Whitney Cummings wants you to be nice to Lana Del Rey

Photo courtesy of ComedyCentral.com.

The most hated woman on television (well, besides Nancy Grace) is defending the most hated woman in music on the basis that people shouldn't say unkind things about the hot, talentless girls who are just trying to entertain us.

“I’m not saying support bad music or that she deserved to be there or anything—not my call,” Cummings wrote, but continued that she feels everyone should “cut some slack” not only because Lana Del Rey is a performer and “performing is FUCKING HARD,” but also because Lana Del Rey is a woman, and women are judged according to the sort of sexist standards and well-worn clichés that form the basis of certain entire sitcoms. “If you’re a pretty woman you’re accused of having plastic surgery and if you’re not you’re ‘busted’ and people blog about how they don’t want to fuck you ... it’s not ideal,” Cummings says, the ellipsis signaling a 30-second pause for the laugh track. Cummings then adds, “Something about this girl brings out the petty in us. Her quick rise? Her pretty face? Something is pissing people off about this girl”—still talking about Lana Del Rey and definitely not projecting.

In fact, Cummings sees this as a learning experience, one that serendipitously could be applied to all performers who might have been on the receiving end of ridicule just for being a pretty girl whose sudden stardom is inversely proportional to her actual talents, whoever they might be. “I just think whether someone sucks or someone doesn’t we should be kinder to them,” Cummings says (most likely intending to insert the word “mean” in there and also “shouldn’t,” corrections we offer in the spirit of kindness). “I think we should be encouraging and patient,” she concludes. (via The AV Club)

This anecdote is a great illustration of the major reason that Cummings drives me insane. She constantly falls back on accusations of sexism in an attempt to silence her critics, because apparently the only explanation for disliking Cummings or Del Rey is sexism. Worse than that, though, is the narrative that she spins about the difficulties of getting taken seriously as an attractive girl in the entertainment industry. Making these claims really just demonstrates that Cummings can't take criticism. So Whitney, know this: if your show gets cancelled, it is not because you are pretty. It is because your show is terrible, and because NBC finally came to their senses and replaced you with Community. #SixSeasonsAndAMovie!