This past Saturday SNL decided to play a spoof on the controversy of the Winter Olympics in Sochi and Putin’s Anti-Gay Law. Since the popular belief that most male figure skaters are gay, the necessity for a heterosexual backup team seems to be high in the eyes of SNL. Watch and see for yourself.
I just find it interesting how the portrayal of the masculine heterosexual male is so one sided. In the first “performance” you have the skater mocking gay figure skaters by flaunting himself in a delicate manner while skating. Figure Skating is typically seen as a very feminine sport, so all the moves are choreographed, graceful, and poised. So a masculine male would either not know how to skate or just be terrible at it. SNL is implying that straight men cannot skate, which is pretty funny to think of when Evan Lysacek won the Gold in Men’s Figure Skating at the 2010 Olympics and he was heterosexual.
Although it was absolutely hilarious (in my eyes), I think it’s interesting how they associated gender with sexuality. The typical gay man is portrayed as an extremely flamboyant and feminine person with no masculine qualities what-so-ever. Whereas the heterosexual male is portrayed as how they were portrayed in the skit; vulgar, womanizing, uncharismatic, and uninterested. What do you think of this? Other than the fact that it’s funny.
Dani,
I also agree with you that both homosexual and heterosexual men are portrayed in polar opposite descriptive ways. I do find the SNL clip as pretty funny, I just look back to some of the gay and straight men that I’ve seen in my life. I had a friend who was the dictionary defined image as a man’s man, straighter than straight, heterosexual man, and yet he was gay. I’ve also seen men who are more feminine than the rest be completely straight. It also made me think of something that I had read a few years ago about the heterosexual pro football player, Herschel Walker (who is what you picture a pro football player to look like) dancing with the Fort Worth Ballet Company while he was still playing football! When I hear or read about things like this it makes me wonder why people always associate gender with sexuality and them being portrayed in one solid image, when we clearly know that’s not the case.
Dani,
I completely agree that while figure skating has been traditionally portrayed as a vey feminine sport when it comes down to it you have to have alot of strength balance and stamina in order to really be great. I would have not have though about cheering right off the bat though, and you make just as good a point, in order to lift and throw the women you have to have a lot of strength. They may not look like much but I know I couldn’t throw 115 lbs in the air with ease. But the original post does pose an excellent question about the standards of both nation, we have come to a point where we can joke about these ideas but how will it go over in Russia? obviously not as bad as the clip would suggest but they may not be as accepting as the US is, and that isn’t very much as it is.
Dani,
This is definitely a new way to portray how the “typical” male figure skater is viewed in the eyes of the public. Although the men do look poised, graceful, and flexible, these men also must possess a lot of strength and endurance for this sport. This post reminds me of a very similar topic of conversation: male cheerleaders. For years cheerleading has been perceived as more of a feminine sport and the men who participate are typically viewed as homosexual. However, this is not always the case. This is just another example of how folks associate gender with sexuality, and hopefully one of these days this view will change.
Dani, you make an excellent point. The sport of figure skating has been portrayed for years as a feminine sport but it doesn’t mean that it is extremely difficult and that it requires a great amount of physical strength and poise. I found that your post also can relate to the issue with the Boy Scouts of America. Just recently the organization’s leaders made it okay to accept gay youth into the B.S.A. All though the Boy Scouts have been known as a masculine organization, it should not discriminate youth who want to learn about first aid, and how to safely enjoy the environment. I found an article form CNN that breaks down the entire situation. Here take a Look..–>http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/boy-scouts-sexual-orientation/