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If Hortense has such low self-esteem and such a low self image, this little get together strikes me as a particularly brutal form of self abuse.

Why else would she invite a bunch of very attractive friends over for a make-over/lengerie party? All the girls look just absolutely SMOKIN' in that lingerie, and poor Hortense still looks like a pre-adolescent boy tryin' to play drag queen.

Then, when one of the hotties tries to help, (albiet somewhat awkwardly) with what is certainly meant as constructive criticism, Hortense' self animosity boils to the surface and she blows a gasket.

Her response is to go completely over the top in a Pamela Anderson lampoon!

Of course she's bitter. I've found that the majority of hyper-militant feminists generally are. I believe that they honestly dispise their feminity. But she seems to try and exacerbate her situation by doing things like this.

Yes.....YES, these are her friends, and she genuinely appreciates their company. And, I'm positive the feelings are mutual. But, this particular setting just strikes me as not only a way for the girls to have a good time, but a way for Hortense to "put herself down" just a little bit more.

Just some thoughts.


Shaaruuk

LoneWolf23k wrote:I agree with Kerry. What Hortense really needs is a confidence-boosting make-over.. Something to make her feel good about herself.

...That, and a nice gentleman to show her not all men are sexist jerks.

Well, that leaves out Gus and Gilly...

Archae45 wrote:

This thread really is a gas!

Yes, He He. (behold! a noble pun!)

Squeaky Bunny wrote:

Archae45 wrote:

This thread really is a gas!

Yes, He He. (behold! a noble pun!)

What were all the other ones? INnoble puns?

Well, that leaves out Gus and Gilly...

Gilly is liberal, which means he'd go nuts trying to be PC with Hortense, and probably end up embarassing himself and ticking her off more than ever

labrusca wrote:

Well, that leaves out Gus and Gilly...

Gilly is liberal, which means he'd go nuts trying to be PC with Hortense, and probably end up embarassing himself and ticking her off more than ever

Maybe, maybe not.

Look how Thelma started out as the "PITA girl" and ended up Tuck's girlfriend and now we adore her.

Maybe Gilly and Hortense find each other...hmmm...Gilly is chasing his 6-legged chicken and crashes into Hortense, "love at first sight."

Now Gus, he's the hopeless one.

[...unWARP!!!]

Good evening.

Werekitty wrote:

Squeaky Bunny wrote:

Archae45 wrote:

This thread really is a gas!

Yes, He He. (behold! a noble pun!)

What were all the other ones? INnoble puns?

Drat, you used up all the good puns, just when this topic was bouncing right along. Now I feel a little flat.

The JAM wrote:Drat, you used up all the good puns, just when this topic was bouncing right along. Now I feel a little flat.

I think Ralph is getting his fish ready.

Archae45 wrote: I think Ralph is getting his fish ready.

Oh Puulleeeeeeezzzzz don't say that he's just gonna flounder around!!!


Shaaruuk

Sharuuk wrote:

Archae45 wrote: I think Ralph is getting his fish ready.

Oh Puulleeeeeeezzzzz don't say that he's just gonna flounder around!!!


Shaaruuk

No, this goes back a couple years.
When Ben Bruin first bought a gun after being mugged, the topic of the 2nd Amendment came up in the forum, and I said that Ralph had gone from bearing arms to arming bears.

Ralph wrote back that he was slapping me with a fish.
So maybe Ralph is getting the fish ready again.

Archae45 wrote:No, this goes back a couple years.
When Ben Bruin first bought a gun after being mugged, the topic of the 2nd Amendment came up in the forum, and I said that Ralph had gone from bearing arms to arming bears.

Ralph wrote back that he was slapping me with a fish.
So maybe Ralph is getting the fish ready again.

And I LOVED that entire arc, particularly the "lesson" that Fred gave to Lily. Especially the "take it from a prey animal" line.

As to your pun.. "bearing arms to arming bears"....AAARRRRUUUUGGGHHH....if RH's gonna slap you with a fish.....I may just hold ya for 'im.


Shaaruuk

Gilly and Hortense...?

Uh, no. Gilly doesn't deserve it.

The very thought just breaks my head.

Sharuuk wrote:If Hortense has such low self-esteem and such a low self image, this little get together strikes me as a particularly brutal form of self abuse.

Why else would she invite a bunch of very attractive friends over for a make-over/lingerie party?

Hortense didn't invite them over for a makeover party. It was supposed to be a sleepover, which can include a wide variety of activities. It just turned out that her guests hijacked the evening and turned it into a makeover/lingerie party.

By the way, I am certain that Hortense isn't the first non-mammal to be faced by this situation. I wonder why she's so upset about it? I would think that the reptilian subculture would have their own set of values and not particularly care about what the mammals think.

For example, I am Jewish, living in America. This time of year all types of things are going on that I don't have any connection to. It doesn't bother me, it just isn't relevant to me.

And when someone wishes me a merry xmas, I don't go postal on them, nor do I explain their error to them (despite the fact that my black fedora, full beard and black frock coat should make it clear that I don't celebrate xmas!). Instead, I return their greeting in the spirit that it was intended and continue on my way.

So it would seem to me that Hortense's problem isn't a lack of self confidence in her femininity or her womanliness. Rather, it seems that she has a lack of pride and self confidence in her reptilianess (pardon the coined word) which makes her feel very uncomfortable when in mammalian society.

