Diablo Cody’s “Fempire” Wants It Both Ways
Posted by: Amelia McDonell-Parry
Filed in:
news
10:00AM, Monday March 23rd 2009
The New York Times just cannot quit “Sex and the City.” It seems like the Sunday Style section is always in search of the next Carrie & Co., which resulted in this weekend’s profile of “Juno” scribe Diablo Cody and her three friends who dubbed themselves “The Fempire.” Cody, who won an Oscar for writing “Juno” and is currently the mind behind Showtime’s “United States Of Tara,” plans on dominating Hollywood alongside her best gal pals, Lorene Scafaria (who wrote “Nick & Norah’s Infinate Playlist”), Dana Fox (“What Happens in Vegas”), and Liz Meriwether, also a screenwriter. Think of them as the estrogen packed version of Judd Apatow and his boys—and guess what? They’re gorgeous! Also! “We’ve all seen each other naked.”
Despite that admission, the quartet want to be taken seriously and make sure that everyone understands that their success and bank-ability has nothing to do with the fact that they’re all easy on the eyes. “I know a few beautiful women,” said Adam Siegel, a producer who is friends with the women. “But none of them write like Dana, Liz, Lorene or Diablo.”
Attributing the Fempire’s success to their talent not their looks is something we can get behind, but it kind of seems like the group uses the latter to their advantage as well.
After all, Cody was a stripper before she became a screenwriter, a cool story, no doubt, but one she refuses to stop telling. Maybe because she knows it’s sexy and sex sells? Likewise, the Times profile plays into the sex appeal:
Whenever one of them has a movie opening, they all rent a white limousine and go from theater to theater to watch the first audiences react.
“We’re usually drunk by the third theater,” Ms. Cody said. “It’s super porno and tacky, and we love doing it.”
Pajama parties! Pool parties! Drunken porno limo parties! Clearly Cody, not to mention Times’ writer Deborah Schoeneman, knows what makes for a “sexy” story about smart, successful women in Hollywood. But the Fempire says they’ve felt the pressure to be photogenic in a way that is not expected of male writers. Sure, looks don’t play a part in how the media and the public perceive the bromantic antics of Apatow’s crew, unless it’s about laughing at Seth Rogen’s flabby ass and Jason Segal’s semi-chub. But if you don’t want people to focus on your looks and take you seriously instead, maybe kill the references to nudity, “super porno,” and the drunk talk. It totally distracts from what the Fempire actually has to say about being female and writing in Hollywood. “It’s rare to find women who have that balance between work and life, who are really psyched for another woman’s success,” says Fox. “I love that about our little group.”
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Perceptible
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 10:28 am: [report]
Don’t you mean “admission”, rather than “omission”? Either way I can’t wait to see what these ladies come up with next!
Amelia
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 10:45 am: [report]
Yes! Thank you.
dina
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:27 pm: [report]
I think this post is a little harsh. Sure the times is trying to find that new “it” thing with women (a la SATC), though I think the piece did a service to these hardworking women. Just because you have sexuality doesn’t mean you’re relying on it, and in terms of Cody, everytime I see it bought out its on the interviewer’s side. It was a styles piece, there’s no doubt about it, but it focused very much on their talent.
retro chic
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:40 pm: [report]
I don’t think the Fempire will have to worry about the industry giving them “a solid,” they’re too big and edgy to not take seriously.
golublog
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:51 pm: [report]
I actually have to agree with you. I liked that the article was written, but not how it was writtens. There’s very few articles about female screenwriters, and I wish they didn’t have to sexandthecitize this one, to make it easier to swallow. There were way too many by the way they are hot, and girly, and about to have a pillow-fight reminders for me.
the_management
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:52 pm: [report]
Brains and beauty! These girls rock!
Dana Fox is a total hottie!
Simosa
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 07:34 pm: [report]
Come on - isn’t The Frisky the ultimate Fempire - smart beautiful women who talk frank about sex…We can have it both ways Amelia - you do!
lizriz
wrote on March 27 2009 @ 12:43 pm: [report]
Hm… Well, ideally shouldn’t we be able to talk about nudity and our sexually *without* it having anything to do with our looks? I’m a sexual person, that doesn’t mean I want my career success to rely on my sexual attraction. Which doesn’t mean that as an aspiring director in L.A. I don’t make damn sure I look at least OK - because it does matter, whether I like it or not.
Yeah, it’s a Twister of a game, and yeah, we have to play it if we want to make it. One thing that helps? *My* Fempire:
http://everydaygoddess.typepad.com/everyday_goddess/2009/03/flash-your-fempire.html
I “Flashed my Fempire” on my blog, and I’m hoping that other people will, too. Because I don’t agree with this: “It’s rare to find women who have that balance between work and life, who are really psyched for another woman’s success. I love that about our little group.”
I think that’s sad! I’m betting *lots* of people have all kinds of Fempires! And I want to see them!