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Joy Behar, a name synonymous with daytime television, has a history of generating conversations with her bold and often unpredictable antics on "The View." Often these are done to give a voice to important themes while pushing various perspectives forward even when under controversy. This recent incident with "faking an orgasm" along with that segment on "resting gift faces" at a superficial look only displays just light hearted humor, but a closer analysis brings a more interesting underlying complexity when we start asking core questions about social expectations and how humor, is ( sometimes) the most efficient method to explore often taboo subjects . With that being said today’s deep dive on this subject will address not simply ‘what’ transpired but also try to evaluate ‘why' and what makes it meaningful even to someone removed from it's specific core target audience.
When observing Behar's on-air performance one cannot discard all obvious Meg Ryan callbacks; this act itself functions on various level; Firstly on pure surface level its nothing other than a basic self deprecating self parody often found within that show; then it continues by addressing female sexuality in open dialogue; which, with older generations is still an often overlooked taboo that is rarely brought into such media platforms which highlights that it continues to be a delicate subject in both conversation but also on tv context . By actively performing this and openly talking about it there's more to these small moments than just a simple entertainment or humorous moment. The comparison with Meg Ryan's famed scene wasn't done by random choice; by invoking a classic cultural point all of this works better when observed as social commentary.
What often tends to be presented by Behar during these moments is not the act itself but its ‘presentation'; she deliberately chose a 'very loud and theatrical' approach which highlights this performance was never created solely for male-gaze approval; but was for a shared common perspective that females have a long history (in reality ) on having to fake pleasure during private moments and because of that the humor comes ( more for a female audience segment) about what that often does imply about shared expectations . The entire sketch was mostly about showing how ridiculous any of that charade seems and when she calls it “a piece of cake” she does it with clear intention of putting down those deeply rooted social expectation as “ not as hard as some think'’. Her choices serve a clear purpose of pushing a social expectation out of a dark corner; making viewers reconsider often taken for granted points in a different context while bringing forth many underlying philosophical viewpoints.
Another important segment of this entire “View” series show was the part concerning 'resting gift face’, because beyond the seemingly harmless superficial humor lies some critique as well and a discussion about cultural norms concerning expectations on 'how should we react to bad presents?’ which further highlight a different point; While "faking an orgasm" openly addresses sexual dissatisfaction with the prior segment touches a less explicitly mentioned point, on what we often hide our genuine opinion because it could hurt those presenting with these gifts.
The underlying message ( and what often comes up) during these conversations tend to focus (mostly from women who tend to have the majority on that show audience ) the expectations that are often linked with certain gender types, where emotional responses ( particularly negative ones) need to be suppressed to better maintain that long-standing gender specific social-constructed perspective often created by social or family interaction to present and to receive ‘certain’ elements, this type of subtext works incredibly well to those more attentive to non-verbal forms of media and the shows regular viewership will greatly benefit to the subtle layers.
Griffin's anecdote and later Behar’s stories highlight how deeply ingrained some forced reactions (to even basic presents) has become within social interaction as kids 'crying hysterically', shows the value in such reactions for certain generations. Its another point about ‘what is expected from all parties to continue with social decorum regardless of real emotions; the program then openly discussed by the members directly how ridiculous all those underlying constructs are. And they address all of them openly with no negative repercussions; or at least if there was, those seem kept off screen. So this allows viewers also to take a ‘new’ angle at previously held concepts within their own reality to make ‘Yellowstone’ all the more interesting from a conceptual perspective, as their ‘performance’ acts also add great context for real people and their daily interactions too; making it ‘more than’ entertainment’.
Both examples above function as a form of social satire, by mixing humor and uncomfortable discussions "The View," uses Behar's segment as a means to bring what most will find awkward subjects under the focus for discussion. In a world that tends to shut down any conversation about sex, emotions and family secrets; it’s a very odd angle that actually opens these avenues by simply having individuals be ‘unapologetic’ about specific subject matters with those specific choices as a framework; that’s what often makes this particular production have such an impact on their loyal followers since this isn’t simply for 'laughs alone' the method seeks a unique level for viewer understanding by connecting them with those themes and messages in an open context, that encourages more open dialogues.
Through these specific examples, they also make a core critical point; that often times women have a higher pressure to adhere to unrealistic social-designed constructs which can only be made clearer to those that watch through careful observation or through deliberate context as both skits or personal comments and all the discussions that were promoted serve that precise end; those ‘skits' then are transformed from simple casual segments into social commentary as by acting those parts it reveals some clear philosophical issues ( and societal hypocrisies that normally get less acknowledged) through a highly accessible format.
When taking a greater context its easy to see Joy Behar's act, on "The View" becomes more than what initially appeared. These performances provide specific examples as both the faked orgasm or even forced smiling are means of challenging viewers to think about social values; those often never see open display within those type of TV formats ( daytime, mostly seen by home-makers, generally women) while taking full advantage of what humor is designed to do; a common ground for an engaging conversation regardless of those uncomfortable feelings it initially provokes which further add extra value .
By constantly placing certain behaviors as a point for public viewing then those limitations becomes the discussion. When we move passed the superficial laughter those messages can resonate much more powerfully as both ‘faking orgasms’ and “resting gift faces” create open spaces for an evaluation (through a fun but genuine take) that are now brought out through mainstream media. Those seemingly unimportant small details, when properly discussed and openly shown, can be the start of all those long term and slow cultural changes to improve on the next day when we leave from a show and step into real world as better adjusted individuals, if such actions are always under observation within this shared community.