CASE STUDY: SITCOM AND GENDER Text: Absolutely Fabulous

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CASE STUDY: SITCOM AND GENDER Text:     Absolutely Fabulous

Rowe identifies the unruly woman by a physical presence which is both excessive and loose (she specifically focuses on Roseanne as the archetypal unruly woman), excess may also be represented through the behaviour, uniform and attitudes of the female characters. In this way, Feuer is able to develop the definition of the unruly woman as any character "exceeding the norms of femininity at the time the character was popular".xv1 The icon of the unruly woman has been interpreted by some academics as providing a space in which female transgression can be witnessed and celebrated, even while they seem to be part of larger social forces, which should contain them, such as marriage and family.

Absolutely Fabulous clearly generates comedy from the excesses of its protagonists, and particularly by implying their distance from the values which they should display as woman or mother. In an episode from series 4, Small Opening, the programme opens with a tracking shot across an opulent living room set, characterised by its extravagant furniture and objets d'art. Eddie and Patsy are in the living room, attempting to tidy up. However, this is not a scene of domesticity, since the mess in question is a huge pile of various narcotics. Various empty bottles of Bollinger champagne also litter the set, adding a final touch to the hedonistic atmosphere. As with many sitcoms, this particular space is strongly associated with the protagonists, signifying the conspicuous affluence, adherence to fashion and the uninhibited lifestyle that Eddie and Patsy have chosen to lead.

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However, Eddie's house is not entirely her own. The kitchen, for instance, is clearly demarcated as Saffy's space. Tucked away below the rest of the house, Saffy and her grandmother are most often shown around the kitchen table, which is probably the most traditional piece of furniture in the house. Eddie and Patsy only venture into this room when necessity demands, and both are shown to be uneasy here. In most episodes, it is a place for confusion and conflict. In Small Opening, Eddie (stoned and paranoid) attacks her mobile phone on the kitchen table, mistaking its ringtone for the drone ...

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