You know, I forgot to check around about this after the Oscars, but…what was up with Bill Murray referring to Sofia Coppola as an “American girl” TWICE during his presentation for Lost in Translation? Not having seen the movie, I thought he was quoting something, but someone who’s seen the movie tells me that’s not it.
(He emphasized the word “girl” so much that I knew it wasn’t simply a case of “whatever word came to mind,” so I’m asking.)
I was wondering that myself. I bitched about the use and emphasis of the belittling word “girl”, as opposed to “woman”, to my boyfriend — Ms. Coppola is over 18 as far as I know — and he told me I was overreacting. But I didn’t like it at all. I’ve seen the movie and don’t remember any references related to this, either.
The only thing “American Girl” reminds me of is that song by Tom Petty. Maybe she likes it?
I didn’t like it either, and then I thought maybe he was trying to emphasize that she was the first American female to be nominated in the directing category (and seriously? it’s 2004… how can that be still be true). He may have been trying to be funny.
There was a stunning lack of mention of Scarlet Johansen (spelling?) by both Murray and Coppola, as at the Golden Globes. Maybe it was a jab at her?
I was baffled, too. I was hoping you guys would know.
uhhhm….
Have you thought that maybe the English slanguage doesn’t have a word equivalent of “guy”? And that just maybe BM wasn’t being iggerant, or macho or condescending, but that he was just saying “this person that I have a lot of respect and affection for both as someone who has done awesome work and with whom I’ve shared enjoyable, informal moments and a relaxed cameraderie during our working relationship”?
I have to say I have no idea what BM was thinking.
Given the associations–mostly negative–with the word “girl,” I am curious as to why he used it.
I didn’t watch the Oscars, never do as it seems arbitrary in their selections to the point of meaninglessness, so I can’t say anything about BM’s intentions.
While I for a while felt like the only person on the planet who didn’t enjoy Lost in T (singularly apt title, I thought (and demeaning to Japan, but that’s a whole nother thread)), I thought BM’s performance more than merely good. He seemed to both enjoy and respect the work he was doing and the material he was working with, so I suspect that lack of respect to/for SC wasn’t a factor.
It could be simple ignorance, but he strikes me as an intelligent actor (Groundhog Day and Rushmore were hardly Porky’s II and III), so I would rule that out.
Leaving me with something I struggle with occasionally. How DO you denote informal respect and cameraderie with a female friend? “Woman” sometimes just isn’t light enough, in the same way that the word man just works too hard.
Girls’ night out? All these grrrrls and their blogs and other web presences. Seems like some women are reappropriating the word the same way queers and dykes are.
And “script girl” has become “script supervisor”, while a best boy is still just a, well, boy.
You have a good, varied and provocative blog (though I’m glad you’ve compartmentalised the weight loss stuff!) but methinks you’re making a bit much of this instance. That isn’t to belittle those cases where the use of the word girl is derogatory, demeaning and designed to hold the person talked about/to down, but what WOULD your female equivalent to “guy” be?
Um, in fact…I haven’t made anything at all of it. It *is* considered outre to refer to a thirty-something year old woman as a “girl” — but since Murray apparently likes her (and sure has had success working for her), I wondered why he chose to say.
You’ll notice I didn’t go off on a rant about it. I’m truly, honestly curious.
Since his words didn’t get that much notice elsewhere, I’m willing to believe most people didn’t notice.
Btw, I believe the equivalent is “gal.”