Thoughts on fun, sex and feminism

I loved reading Carina Chocano’s article about the lack of comedic roles for women [“Where Have All the Funny Girls Gone?” Oct. 21].

I’ve been an actress for over 20 years, I have an MFA in screenwriting from USC, and I’ve watched the trend from both sides of the camera.

I think part of the reason for that lack of roles is that in romantic comedies, for example, there’s little at stake. If what’s important to us (sex for men, relationships for women) is so easily achieved (well, sex is), then the stakes are lower. We’ve made sex so easily available in our culture that, when it comes to romantic comedies, there isn’t anything really at stake if you can get what you want early on.

Well, the men get what they want.

I think one negative byproduct of the sexual revolution is this: We are free to love whomever, whenever and at no cost to us personally. The end result is that women are turned into sex objects. When sex is easily available and comes first, what’s the point of developing character or dialogue? There’s no more reason to get to know each other.

Susan Isaacs

Los Angeles

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Although I agree with much of what Carina Chocano writes, I believe she omits a crucial issue. The lack of funny roles for women isn’t due to sexism, but to misapplied feminism. Too many people in Hollywood are simply afraid to laugh at women’s faults and foibles.

After all, what makes a character funny are his or her flaws. As a screenwriter, I’ve noticed that whenever I write a script with a humorous, flawed female character, some people in the industry squirm with fear that the character might offend. It’s OK for male actors to get laughs by portraying characters who are stupid, clumsy or arrogant, but apparently all the female characters must be flawless, lest someone somewhere take offense.

No wonder the many talented comic actresses in Hollywood aren’t getting the roles they deserve.

Jeff Seeman

Santa Monica