2015https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1927/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, February 19, 2015

College Hopes to Expand • Ursinus Celebrates Black History Month • Tensions in North Hall Grow • Influenza Poses its Yearly Threat to Ursinus Students • Art Department Will Sojourn to D.C. • Sing-Along Hits Home • Pre-Med UC Alum Joins Montco Police Force • Opinion: Stress Management Should be Required; Pinnacle of the Booty in Today\u27s Society • Richie Schulz Leading Men\u27s Track • Taking the Plungehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1924/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 26, 2015

More Efficient Wi-Fi Coming Soon • Organic Farm Preps for Spring Season With Purchase of New Bee Hives, Crops • Two Students Win Watson Fellowship • Myrin Renovations Aim to Meet Study Needs • Puttin\u27 on the Ritz • Airband Judging Changes • Museum Studies Minor Approved by Council • Opinion: The Sexist Nature of March Madness; Wellness Center Waits are Too Long • Softball Squad Starts Steady • Re-lax, Don\u27t Sweat Ithttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1928/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 5, 2015

Student Senate Discusses Diversity on Campus • Sprinklers in Lower Cause Damage • Ursinus Continues to Globalize in Hong Kong • UC Relay for Life Makes Strides • Dawleys Follow Darwin • Poet Reads Her Work on Campus • Goldsmith Wins Fellowship • Opinion: Take Revenge Porn More Seriously; Marijuana Laws Should be Changed Nationwide • Rugby Teams Set to Tackle Spring • Leading Offhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1926/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 16, 2015

Greeks Collect Clothes for Prom • Tree Campus USA Honors UC • Ursinus to Continue Re-branding • Student Senate Announces 2015-2016 Executive Board • UC Welcomes New Director of Facilities • New Issue of the Lantern Released • UCDC Concert to Have Eclectic Themes and Dances • Guest Author Speaks on Middle Eastern Politics • Opinion: Campus Safety Needs More Resources; Sexual Assault Deserves Coverage • Local Athlete Hyman Steps Up for Bears • Midfielder from the Midwesthttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1931/thumbnail.jp