美国国家公共电台 NPR After Decades Of Comics, 'Cathy' Cartoonist Found Writing 'So Liberating'

 

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

When Cathy Guisewite's comic strip "Cathy" hit newspapers in 1976, it struck a chord with a lot of women. Fans identified with the character's self-deprecating humor and relentless¹ insecurity about her looks, her weight and, most of all, men. Now Guisewite has a new book of essays that expands on some of the themes she explored in her comic strip. It's called "Fifty Things that Aren't My Fault." And NPR's Lynn Neary caught up with Guisewite in New York City.

LYNN NEARY, BYLINE²: Cathy Guisewite was celebrating a birthday. She had set a table in her hotel room complete with flowers, cupcakes and place cards, hand drawn³ with the image of her famous character Cathy. But it wasn't Guisewite's birthday.

CATHY GUISEWITE AND LYNN NEARY: (Singing) Happy birthday...

CATHY GUISEWITE: (Singing) ...To "Fifty Things that Aren't My Fault."

NEARY: (Laughter).

GUISEWITE: (Singing) Happy birthday to the book.

NEARY: Excellent.

GUISEWITE: Thank you.

NEARY: I don't believe you're really going to eat a cupcake (laughter).

GUISEWITE: I'm really going to eat a cupcake - eat this one right here.

NEARY: For all the jokes Guisewite made over the years about her character's obsession⁴ with food and weight, she herself is tiny. Though, she swears she was 40 pounds heavier when she got out of college. Guisewite says she argued against naming her comic strip "Cathy" because she didn't want people to think the character was based on her own life, even though it was.

GUISEWITE: I'll say that Cathy was kind of my heart. Other stronger characters in the strip, like Andrea, were more my brain. But Cathy was kind of my heart. That was me.

NEARY: Before she started "Cathy," Guisewite had a successful career in advertising⁵ - eager to take advantage of the new opportunities opening up for women. But she felt caught between what she calls the two Bettys - the 1950s icon⁶ of the ideal homemaker, Betty Crocker, and the new, vibrant⁷ feminist⁸ voice of Betty Friedan. She wanted what both had to offer.

GUISEWITE: I wanted a career. I wanted my independence. I wanted to put off marriage and children, you know, and have my own success. But I also really wanted a boyfriend. You know, I was in my mid-20s. I wanted somebody to love me.

NEARY: Guisewite found an outlet⁹ for her insecurities in the comic strip. She was not alone in feeling unsure of her footing in the new world that had been opened by feminism. The comic strip was immensely popular. But there was also a backlash. In her new book, Guisewite defends herself against her critics.

GUISEWITE: (Reading) Some people thought my work reinforced the negative stereotype¹⁰ of women being obsessed¹¹ with shopping, weight and love. But it wasn't my fault we still live in a world that partly judges women by what we wear, how much we weigh and whether or not and who or how we love - not my fault that with every new glorious possibility for women came an extra sense of isolation¹² when we not only couldn't keep up but were told we shouldn't talk about the things that held us back.

NEARY: Guisewite retired¹³ the comic strip in 2010, when she needed more time for her aging parents and her teenage daughter. As she commuted¹⁴ between the two, she jotted¹⁵ down her thoughts, which is how the book began.

GUISEWITE: When I started writing these essays, it was like coming home and taking off the Spanx. This was so liberating¹⁶. I loved getting to write longer and more thoughtfully about a lot of the same things I wrote about in the strip.

NEARY: Guisewite still uses humor to sift¹⁷ through her feelings. And she still obsesses¹⁸ over food and clothes and the people she loves. But she hopes she's gained some wisdom that she can share with a very different generation of women.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Are you guys getting books?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yes. We're going to buy books.

NEARY: Young women lined up to meet Guisewite after a book event at The Wing in New York's Soho neighborhood. The Wing is a communal¹⁹ workspace and a kind of social club for women only. This generation has inherited the feminism that was brand-new when Guisewite was young. Stephanie Roman says they're still dealing²⁰ with some of the same issues.

STEPHANIE ROMAN: I'm a body image coach. So the whole theme about food and dieting and trying to accept ourselves and willpower and lack of willpower - whatever it might be - is still definitely a big thread in my life, for sure.

NEARY: A lot of these women remember reading the "Cathy" comic strip as kids. Jessica Schwartz sports a Cathy button that reads, I don't have time for this midlife crisis.

JESSICA SCHWARTZ: Cathy was such a real-seeming woman - I mean, screaming and pulling her hair out and freaking out about tiny things. Literally²¹, the most relatable comic character ever.

NEARY: And does it really speak to you now, now that you're having a midlife crisis?

SCHWARTZ: Heck yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

NEARY: As Schwartz approaches Guisewite, she pulls something out of her bag. It's a cake pan in the shape of Cathy's face.

SCHWARTZ: I just wanted to show you.

GUISEWITE: Oh, my God. You have the cake pan.

SCHWARTZ: The cake pan.

GUISEWITE: You have the cake pan.

SCHWARTZ: And I brought these pictures...

GUISEWITE: Oh...

SCHWARTZ: ...Of some cakes I've made...

GUISEWITE: ...My.

SCHWARTZ: ...Over the years.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Those are good.

SCHWARTZ: (Laughter).

GUISEWITE: Those are great.

SCHWARTZ: I've made them for birthdays, baby showers.

GUISEWITE: (Laughter).

SCHWARTZ: This is a meatloaf I made in the pan.

NEARY: Guisewite is clearly delighted "Cathy" means so much to these young women. She hopes her book, like "Cathy," will feel like someone's best friend, the kind of friend who knows exactly what to say when you need some reassurance²².

GUISEWITE: I know just how you feel. It doesn't mean you're inadequate²³. It just means you had a bad day with a, you know - with the frozen chocolate at the back of the freezer.

NEARY: Guisewite's advice for the young - never lose your sense of humor.

Lynn Neary, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE SEA AND CAKE SONG, "ANY DAY")

1 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

5 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

6 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

7 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

8 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

9 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

10 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

11 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

12 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

14 commuted   

通勤( commute的过去式和过去分词 )； 减（刑）； 代偿

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment. 他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment. 死刑可能減为无期徒刑。

15 jotted   

v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下

参考例句：

• I jotted down her name. 我匆忙记下了她的名字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policeman jotted down my address. 警察匆匆地将我的地址记下。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

17 sift   

v.筛撒，纷落，详察

参考例句：

• Sift out the wheat from the chaff.把小麦的壳筛出来。
• Sift sugar on top of the cake.在蛋糕上面撒上糖。

18 obsesses   

v.时刻困扰( obsess的第三人称单数 )；缠住；使痴迷；使迷恋

参考例句：

• I suppose no artist achieves completely the realization of the dream that obsesses him. 我认为哪个艺术家也不可能把昼夜萦绕在他心头的梦境完全付诸实现。 来自辞典例句
• As source and, nature obsesses us, as do childhood and spontaneity, via the filter of memory. 作为资源和来源，自然总是纠缠着我们，经由记忆的过滤，就像童年和自发性所做的。 来自互联网

19 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

20 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

21 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

22 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

23 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。