Linking Gender & Sexuality -- Gender & Sexuality Week 8

In class we discussed the ways in which gender and sexuality are linked through discourse. Below are two clips that help emphasize this point. These SNL skits are highly dependent on the social locations (in particular the gender and sexual orientation) of the performers in order to create humor. In other words, the way the characters act (sexually) makes sense to us because of their social locations as straight men. Thus, the fact they are obsessed with sex and their penises “makes sense” to us. In fact, both skits utilize the “male sex drive” discourse to construct meaning, and thus demonstrate how gender and sexual behavior are connected in our minds.

It is also interesting to note that in both skits, in particular, “motherlover,” there is a good amount homoeroticism (i.e. sexual tension) between the two male performers. While the skit is definitely reinforcing the “straightness” of these two characters, it is also creating humor from the fact that these two men are so obsessed with one another that it “almost” seems like they’re sexually into one another (note the moment when one of them puts the picture of the other up before sex). Again, we see that the humor created by this “attraction” depends on the audience being able to identify that these individuals share the same social location (as men), and that based on discourses about that social location, certain sexual acts (i.e. being attracted to one another) are considered awkward, or taboo—hence, the audience laughter.

In as much, how do the social locations of the performers create the humor in the skits? In other words, if you were to change the gender of the performers, what would happen to the humor? How would the jokes change? How would the insinuations about sexuality change? Would a song entitled, “pussy in a box” or “fatherlover” be interpreted the same way? Why/why not? What does this tell us about the ways we link discourses of gender and sexuality?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/1596/saturday-night-live-dick-in-a-box-uncensored

http://www.hulu.com/watch/73123/saturday-night-live-digital-short-motherlover-uncensored