Dinner with Tina Fey

Rachel Zembraski

JMC 3432.004

28 March 2014

Bossypants

Tina Fey

275 pages

Little, Brown and Company

$15.99

Bossypants review: Dinner with Tina Fey

            My favorite thing Tina Fey reveals in Bossypants is how she watched the comedy industry transition to respect women in a workplace that before had not. Fey saw the evolution, but she was also a part of it, which makes her qualified to write about a journey to becoming a female boss. Fey’s writing style is light, conversational and funny. Readers will begin to trust her immediately, and the trust never fades throughout each story. Her humor leaves out emotional depth in the writing; however, it seems as though Fey intends for the reader to think about his or her own opinion on the subject.

            After finishing the book, I determined Fey and I were good friends who just became really good friends while catching up over a long dinner. Readers will discover many new and respectable things about Fey. I learned how hard she worked to make it big in the business; I previously assumed she just got lucky on her big break like most celebrities. Aside from learning about Fey’s character, I took valuable personal lessons away from the experiences and struggles she wrote about. As an aspiring female professional myself, I learned it’s important to create your own path to your dreams. Fey proves in order to ultimately be respected you must stick to that path and refuse to worry about the opinions of those who won’t affect your dream’s outcome.

            I recommend the book to anyone who anyone who enjoys Fey’s humor. This is a must read for women who want to enter any profession dominated by males. Most importantly, I would recommend Bossypants to anyone who would love to sit down with Tina Fey and have a life chat over some pasta and wine.

Photo credit: hollywoodhotmoms.com

Photo credit: nydailynews.com

A Closer Look at Tina Fey's "Bossypants"

Ashley Hale// BSA/Book Review Blog—A Closer Look at Tina Fey’s “Bossypants”/ 3-28-14

Tina Fey

448

Reagan Arthur / Little, Brown

$8.99

A Closer Look at Tina Fey’s “Bossypants”

By Ashley Hale            

            It was hard to forget Tina Fey’s “Bossypants” novel after reading about several of her hilarious life experiences such as when she explains how she first discovered that she was a woman. When Tina Fey wrote the movie “Mean Girls”, she went to a research workshop where women were asked to write down an experience they had that first made them realize that they were a woman. Tina Fey tells her reader that most of the women knew that they were women after males stated nasty jokes to them. This section in the novel, as well as during many other moments throughout the novel, is revealing of Tina Fey’s feminist yet satirical personality as she makes her readers feel like they are having a casual conversation with her as opposed to learning about her life. Tina Fey is a Pennsylvania native who was born to Donald and Jeannec Fey in 1970. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she moved to Chicago where her career boomed after her appearances on Saturday night live in 1995. Since the beginning of her career, Tina Fey has made several accomplishments including writing the movie “Mean Girls”. After reading “Bossypants”, I believe that the audience needs to know that being bossy isn’t a bad thing, and in the words of Tina Fey, “You’re nobody till somebody calls you bossy.” While I do believe that Tina Fey succeeded at making her novel entertaining, I do believe that it would’ve been more effective if each serious point that was made wasn’t backed by jokes. However, the novel was entertaining in the sense that I felt like I was talking to my best friend as opposed to reading an informative novel as her strengths were her voice and humor. I would recommend this novel to females, especially feminists, with a sense of humor.

Photo: Dana Edelson/AP

Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

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Babies, Business and Bossypants

Cover of Tina Fey’s book Bossypants 

Bossypants

Tina Fey

288 Pages

Reagan Arthur Books

List price: $8.99 on Amazon 

Babies, Business and Bossypants

by Delaney Harness

     She’s been a writer, a producer, and a comedic genius, but her biggest role yet may be as the boss. Tina Fey sits around a table with 20 other writers at 3am laughing at jokes and working on story lines for upcoming shows. Fey leads a team of 20 writers to create her hit show 30 Rock. Carefully balancing her world between parenthood and business, Fey has become an extremely powerful and successful woman in show business.

     Tina Fey grew up in west Pennsylvania, and has arguably become one of the best comedic writers of our time. After a brief stint in improv comedy working for Chicago’s famed Second City, Fey went on to be a writer for Saturday Night Live. She wrote and produced the cult classic Mean Girls, and she wrote, produced and starred in the award winning show 30 Rock. Despite all this she may be best known for her impersonation of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin in SNL Skit

     Tina Fey’s book Bossypants is filled with a wit and cynicism compounded by her humorous one-liners. She tells her life story in a rapid and confusing hodge-podge of stories and characters. Crammed with anecdotes and witty repartee, Fey also hits on her underlying issues and gets to the core of what it means to be a successful woman in the working world.  Fey manages to balance parenthood and business. With hard work and dedication, she embodies “bossypants."

In a time where women seem to be exacerbated with being "superwoman," Fey is the call to a new kind of feminist. She runs both the office and her home, but unlike some women who try to keep the two separate, Fey combines the two. She brings her daughter to work and is very up front about "how it's going to be." Forbes Magazine recently announced that women were "opting out" of work, realizing they couldn't have it all. It seems that Fey would argue otherwise. 

