Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

[chitowngirl]

Kimmy is adorable! She's so plucky, but not a pushover.

[chonies]

Doctor Found Dead Was Devastated by Martin Short Impersonation. I really don't have much else to say, other than I'm kind of surprised that Dr Frranf was less fictional than I thought. I don't know why, but it's my first reaction.

[Ladybug]

Oh my, how sad. I had no idea the character was based on a real person. this guy was not well known outside of rich and famous circles, why make fun of him in such a nasty way?

[Deleted]

Oh my god, this is horrifying.

[Carolina]

Apr 6, 2015 10:51:13 GMT -4 Ladybug said:

Oh my, how sad. I had no idea the character was based on a real person. this guy was not well known outside of rich and famous circles, why make fun of him in such a nasty way?

I wouldn't say that. Frederic Brandt is (was) a celebrity dermatologist with his own skincare line.  He's very much a name in the beauty industry and mentioned and interviewed in beauty mags pretty regularly, often accompanied by his picture. I've even seen him in tv interviews.  I knew exactly who was being parodied on the show. What happened is awful but I don't blame Tina and company for pointing out how messed up it is that a man with blatant body dysmorphia is telling women what cosmetic procedures they need.

[chonies]

I'd never heard of him, or he hadn't registered, until after I watched the series, but before he died. When I realized how close Dr Franf was to Dr Brandt (rhyming name, even) I thought it was kind of cheap or lazy writing, even though the point about Jacqueline's vanity was made well enough.

And "scream lines" is in my lexicon.

[kostgard]

I knew he was based on Brandt because I once researched some of his products to see if they were any good and ran across his picture. And I fully admit that his picture gave me pause about purchasing his products. When you put yourself out there (and he clearly did - his picture was everywhere associated with this brand/products) you need to know that people will judge you based on what you are selling and will judge your products based on you. If you are selling something appearance-related, people will judge your appearance. I really didn't want to buy skin care products from someone whose skin looked like it had been sand-blasted.

It is sad that he was dealing with depression and was hurt by Martin Short's character. That doesn't change. But I do get where the UKS folks were coming from.

[Martini Girl]

This is the man responsible for Madonna's face. He thought that looked good. Just sayin'

And his first approach to skincare seemed to be more is better. I feel for him and his family that he was devastated by the portrayal on UKS, but spoofing a person in jest is different than writing a scathing tell all about his (perceived) body dysmorphia. I don't think you can blame Tina and company for that. If just one dermatologist sees that portrayal and steps away from the injections etc.... the world will be a better place. (IMO)

[chonies]

I don't think UKS is really at fault in Dr Brandt's death. Leaving aside the social critique of self-perception and plastic surgery, my only real comment was really to remark that I've seen more creative masking of real people on various Law & Order episodes. I suppose that itself might be part of the joke, but it seemed somehow cheap or lazy.

[Deleted]

I believe in kindness and had actually stopped listening to Joan Rivers because of her unnecessary cruelty, but I don't think Tina or UKS bears any responsibility for his suicide. And, I agree with the show's criticism of him. That is great if he is/was a sweet, loving man, but the shit that he sells, i.e. an unattainable standard of beauty for women, should be criticized at every turn. Every woman I know has to fight against negative self-images (with regards to our looks) because we have been bombarded by these impossible standards of beauty our entire lives, and even though my friends and I are feminists, it is impossible to escape that indoctrination. People like this man, who profit from women's insecurities and propagate restrictive standards of beauty, need to be criticized, satirized, etc.

This is the man responsible for Madonna's face? I can only imagine how he viewed aging women.