There’s something about Mary…’s swearing
May 1, 2009
Another example of forgoing femininity and adopting a habit of profanity can be seen in 1998’s There’s Something About Mary. The film, which focuses on a man’s attempts to woo the girl of his high school dreams, casts Cameron Diaz as Mary the dream girl for nearly all men. An article published in the Media Report to Women names the R rated film as one of its “Dirty Dozen” films because it averages one scene containing profanity every four minutes.[1] However, it is worthwhile to note that the vast majority of the profanity comes from the many men populating the film and that the film’s female namesake is relegated to swearing only twice throughout the movie.
It is necessary to first explore the acceptability of profanity in male-to-male discourse in order to understand the impact and meaning of Mary’s two instances of swearing. The discourse between men, called “report talk” by Deborah Tannen, can be used as an opportunity to “prove their independence and maintain status.” With this in mind, it only makes sense that profanity can be used in male-to-male discourse to maintain status as an aggressive and forceful figure. The other important component of the general acceptance of profanity use by males is that the use of expletives has a relational function that constitutes oneself as a member of a group and reaffirms group culture. Therefore, for the men of these movies, the abundant use of “fuck,” “shit,” and “hell” within the company of other men serve to create a community feeling with other men.
[1] Anonymous. “Blue language red hot on movies, television shoes, new study finds.” Media Report to Women; Winter 2000, 28,1; Gender Watcch (GW).
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