     Writing her autobiography, Fey comments on her life and world-views. She gives her fans and publics a peak into her head, while clearing the air of some of her larger discretions. Her book is essentially a tomb of public relations, branding, and reputation management served up on a silver platter.

     Fey’s book Bossypants is a great read for anyone looking for a little humor or perspective in their life. Her book is certainly not a self-help book or a testimony to a new way of thinking. It is simply her chaotic thoughts and honesty splayed out for the world to see. If you are looking for a little laughter, you should definitely read Bossypants.

The Beauty of being a Bossy Female By Lauren Leaver

The Beauty of being a Bossy Female

By Lauren Leaver

“You must not look in that mirror at your doughy legs and flat feet, for today is about dreams and illusions, and unfiltered natural daylight is the enemy of dreams.”

As a successful actress and writer, Tina Fey does not have to let you in on all of her insecurities and secrets. However, the beauty of her autobiographical book Bossypants is that she lets you in on all of her flaws. In the beauty scene above, Fey reveals that she enjoys being “dolled up” at a fun photo shoot and emphasizes that she is confident within herself as a woman and a boss. In fact, she is so confident that she is unafraid to reveal all of her flaws and secrets to the public.

Tina Fey at a photo shoot for her movie Baby Moma in April 2008. Photo credit: Marie Claire

Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Fey always aspired to be an actress or comedian but never knew if that dream would come true. She studied drama at the University of Virginia, she was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live. Over time she became more famous and wrote several successful hit movies and starred in the show 30 Rock.

Fey’s ability to write in a comedic fashion while explaining an important issue is truly a talented skill. I thought that her writing style reflected the tone of Saturday Night Live, which makes her stories more relatable and entertaining to read. However, this style can also make it more difficult to comprehend what she is saying, as she inserted jokes so frequently that sometimes I became confused about the initial point of her story. There are also times where she promotes her films or television shows throughout the book, but it is always done with a sense of humor so she does not come across as pushy. 

As a successful writer, mom, and feminist, I believe that Fey is uniquely qualified to write this book. She details many topics ranging from “female” problems, to career issues, to parenthood. Her advice is particularly valuable because she is both a famous actress and a mom. I think all females who are college students or older should consider reading this book because she gives an inside perspective that most famous people would be too afraid to do. However, I would not recommend this book to most males because the material is too focused on female issues.

Tina Fey with her daughter on the set of an interview in New York City. Photo Credit: Djamilla Rosa Cochran

After reading Bossypants, I realized that Tina Fey is not your typical famous writer/comedian. The cut she received on her face as a child gave her a different perspective on life and led her to a successful life even though she wasn’t always seen as “popular” when growing up.  Overall, I found it empowering to see a successful woman display a high level of confidence in such a genuine way. As a college student, I appreciated learning about her career path and how she got to where she is today. Additionally, I would recommend it to all of my friends who are interested in working in the media.

Who Wears the Bossypants Now?

Title: "Bossypants"
Author: Tina Fey
Length: 275 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Price: $15.99


"Who Wears the Bossypants Now?"
By: Erin Nelson


     10-year-old Tina Fey entered womanhood and was confused about what was happening to her. She ignored what was happening to her because she was expecting a blue liquid to emerge just like it did on the commercials. Fey was not well educated in what would really happen to her body when she entered womanhood until revealing to her mother what was happening to her. According to Fey, entering womanhood was not the most pleasant moment of her life. The way she handled the situation and ignored it like nothing was happening to her began a small insight into her reactions to situations and her very laid back and care free attitude and spirit.

www.businessinsider.com

     Fey is a successful comedian because she went to improv and acting classes for many years before getting on the big screen, which was new to me. She started out acting in small improv shows to tour around the country until she received her job as an Saturday Night Live writer, something else that I also found as new information. After moving onto the show on television, Fey began to write her own movie and television show - Mean Girls and 30 Rock - which led to receiving numerous awards. As a whole, Fey has currently received eight Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and four Writer's Guild of America Awards.

     I think Fey tries to convey that a woman can do anything she wants to do in the work field. In her funny sense of humor, she tries to show that a woman is able to rise to the top in the work field and not have a man tell her it is impossible. She teaches that hard work may take a while, but it all pays off and is worth it in the end to achieve the dream job you desire.

www.philly.com

     In my opinion, I enjoyed the way Fey told her story and showed the importance of hard work for a woman. Her comedic tone throughout the book helped ease the seriousness of the "rising to the top" image and determination. One aspect I didn't like was how it may have come across that she looked at life as more of a joke and easy going, instead of looking like she was always head on to get where she wanted to be.

     I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing how she got to where she is now. After reading the book and interpreting what I thought she tried to convey, I would recommend this book for all women to read, especially young women. However, I would not recommend men read this book because I don't think they would personally understand or like the humor that is tied in with personal aspects of women.