'Precarious Girl'

Furthermore, the association of ‘precarious girl comedy’ with Fleabag and her characterisation is a reflection of a society uncomfortable with female hypersexuality in relation to emotional confusion. When Wanzo labels Fleabag as ‘precarious’, a word meaning ‘unstable, uncertain, unsafe’, it strips Fleabag of her legitimacy. Her intelligently crafted monologue fails to be taken seriously, as the word ‘precarious’ undermines not only her beliefs, but her experience and her ability to process her emotions through an intellectual lens. Dove-Viebahn puts it far more eloquently that ‘Fleabag’s refusal to conform even to viewers’ expectations of her performance instead embodies a resistant femme subjectivity’ (2023). Fleabag not being taken seriously is a reflection of the discomfort towards an open discussion about sex and feminism. She is belittled because she is a woman, rather than a person.