In 1975, I was 19 years old. I went with some friends to see a new ‘’horror’’ film titled The Stepford Wives (not the cheesy re-make with Nicole Kidman, but the classic one with Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss.) While many of my female friends and me laughed at what was supposed to be a ‘’scary’’ idea, Peter, the only male in our group, wasn’t laughing at all. In fact, we all later found out, he was quite ‘’turned on’’ by the idea of having a woman whom one could program with all the qualities one needed, and eliminating the qualities, certain men find ‘’annoying.’’ Yes, ‘those’’ qualities – independent thought, speaking one’s mind, and, well, just speaking in general. Therefore, we girls made a pact right there and then, to gut Peter like a deer, but, instead, we chose the ‘’high road’’ and laughed it off. ‘‘Go ahead’’ Peter warned, ‘’laugh now, ladies. But you are all looking into your futures right here on this screen.’’ To Peter, this was no laughing matter this was the key to true marital bliss. To him, this was the ONLY way men and women could co-exist. Moreover, he did not consider this to be a just a mere film, this was a cutting-edge documentary.
Well, I’m now in my 50’s and I’ve lived through the civil rights era and a time when the term ‘’feminism’’ was something to be proud of. I hadn’t given the film much thought over the years, that is, until this past Friday when John McCain, the republican candidate for president, announced his choice of a running mate. In his introduction speech he said, ‘’she knows who she is, and she knows who she works for…’’ and out to the stage walked Bobbie Markowe, the tomboy turned perfect wife, from The Stepford Wives. Only now, she is going by the name of Sarah Palin.
One of the reasons I was so shocked was because I’ve only heard many republican men refer to women in rather negative ways. A conservative radio host insinuated on his program recently that a woman who uses her mouth for speaking her mind, rather than pleasing her man deserved to be cheated on. Hillary Clinton was regularly viewed as a ‘’ball buster’’ a ‘’nutcracker’’ or a ‘’whiner.’’ Therefore, I was understandably a bit surprised when I read that conservative pundits were as ‘’giddy as a schoolgirls’’ when they described Mrs. Markowe, I mean, Mrs. Palin as a ‘’gun-loving, bear-hunting, prom queen’’ with Christian family values, of course. They also mentioned that many republican men were ‘’thrilled’’ by the thought of a woman on the presidential ticket for 2008. Hmm, I thought, I’m getting that ‘’déjà vu’’ feeling. Where have I heard this before? Holy crap! My friend, Peter!
In the hours following McCain’s announcement, I’ve heard Palin described as a woman whose water broke during a high-powered meeting in Texas, caught the red-eye flight home in order to give birth to her fifth child on Alaskan soil. Damn! Not to mention the photograph of her sitting atop a dead brown bear, looking ‘’prom-queen’’ pretty while the corpse of a rather large Alaskan crab is perched atop the sparkling clean coffee table. Her glistening red shoes complimenting the crab’s shell thus highlighting the décor brilliantly. When she was asked about the role of a vice president she laughed (in a very feminine way, no doubt) and asked ‘’what exactly does a vice president do anyway?’’ Then they loaded up the truck and they moved to Washington – D.C. that is, swimming pools, movie star treatment.
Well, what do you know? Peter was right. The Stepford Wives really was a documentary after all.
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