Patty and Selma
Patty and Selma Bouvier | |
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The Simpsons characters | |
First appearance |
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Created by | Matt Groening Hugo (non-canon), Bart )
Nieces: Lisa, Maggie Selma's Adopted Daughter (Patty's Adopted Niece): Ling Brother-in-Law: Homer Cousins: Dot Aunts: Gladys Gurney (maternal aunt) and Charlene Bouvier (paternal aunt) Grandmothers: Alvarine Gurney (maternal grandmother) and Bambi Bouvier (paternal grandmother) Uncles: Lou Gurney (maternal uncle) (See also Bouvier family Selma's Exes: (Patty's Ex-Brothers-in-law:) Sideshow Bob Lionel Hutz Grampa Simpson Troy McClure Disco Stu Fat Tony D'Amico |
Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier
Distinguishing features
Being twins, the two have a similar look, but there are several easy ways to distinguish them, including:
- Hairstyle: Patty has an afro, while Selma's hair is parted in the middle.
- Attire: Patty wears a short-sleeved pink dress and pink shoes while Selma wears a hemmed sleeveless blue dress and blue shoes.
- Jewelry: Patty wears blue or orange triangular earrings and spherical beads connected by a visible string, while Selma wears orange or purple circular earrings (occasionally earrings shaped in an "S" in early episodes) and elliptical beads attached to each other.
- They both resemble their chain-smoking father Clancy Bouvier who appeared in a flashback of the episode "The Way We Was".
In the episode "The Blue and the Gray", it is revealed that Selma is actually a blonde, while Patty is a redhead. Their hair has turned blue-gray from long-term exposure to cigarette smoke and ash.
Biography
Rarely seen apart, Patty and Selma are known for their distinctive gravelly voices, cynical outlook on life, bitter and unpleasant personalities, and love of cigarettes. They share an apartment at the
Patty and Selma have a strong, mutually reciprocated dislike for their brother-in-law
As children, Patty and Selma were apparently domineering towards Marge and ridiculed her ambition of becoming an astronaut. In return for their allowance, Marge used to do chores for them. The free time they now had led to them taking up smoking.[25] As adults, the Bouvier twins have a friendly relationship with their sister and seem very protective of her thus frequently visit the Simpsons. They seem relatively fond of their nieces and nephew, but seem to like them more when they are young, as one of them remarks "The older they get, the cuter they ain't."[26] On occasions, they babysit Bart, Lisa and Maggie, something not relished by the kids. Bart and Lisa were left traumatized when they had to stay with their aunts for a week while a stressed out Marge left for Rancho Relaxo. Maggie managed to take evasive action and got to stay with Homer instead.[27]
Patty Bouvier
Patricia Maleficent Bouvier is the younger of the two.
Relationships
Patty's only known relationship with a man involved Principal Skinner.[29] On a blind date arranged by Homer, Skinner was supposed to fall for Selma, but he noticed Patty first and fell in love with her instead. They dated for a while, though Patty often showed signs of reluctance through things like unjoyful facial expressions and turned down his marriage proposal, claiming him she was too devoted to Selma to abandon her. However, she did consider Skinner a gentleman and ended their relationship with the words "Good night, sweet principal."[29] Like Selma, Patty also has a long-running fixation on MacGyver, although this aspect of her personality has been played down in later episodes.
Patty was revealed to be lesbian in the
After coming out as a lesbian,[28] Patty exclaims "you could see it from space!". There had been many previous hints of her sexuality: she was seen visiting a burlesque house;[37] she exclaimed (upon seeing Homer naked) "There goes the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality";[38] she was seen hiding in a closet with Smithers on a parade float during a gay pride parade.[39] In another nod to Patty's sexuality being obvious, Homer sarcastically quipped, "Here's another bomb for ya, Marge: I like beer!" when Marge was shocked at the revelation.
Patty wooed a tenured professor from Yale University away from her husband[40] and has also been attracted to Edna Krabappel.[30] When Selma claimed she couldn't face prison, Patty replied that she could, implying she would welcome a female-only environment.[8] Patty's first serious relationship with a woman was with Veronica, a pro golfer. It was later discovered by Marge and revealed during Patty's wedding that Veronica was actually a man in disguise.[28] Patty's next serious relationship with a woman was with Evelyn, who quickly bonded with Homer over similar traits during a trip to Costa Rica. When Marge pointed out that Evelyn was ruining the trip and was a female version of Homer, a horrified Patty broke up with her. However, when a remorseful Marge apologized to Patty and reassured her that the difference between Homer and Evelyn was that Evelyn truly loved her, Patty decided to reconcile with Evelyn.[41]
Selma Bouvier
Selma Bouvier is two minutes older than Patty. Due to a childhood bottle rocket accident, she has no sense of taste or smell.[42] According to Marge, Selma "likes Police Academy movies and Hummel figurines, and walking through the park on clear autumn days." In contrast to her twin, Selma yearns for male companionship and children. She is also slightly more sympathetic towards Homer than Patty. Selma helped reunite Homer and Marge after seeing how upset Marge was without him, despite an agreement with Patty not to say anything.[43] Homer was sympathetic to her when she broke down after a disastrous trip to Duff Gardens with Bart and Lisa, remarking "I just couldn't cut it today", referring to raising kids.[44] Homer also agreed to pose as Selma's husband to help her adopt a baby from China.[45] During Homer and Marge's trial separation, when Marge went out on a date with someone else, Selma called Homer and offered to help him save their marriage, but was left frustrated when Homer mistook her for Patty over the phone.[46]
Unable to find companionship in a man, Selma has also sought to have children. At one point she considered using a
Relationships
Despite being identical twins, Patty and Selma have very different track records when it comes to finding dates. According to Marge, Patty chose a life of celibacy, while Selma had celibacy thrust upon her. Her standards are extremely low, as evidenced by her comments on Mr. Burns: "Single, eh? Well, he passes the Selma Test."
