''Don't Ask me, I'm Just a Girl'': Feminism, Female Identity, and The ...

Don’t Ask me, I’m Just a Girl 281
grow up in nontraditional families, that definition seems perfectly
unfair. Whether by choice or circumstance, families come in all
shapes and sizes. Ultimately, what really defines a family is commitment,
caring, and love. (Kubasik)
Then, in a scene that beautifully blurs the distinctions between reality
and fiction, Murphy Brown, a fictional character, is joined in the fictional
FYI studio by a group of real-life single-parent families who, she
tells the audience, ‘‘might not fit into the Vice President’s vision of a
family, but consider themselves families nonetheless.’’ Despite the
‘‘media circus’’ surrounding these events, the American viewing public
was obviously interested in watching this debate unfold: bolstered
largely by the controversy, the season premiere of Murphy Brown pulled
in 44 million viewers (‘‘Murphy to Dan’’).
Unlike Murphy Brown, who had the ‘‘luxury’’ of a man in her life
(however intermittently) and whose pregnancy was the result of a
sexual encounter with him, Selma Bouvier has to work at finding a
suitable partner and potential father; however, for a woman of her age
and in her circumstances in American culture, this is still a daunting
prospect. In a brilliant montage demonstrating the various means by
which both Selma and Patty attempt to secure dates, The Simpsons offers
a critique of the lingering sexist attitudes in the culture, including
those regarding women’s personal hygiene and how readily they will
‘‘put out’’ on a date. The sexism is perhaps most powerfully highlighted
by Patty’s use of a relatively ‘‘modern’’ method of finding a
man: the video-dating service. In a particularly pointed satirical moment,
we see Groundskeeper Willie (no prize himself in his 1970s era
outfit and gold chains) viewing video profiles and then harshly dismissing
Patty with the quip ‘‘Back to the loch with you, Nessie.’’
Although a small moment, it aptly demonstrates the show’s critique of
the culture’s continued emphasis upon a woman’s appearance as the
singular measure of her worth.
As in ‘‘Principle Charming,’’ we see that there are no decent prospects
available for Selma or Patty. When Selma again becomes dejected,
Lisa wisely suggests a very contemporary alternative—the
sperm bank. Determined to have a baby, Selma goes to the Springfield
Sperm Bank for more information. However, this too does not seem to
provide the answer Selma is looking for. She returns home with a
brochure entitled ‘‘101 Frozen Pops,’’ a catalog of ‘‘celebrity sperm,’’