Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become.
In this episode of Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit, Tracie revisits the surprise hit of 2002: My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This comedy broke many of the tropes that can make romcoms hard to watch, from the Hollywood gorgeous leading lady who is clumsy to show she's just a normal woman to the heroine enjoying a glow-up in response to her new romance. Writer, director, and star Nia Vardalos created a film that allows every woman to use their agency, even in sexist situations, for a sunny comedy that refrains from making anyone a villain.
But in addition to a romantic comedy, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is also a meditation on cultural differences. The movie offers a hilarious and compassionate portrayal of feeling out-of-place as the American child of immigrants. Although Vardalos tells the very specific story of a Greek family, the details resonated with audiences from myriad other cultures. Counterintuitively, the specificity of the storytelling made the film feel universal, so that audiences felt seen--even if they had never once eaten moussaka.
The root of the word "headphones" is Greek. So throw those bad boys on and listen in!
We are Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls.
We both have super-serious personas in our "day jobs." No, really. Emily is a Finance writer who used to be a classroom teacher. Tracie writes and consults on social justice and mindfulness and works as a copywriter and project manager for non-profits. If you really need to see the bona fides, please visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com
For our work together, what you need to know is that Tracie is older (3 years), Emily is funnier (by at least 3 percent), and we're both hella smart, often over-literal, and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love movies and tv, science fiction and murder mysteries, good storytelling with liberal amounts of dramatic irony, and analyzing pop culture for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, and whatever else we find there.
Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video version, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon.
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