Mayim Bialik’s Insult Comments Prove Big Bang Theory’s Worst Amy Crime

Mayim Bialik's confessions about the insulting comments she gets prove The Big Bang Theory's worst crime in depicting Amy Farrah Fowler.

Mayim Bialik’s Insult Comments Prove Big Bang Theory’s Worst Amy Crime

Mayim Bialik’s recent revelation about the insults she gets proves The Big Bang Theory‘s worst’s crime in depicting Amy Farrah Fowler. Introduced as the female version of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), the character debuted at the end of the nerd-centric sitcom’s third season. Since then, Amy became a series regular in The Big Bang Theory as she dated and eventually married the socially-inept genius.

Before joining The Big Bang Theory, Bialik already starred in her own sitcom called Blossom. The then-child star played the titular character in the NBC show that ran from 1991 to 1995, Blossom Russo. When the show wrapped, Bialik walked away from acting, became a private citizen, and focused on her studies. In 2000, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies from UCLA. She returned to showbusiness in 2005 before returning to school to pursue her doctorate in neuroscience, earning her Ph.D. degree in neuroscience in 2007. Like the actress, Amy is also a neuroscientist in The Big Bang Theory, with Bialik admitting that the only reason she took the gig was because of money.

In any case, starring in The Big Bang Theory provided Bialik a steady source of income for years and expanded her prominence considering its popularity. That being said, it also had its downside. Recently, Mayim Bialik revealed that she gets backhanded compliments about her looks, with people coming up to her surprised that she looks nicer than they thought. This particular image for her is somehow rooted in how the geek-centric sitcom depicted her. While Penny (Kaley Cuoco) was sexualized and objectified, Amy was presented as the stereotypical nerd. The sitcom made it worse by leaning on it, making her the less-than-attractive friend to the blonde bombshell that was Penny. In fact, the pair’s friendship mostly hinged on this dynamic.

Amy was The Big Bang Theory‘s quintessential female nerd and her appearance reflected that. Interestingly, even though the show had four male geek characters, they were never subjected to the same treatment. Granted that all of them had their respective quirky sartorial choices, no one was dressed as a stereotypical nerd. Instead, their clothes were mostly a representation of their nerd choices or even personalities. For example, Sheldon regularly wore superhero shirts, particularly the Flash, while Raj (Kunal Nayyar) sported several layers of clothes, despite being in California, to emphasize that he was from the more humid India. In The Big Bang Theory series finale, the show even made a huge fuss over Amy’s make-over — something that his own husband didn’t like at first.

It is no secret that The Big Bang Theory‘s brand of humor is problematic — especially during its earlier years. Since it ended, Cuoco has opened up about Penny being sexualized and it wasn’t until she gained the courage to speak up that the depiction of the character changed. While Bialik didn’t directly mention the nerd-centric sitcom in her latest comment, considering how Amy was presented in it, it’s safe to say that her stint in the show helped create this false narrative about her.