Selma has actively sought out a husband, and has been married to six different men. Her current name has evolved into Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Stu-Simpson-D'Amico. Her first marriage, to
One person Selma refused to marry was
Character
Creation
Series creator Matt Groening said he suggested that Kavner voice Patty and Selma as characters who "suck the life out of everything...."[4][53] Al Jean said Kavner makes Patty's voice more masculine and a lower register, while Selma's voice is a little sweeter.[54]
Development
In the 2005 episode "
According to the publications Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture and Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights, it was the controversial lesbian outing of the main character (played by Ellen DeGeneres) in the sitcom Ellen in 1997 that paved the way for Patty's coming-out in "There's Something About Marrying", as well as for many other gay characters on other television shows.[58][59] In his book Queers in American Popular Culture, Jim Elledge noted that it is possible the Simpsons staff chose Patty to come out as gay instead of a male character because lesbians were "traditionally considered more acceptable" on television. She did, however, not "adhere to the eroticized male lesbian fantasy or fit into the loveable, asexual guise of the comedy lesbian" that had previously been seen on shows such as Ellen. Instead, Patty is "rude, crude, and not ashamed of declaring her sexual preferences", and this could make her unpalatable to some viewers according to Elledge.[60]
It was reported a long time in advance of the episode's airing in 2005 that a major character would come out as gay during the episode.[61] There was a widespread debate among fans of the series as to who the character would be.[62] Patty was suspected by many fans and the press because she had not often been seen dating men on the show.[63][64] The tabloid newspaper The Sun revealed already in September 2004 that character who would come out was Patty,[65] though this was regarded as a rumor and The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean would not confirm it.[63][66] Bookmakers in the United States and the United Kingdom took bets on which character would be uncovered as homosexual—BetUS laid odds at four to five that it was Patty, while Smithers had four to one odds and Ned Flanders fifteen to one odds.[67][68] BetUS said gamblers made more than 900 bets on the coming-out on their website.[68] According to The Baltimore Sun, another bookmaker Paddy Power "stopped taking wagers because so much money was being placed on [Patty]."[63]
*The first reference to Patty being gay, however, happened long before this 2005 episode, going all the way back to 1993, in season 4, episode 5: Treehouse of Horror III. in this Episode, Homer runs through the kitchen naked where Marge, Patty and Selma are all eating. Patty and Selma each put down their forks, and Patty remarks "There goes the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality". Since this is a Halloween episode, however, fans might not have presumed this to be canon.
References
- ^ Bailey, Timothy; Kelley, Brian (November 17, 2019). "Livin La Pura Vida". The Simpsons. Season 31. Episode 7. Fox.
Patricia Maleficent Bouvier, I've put up with you criticizing my husband for years, and I've had it.
- ^ "Patty Bouvier". Wikisimpsons. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ^ The Simpsons "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" – December 17, 1989
- ^ a b Rhodes, Joe. "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves" Archived August 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, TV Guide October 21, 2000, via The Simpsons Archive: "[Matt] Groening says: 'My original idea about Marge's family was they were utterly joyless. The original note I gave to Julie was that they suck the life out of everything they see'".
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- ^ The Simpsons. "Homer's Triple Bypass"
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- ^ The Simpsons – "Wedding for Disaster"
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- ^ The Simpsons – "The Book Job"
- ^ The Simpsons – "Puffless"
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- ^ a b "Simpsons' gay character is Patty". BBC News. February 21, 2005. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
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- ^ Bailey, Timothy; Kelley, Brian (November 17, 2019). "Livin La Pura Vida". The Simpsons. Season 31. Episode 7. Fox.
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- DVD commentary and by episode writer O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- ^ "In the Family Way" Archived October 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, The Next Big Thing, October 10, 2003. Julia Sweeney tells about the messages she received from Chinese adoption agencies trying to confirm her heterosexuality due to government opposition to gay adoption
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