“If Women Ran Hollywood” is a short video posted by the website Funny or Die in 2015. The video shows an all-women writer’s room for a TV sitcom called The DUFF and the DILF (aka The Designated Ugly Fat Friend and the Dad I’d Like to F*ck). By swapping the genders of which spouse is considered attractive and which is not, “If Women Ran Hollywood” parodies shows such as King of Queens and Family Guy. The writers need to make Dan (the DILF) more like a real person, but struggle to do so, suggesting ideas such as giving him a hot friend or having him raped. The writers finally decide to ask the one man in the room, but misinterpret his opinions.

discussion

How do the writers describe Dan, the titutlar DILF? How does the way the writers discuss Dan compare and contrast with the way women in sitcoms are typically portrayed and discussed?

How and why do the writers make assumptions and sweeping generalizations about men? How and why do they speak about men disparagingly?

Why do the writers have so much trouble making Dan a multi-dimensional character?

The male intern, Barry, explains that he “doesn’t know how to fix Dan without really destroying the premise of the show.” How do you interpret this statement? Do you agree or disagree with what Barry says? Why?

Look up a show that you enjoy, and consider the gender of the writers. Do you think their identity affects the way they write characters? Why or why not?