Angela Yang, culture and trends reporter at NBC News, has endorsed actress Aimee Lou Wood. Wood’s support follows his condemnation of a recent “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) parody sketch. Yang, famed for her documentary-style interviews and original essays, was best known for her oeuvre on “Extra.” This is why Wood’s reaction to the sketch was “just so completely valid,” she said.
In her feature story that followed, Yang pointed out that the SNL episode was a wake-up call, because it’s not just Hollywood that has a token problem. She lamented how the focus on Wood’s personal life – specifically her appearance, like her teeth – eclipsed the discussions of her professional work. Wood echoed this concern, lamenting that, “The entire discussion is about my teeth, and that makes me kind of depressed because I want to talk about my creative process.
Yang noted that all of SNL’s stars, writers and other personnel have been long-time fans of Wood and her program. She keynoted the impact of protective messages directed toward Wood from people who saw her parody, after critics rushed to publicly shame the performer. Yang argues that this situation paints a clear picture of the emotional, often traumatic experience that such comedic sketches inflict on people.
“With parody, you kind of forget the sort of human, emotional cost that it sort of extols on someone,” – Angela Yang
Wood’s criticisms extended beyond the visualization of her teeth. She asked if the focus on her looks would have been so extreme, had she been a man. Wood continued, “I need to get there, though. Would we be talking about this at all if it were a guy? The emphasis is still on a woman’s looks. This commentary aims to highlight the need for continued dialogue about gender and equal representation in the media.
Wood continued to explain just how important parody is in the world of comedy. While she praised sense of humor and value of SNL, she argued for a more careful approach. “Yes, take the piss for sure — that’s what the show is about — but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?” she remarked.
Yang has consistently advocated for Aimee Lou Wood’s experience and reaction to the sketch to be fully incorporated with how to handle the sketch. As ever, her trenchant reporting artfully threads the needle between culture and trends, chronicling the complicated as hell relationship between public figures and their representations in the media.