In an 1827 painting by Belgian artist Jean Henri de Coene, a man with rather fussy sideburns and a serious top hat is talking to a young, stone-faced woman carrying a large wicker basket on top of her head.
"I can see you're very busy," says the caption added by 2020 writer Nicole Tersigni, "but I just had to tell you that you'd be so much prettier if you smiled."
Tersigni started a Twitter thread last summer that went viral and drew famous fans like Alyssa Milano. By taking fine art paintings and adding funny comments, she spoke comedically for every woman who's ever been talked down to by a man.
Social media alone couldn't contain the laughs. Tersigni's new book, "Men to Avoid in Art and Life" ($14.95, Chronicle Books) is an expanded print version of her hilarious, sometimes saucy, dependably sharp tweets. In it, she devotes sections to five male archetypes: the Mansplainer, the Concern Troll, the Sexpert, the Comedian, and the Patronizer.
The book, which arrived this month, sold out within days at most online retailers and more copies from a second printing are expected in September (for now, check with local stores or online at Books-A-Million). In the media, "Men to Avoid in Art and Life" has been popping up everywhere, from the New York Times to the Guardian to Deadline Detroit and Michigan Radio's "Stateside" program.
We spoke to Tersigni — who's 33 and from Ferndale, Michigan — about life as the author of a print hit embraced by women and many enlightened men (actor Lou Diamond Phillips gave it a "brava!" blurb). And look for her at a virtual event on Oct. 6 with Pages Bookshop in Detroit.
QUESTION: You've said your viral tweets that led to the book were inspired by scrolling Twitter and seeing a man explaining a joke to a woman. How many times do you estimate that's happened to you in real life?
ANSWER: So many. Probably fewer times in real life than online. People feel online that they have easier access to us and can give us more of that unsolicited feedback and commentary. But it's definitely happened in real life. Too many times.
Q: Putting sarcastic captions on classic artwork is such a great idea. Have you done this sort of thing all your life?
A: No, I'm actually new to this. But it's obviously something that's been around forever...It's such a great combination, the old painting with the new, modern caption is so funny every time. It's such a great juxtaposition.
Q: What's your experience in comedy? Are you part of the Detroit improv comedy scene?
A: I'm not. I actually used to live in Chicago many, many, many years ago. I was a little bit part of that improv scene, in some troupes and performing a little bit. When we moved back to Detroit, I actually auditioned for Go Comedy!, which is the Ferndale improv place, and I got a call-back and it was great. But I absolutely bombed the call-back in a very hugely embarrassing way. I haven't been back to perform in a while, but I have gone and seen shows there.
Q: What was your reaction when your tweets first starting going viral? Did you notice right away or did their success sneak up on you?
A: It did get a lot of traction immediately...But it really took off after a couple of days and was being shared by celebrities and stuff. And that was very wild to me, very surprising. My husband was out of town and I was texting him, "Busy Philipps retweeted me! Elizabeth Banks! Oh my God!" It was very exciting.
Q: Who are some of your favorite women in comedy?
A: So many. Specifically I should mention Jen Kirkman. She has specials on Netflix. She's so, so funny. She wrote the foreward to my book, which was incredibly generous of her. She's hilarious and I absolutely love her.
Q: Are you feeling optimistic or pessimistic about feminism right now?
A: It feels a little bit like fighting against the tide constantly. .But I feel, overall, optimistic about it, because there are so many of us fighting for things. There is so much more access to each other. There are more conversations happening. We're sharing resources and information and stories. So that is very positive. (But) it absolutely does feel like an uphill battle a lot of the time.
Q: You have a 9-year-old daughter. What's your advice to her about things like mansplaining? Have you talked with her about it?
A: She read my book. (I've) tried to keep a dialogue going with her her whole life about the realities of the world and how you can get out of situations, how you can deal with them, how you have to constantly weigh your safety in every situation. Sometimes you can be in a situation where a man says something like that and you can react. You can tell him to mind his business or whatever. And other times, you're not going to have that safety to do that. ... We're trying to keep an open conversation going about it. It's tough.
Q: And your husband, did he laugh at the book?
A: Yes, my husband is so fantastic. He actually work-shopped a lot of the jokes with me. I would run all of them by him, to see what his reactions were. He would bounce ideas off me. He's the best. ... And what's been great is how positive the response has been from men. They love it. They're laughing about it. Even when they recognize themselves in it, it's in a way that's like, "Yep, that's me, I'm going to work on that.'" It's been wonderful.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
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