Old Ladies with Spunk – A Love Letter to Betty White

Dear Betty White,

I was not part of the Facebook campaign. I was not part of the movement that pushed you to a hosting gig on Saturday Day Live. Regrettably, being part of the ignorant and self-absorbed generation, I was not aware of your presence or your legacy until recent times. I have caught glimpses of you though - you were the scene stealer in The Proposal, you starred in that Super Bowl commercial which became a viral classic, and you popped up here or there with a guest role in numerous sitcoms. Of course, this was the same Betty White who starred in The Mary Tyler Show and The Golden Girls, so the comedy genre had always been your forte.

Dare I say that 2010 is the year of Betty White? Whether you are Hot in Cleveland, or dancing dirty with Jon Hamm during the Emmy Awards, or insulting Facebook users worldwide on Saturday Night Live, it is clear that the public loves your humour, the Internet admires your spunk, and the media just can’t get enough of you. You’re writing two memoirs. You have a saucy 2011 calendar coming out. You are probably getting movie offers and television guest gigs left and right. There is even a Betty White clothing line (of hoodies), I kid you not. At 88 years old, Betty White is not the first popular senior entertainer in the industry, but how many aging stars have been celebrated to this extent? We parade her from show to show, we laugh at her bawdy jokes, and we treasure her like she is America’s Sweetheart. The upsurge in her popularity is quite astonishing, since a celebrity past his or her prime tends to be overlooked until their sad but inevitable eulogy, followed by the in memoriam montage during awards shows. Fortunately, Betty White is still alive and kicking, and one can argue that the busy actress is still very much in her prime.

The Betty White mania does not seem to be slowing down any time soon. However, fame is fickle and fleeting; and like all popular icons, I have started to witness some backlash against Betty White. People are getting tired of her grinning mug, tired of her geriatric sex jokes, and tired of the relentlessness in promoting her across the media. In their opinion, she is overexposed, overrated, and overused. She is preferable in small doses - the one Saturday night hosting gig was a triumph for the Internet - but the naysayers are wondering when she will exit the stage and leave the limelight.

When will people get tired of Betty White?

Analysis

The appeal of Betty White is that she comes across as this sweet old lady who tells inappropriate jokes. As expected, most of her humour derives from her age. We laugh when Betty White makes lustful passes at younger men, because the prospect of romance is so obviously unrealistic that it becomes comedic. We laugh when Betty integrates hip lingo to fit in with the youth culture, because her attempts are so silly and so unexpected from a stereotypical old person. In a way, we find Betty White funny because she is fighting against the stereotypical expectations of how the elderly should behave. She is not demure, she is not loopy, and she is certainly not cranky. She does not 'act her age', so to speak.

Betty has a naturally sharp wit due to her years of experience as a comedic actress, which adds to her overall charm and likability. Her comedic timing is impeccable, and she knows how to deliver punch lines to land the most impact. Remember, this is the woman who called out Sarah Palin for exactly what she is during a Craig Ferguson interview. This is also the woman who cheekily said that Facebook sounds like "a huge waste of time", even though it was the very platform that revived her mainstream popularity. Like most comedians, Betty White’s brand of humour carries no genuine malice, but she is definitely capable of impish mischief. Betty didn’t suddenly become popular just because she is an old lady, but rather that she is an old lady who also has spunk.

Due to her sweet demeanour, many people associate Betty White as a grandmotherly figure, even though she has no children since her husband passed away nearly thirty years ago. Nonetheless, Betty White’s resemblance to your grandparent - except she’s much funnier - allowed her to close a wide generation gap. Young people can relate to her, but not completely so, which makes her a familiar and intriguing character at the same time. More importantly, Betty White is not just any old-fashioned grandmother who dwells in the past, but she is a modern version who can understand Justin Bieber, hip culture, and 'the Twitter'. It is to Betty’s credit that she remains fresh and relevant to our generation. Unfortunately, Betty White recently experienced some backlash due to the media overexposure. Everybody wants a piece of the most coveted talent and commodity, so she’s appearing everywhere in the entertainment industry - television, movies, and commercials. Believe it or not, some people are getting tired of Betty White. She plays the funny old lady very well, but it’s a fairly limited role without much versatility. She would still be a good novelty act if her shtick wasn’t overplayed so often. Even the surprise element of introducing Betty White to a creative medium hardly sounds original anymore. The irony is that Betty White has always been everywhere. She is a hardworking comedian with an extensive list of acting credits. Before her guest gigs on The Middle and Community, she already had Emmy nominations for Suddenly Susan and Yes, Dear. And before her roles in The Proposal and You Again, she already appeared in the big screen for Big Rain and Lake Placid. It’s not that Betty White came out of left field and turned into a star overnight. She had always been a star - you just didn’t notice her until now. She didn’t suddenly appear everywhere - you only weren’t paying attention until now. In fact, the Facebook campaign gained so much momentum because some observant fans recognized Betty White’s legacy in the entertainment industry. This actress is talented, hardworking, and perseverant. She always made the best out of her opportunities, even though they recently consisted of small roles in comedies here or there. The Saturday Night Live gig was not just her big break, but the entire campaign was a testimony and acknowledgment to her relentless acting efforts for over half a century. Betty White is not just any old lady with spunk - she is a seasoned actor with years of comedic experience. She is not just a sudden fad - she is a widely recognized talent. And even if she fades back to obscurity, which won’t happen any time soon, we are all fortunate to have experienced a little bit of Betty White in all our lives. At the age of 88, I admire the fact that she is still kicking ass. I love you, Betty White.