In the role of Mary Jensen, Diaz subverted the "dream girl" trope. Yes, she was the object of obsession for multiple men, but she wasn't a passive prize. She was weird, she was clumsy, and she possessed a relaxed attitude about sex and bodily fluids that was previously reserved for male characters in frat-house comedies.
The phrase "She's No Angel" was arguably cemented here. She wasn't afraid to look ridiculous. She wasn't afraid to be grotesque. By leaning into the "gross-out" humor of the late 90s, Diaz proved that a woman could be physically beautiful but spiritually feral. She signaled to the audience: I am not here to be placed on a pedestal. I am here to be real. While her contemporaries like Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock often played the "saveable" romantic lead, Diaz gravitated toward characters who were already broken, dangerous, or cynical.
The studio wanted another pretty face. They wanted an angel. Diaz, however, had other plans. If The Mask introduced her as a bombshell, 1998’s There’s Something About Mary annihilated that image with a single hair-gel gag. The Farrelly Brothers' comedy was a turning point not just for Diaz, but for women in comedy.
In the role of Mary Jensen, Diaz subverted the "dream girl" trope. Yes, she was the object of obsession for multiple men, but she wasn't a passive prize. She was weird, she was clumsy, and she possessed a relaxed attitude about sex and bodily fluids that was previously reserved for male characters in frat-house comedies.
The phrase "She's No Angel" was arguably cemented here. She wasn't afraid to look ridiculous. She wasn't afraid to be grotesque. By leaning into the "gross-out" humor of the late 90s, Diaz proved that a woman could be physically beautiful but spiritually feral. She signaled to the audience: I am not here to be placed on a pedestal. I am here to be real. While her contemporaries like Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock often played the "saveable" romantic lead, Diaz gravitated toward characters who were already broken, dangerous, or cynical.
The studio wanted another pretty face. They wanted an angel. Diaz, however, had other plans. If The Mask introduced her as a bombshell, 1998’s There’s Something About Mary annihilated that image with a single hair-gel gag. The Farrelly Brothers' comedy was a turning point not just for Diaz, but for women in comedy.
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