Just my $0.02 based on living in a minority subculture with very different values than those around me.

TGIF

TGIF wrote:Hortense didn't invite them over for a makeover party. It was supposed to be a sleepover, which can include a wide variety of activities. It just turned out that her guests hijacked the evening and turned it into a makeover/lingerie party.

Not quite. Refer to installment nt20040423 panel 2.
Also check nt20040501 Thelma's conversation with Tuck, and nt20041104 Hortense' reference to "fancy knickers" to Flitty.

That this would be a sleepover/makeover/scarey movie/lingerie party was known and planned for well in advance, and Hortense knew this. None of the girls hijacked it in any way. This is why I felt it was "a particularly brutal form of self-abuse."

TGIF wrote:By the way, I am certain that Hortense isn't the first non-mammal to be faced by this situation. I wonder why she's so upset about it? I would think that the reptilian subculture would have their own set of values and not particularly care about what the mammals think.

Good question....although I haven't seen any other reptilians, I'm sure there are some others in Malarky County......I really don't know.

TGIF wrote:And when someone wishes me a merry xmas, I don't go postal on them, nor do I explain their error to them (despite the fact that my black fedora, full beard and black frock coat should make it clear that I don't celebrate xmas!). Instead, I return their greeting in the spirit that it was intended and continue on my way.

Thank you, I can truely appreciate someone like you. Although I gotta admit there are some folks that are so dense that they'd think you might be a bearded Goth (just kidding ) and still wish you a Merry Christmas. OY!!

TGIF wrote:So it would seem to me that Hortense's problem isn't a lack of self confidence in her femininity or her womanliness. Rather, it seems that she has a lack of pride and self confidence in her reptilianess (pardon the coined word) which makes her feel very uncomfortable when in mammalian society.

Possibly, but didn't she absolutely flaunt her reptilianality (I'll see your coined word and raise ya one! ) at Bo and Jessie's wedding by snatching the bouquet out of the air with her tongue? That doesn't strike me as being particularly uncomfortable in a mammalian setting/society. Nobody else could have done that....only her.

BTW....with respect....Happy Cha-nooka .

Shaaruuk

Tell ya what... I don't really get this situation.

Hortense isn't a mammal, yet she tortures herself trying to act like one. Why?
For all anyone knows, she might be the very image of a reptilian goddess of beauty. She should be emphasizing whatever attributes a male of her species would appreciate, if she was interested in being attractive. All I can say is - she needs to get out more, with members of her own phylum.

UncleMonty wrote:Tell ya what... I don't really get this situation.

Hortense isn't a mammal, yet she tortures herself trying to act like one. Why?
For all anyone knows, she might be the very image of a reptilian goddess of beauty. She should be emphasizing whatever attributes a male of her species would appreciate, if she was interested in being attractive. All I can say is - she needs to get out more, with members of her own phylum.

Can't say that I actually "get" it either, and I totally agree with you.


Shaaruuk

De lurking after an extended abscense.

Well, other than the "it's a comic" mantra, which I would say is legit (i.e., Mr. Hayes is making a dramatic point, rather than looking to establish a larger world with rules that fit together nicely, that's what TOTQ is for ), I'd agree with the other poster who pointed out that we don't see reptiles very often in the strip (in fact, the only other reptile in Malarky I can think of would be Ole Malarky the Lake Monster.

...

Ahem, she may be cut off from most of the influence of her "ethnic group" and feel inadequate because despite constantly trying, she just can't fit in.

So...now what do Thelma and the girls do?

edit: just checked the cast page and was reminded of Codger the old turtle. Hmm, maybe the old guy has some sage advice for her?

UncleMonty wrote:Tell ya what... I don't really get this situation.

Hortense isn't a mammal, yet she tortures herself trying to act like one. Why?
For all anyone knows, she might be the very image of a reptilian goddess of beauty. She should be emphasizing whatever attributes a male of her species would appreciate, if she was interested in being attractive. All I can say is - she needs to get out more, with members of her own phylum.

Umm... she's well within her Phylum. I think you mean Class.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Sauria

Beyond that she seems to have some characteristics borrowed from several lizard Families, not to mention the humanoid ones, so I'm not going to try going any farther down the tree.

It's interesting to note that the reptiles are not a monophyletic clade, so you have the interesting problem of dealing with poorly thought out classifications. Crocodiles and alligators are actually more closely related to birds than they are to the other reptiles, for example.

Sharuuk wrote: Can't say that I actually "get" it either, and I totally agree with you.

I can get it, actually, because I can see an almost identical situation playing out in America today in all sorts of different ethnic cultures. Everyone tries to conform to the white standard of beauty. I mean, take a look at Tyra Banks, for instance. She's a black model, but she's also got some white heritage, and it shows. I doubt she would have become as big a model as she is if it hadn't been for that. And disregarding race altogether, let's not forget how many women there are out there who starve themselves half to death because they're not as thin as Actress A or Model B.

Just because there are others like you doesn't matter a whit when it seems like all the people who matter have decided that you're ugly.

Stoker Bramwell wrote: Just because there are others like you doesn't matter a whit when it seems like all the people who matter have decided that you're ugly.

To my knowledge, no-one has "decided" that Hortense is ugly. Just like she was trying to wear lingerie designed for mammals, and it didn't work, none of the girls could fit into anything of hers. And that doesn't make any of them "ugly" in the eyes of the others.

Shaaruuk