LAUSR

ABSTRACT This article uses Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to argue in favour of abandoning the “JAP” as the primary archetype for Jewish women. By looking at both Rebecca and her mother Naomi the article pushes us to rethink our continuing to call Rebecca a modern or contemporary JAP, and instead to see her as something new, which this essay labels the MAAW, the Modern Ashkenazi-American Woman. Rather than continuing to rethink the JAP for every new generation, perhaps it is time to retire the archetype and admit that it made sense in a mid-twentieth century context, but does not any longer. By analyzing not only the way Rebecca presents herself in the “JAP Battle” rap, but also the way Naomi is an extremely good example of the classical JAP character, this essay suggests allowing the JAPs to continue to age and fade away, after which we can dispose of the type and move on to something more dynamic and less fraught.