The Socially Awkward Deconstruction Of The Naughty Catholic School Girl
Most of us are familiar with the sexist stereotype of the Catholic School Girl, the most famous representations of which was portrayed by Britney Spears. The very same year in which the infamous music video was released another Catholic School girl was making her big screen debut.
Mary Katherine Gallagher was a character created and brought to life by Molly Shannon for Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001. The character was so popular that Mary even got her own film, “Superstar” (1999) which has since become a cult classic. Mary certainly does not match the naughty Catholic school girl stereotype that is often fetishized, but she is also not a complete angel either. In fact, she fits in a sort of strange grey area between these two extremes. Mary is a socially awkward, sexually frustrated loner who dreams of fame and becoming a “superstar”. She hikes up her kilt but wears “granny panties”, she knows how kiss like a moviestar despite the fact that she has only ever “made out” with a tree, and she always recites explicit TV movie monologues whenever she is in the confession booth. The entire plot of her feature film is about her not only trying to get famous, but kissing a boy. Although she is a practicing Catholic and attends church service, goes to confession, prays/believes in God, etc. she is still a horny, selfish teenager who will stop at nothing to get the fame she desires and the moviestar kiss that she wants.
What is most refreshing about Mary is not only how progressive her character is for female representation, but specifically women of religious faith. She constantly prays to God for fame, stardom, and “someone hot to makeout with” but when “He” (or a vision of Him created by her subconscious) comes to visit her, she is genuinely excited. In the film, Mary enters a talent show for the reason that the winner has a chance to be an extra in “a movie with positive moral values”. Mary doesn’t try to fit in or be popular, nor does she want to make friends; she is an independent woman with goals and no distractions. Though her desires, decisions, and dreams may not be completely complimentary to her faith, she is still a practicing Catholic woman as evident through her practice. Molly Shannon’s character pushed the boundaries of how modern women of faith could be portrayed in a lighthearted manner; no “bible thumping” required.
Did I mention she has a dance move called “Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost” ?!
