A collaborative archive about US culture in the inter-war years
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Sophie Tucker
Stephannie Zarate
GSI Matthew Gonzales
Section 2-3PM
21 October 2016
Sophie Tucker: Singer, Comedian, Actress
Sophie Tucker was born on January 13, 1886 in Tulchyn, Ukraine. She immigrated to the United States with her parents in her early childhood. Tucker began to sing in cafes and various places, later to land in vaudeville. American vaudeville was similar to a theater, using burlesque, comedies, and songs to entertain its audience. In Vaudeville, Tucker launched her career and became known for her signature song, “Some of These Days.”
The American vaudeville portrayed stereotypical images of women being sexualized symbols in American entertainment. Many of the women who performed were mainly immigrants and minorities. They often found vaudeville as an escape from reality, but at times they also disliked it because of the image it created of women. “Female vaudeville performers in particular… found the vaudeville stage to be one of the few places where they could act out their concerns and dramatize their often divided feelings about both assimilation and their assigned roles as women” (Vaudeville in the United States). At the time, women were beginning to speak up, for they felt undermined by men. Tucker, of Jewish descent, used vaudeville to create a statement of the Jewish identity. Tucker did not fit the ideal image of the perfect women, both because of her weight and Jewish religion. Sophie Tucker, however, “defied conventions about gender, age, weight, and ethnicity with her saucy comic banter and music.” In relation to the modernist texts discussed in class, Tucker represents many of the marginalized characters in many of the novels, for she does not fit the ideal white modern woman. She refused to conform to the traditional views, instead “she was on intimate terms with presidents and gangsters, and she showed that it was possible for a female artist to get to the top of show business on her own terms” (BBC). Tucker represents how a woman succeeded in a time period full of controversy and constant change between the traditional and modern America.
Questions:
1. How did the portrayal of women change from the traditional view to the modern view?
2. Based on the texts and videos we have discussed in class, what is the importance of performing arts in making a statement about change in society?
Works Cited
Kremer, William. "Sophie Tucker: Everybody Loves a Fat Girl – BBC News." N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2016.
I think that this post contributes greatly to characteristics of modernism, particularly within society. To answer your first question, I think the portrayal of women is vastly different from the traditional view because Vaudeville is a place where women could portray what they were feeling and what their concerns were. In this way, they have a voice. This is something not entirely seen in more traditional depictions of women that is significant about modernism.
I find what you brought up about the tension between the image of women and the image of the immigrant really interesting. For Sophie Tucker, and many others of the time I imagine, she had certain ethnic and gender roles that attempted to fit her into an "ideal" box, but rather she pushed these boundaries and created a new sense of what a woman, immigrant, and Jewish person could look and act like in American society. I think that this pushing of boundaries and expectations captures a large part of the ideals of the Modernist movement.
I thought it was really interesting how you pointed out that Sophie Tucker was so unusual because she represented an immigrant voice. To me, this showed how new voices were being able to express themselves in the Modernist period. Sophie even defied the perceived notions of what female beauty was , which made it especially unusual that she rose to stardom. Loved this post and how Sophie Tucker's talent rose above the prejudices of her time.
I found that you point out an important point in the question you proposed. It is people like Sophie Tucker that mutate the perspective of what is considered "ideal" in a society. By rising to stardom and not being a part of the what was considered to be the ideal, she expanded what is considered to be ideal, making the view in a sense more modern. I enjoyed Sophie Tucker's voice.
I enjoyed reading your blog post and feel that it is important to realize and discuss the individuals of the modernist era who represented the immigrant populations that are often not represented in literature. Individuals like Sophie represent the positive impact that immigrants can have on society.
I really enjoyed your blog post; women in comedy, even today, are often marginalized and viewed as less funny than men are. This history of women in comedy is incredibly important in the evolution of comedy overall.
Your blog post really brought up a lot about both women and minorities in entertainment during the Modernist movement. We've been talking a lot about women during this time and a lot about minorities, but not about minority women. Your blog brings up another facet of life that really made me think about the mixture of both groups. Thank you!
I think that this post contributes greatly to characteristics of modernism, particularly within society. To answer your first question, I think the portrayal of women is vastly different from the traditional view because Vaudeville is a place where women could portray what they were feeling and what their concerns were. In this way, they have a voice. This is something not entirely seen in more traditional depictions of women that is significant about modernism.
ReplyDeleteI find what you brought up about the tension between the image of women and the image of the immigrant really interesting. For Sophie Tucker, and many others of the time I imagine, she had certain ethnic and gender roles that attempted to fit her into an "ideal" box, but rather she pushed these boundaries and created a new sense of what a woman, immigrant, and Jewish person could look and act like in American society. I think that this pushing of boundaries and expectations captures a large part of the ideals of the Modernist movement.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting how you pointed out that Sophie Tucker was so unusual because she represented an immigrant voice. To me, this showed how new voices were being able to express themselves in the Modernist period. Sophie even defied the perceived notions of what female beauty was , which made it especially unusual that she rose to stardom. Loved this post and how Sophie Tucker's talent rose above the prejudices of her time.
ReplyDeleteI found that you point out an important point in the question you proposed. It is people like Sophie Tucker that mutate the perspective of what is considered "ideal" in a society. By rising to stardom and not being a part of the what was considered to be the ideal, she expanded what is considered to be ideal, making the view in a sense more modern. I enjoyed Sophie Tucker's voice.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post and feel that it is important to realize and discuss the individuals of the modernist era who represented the immigrant populations that are often not represented in literature. Individuals like Sophie represent the positive impact that immigrants can have on society.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post; women in comedy, even today, are often marginalized and viewed as less funny than men are. This history of women in comedy is incredibly important in the evolution of comedy overall.
ReplyDeleteYour blog post really brought up a lot about both women and minorities in entertainment during the Modernist movement. We've been talking a lot about women during this time and a lot about minorities, but not about minority women. Your blog brings up another facet of life that really made me think about the mixture of both groups. Thank you!
ReplyDelete