Jewish-American princess

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Jewish American Princess or JAP (not to be confused with the ethnic slur directed towards people of Japanese nationality) originally refers to Jewish women with privileged backgrounds in the United States. It can be taken and meant as an ethno-religious and/or sexist stereotype or slur.

The word characterizes a stereotype about young women who have been spoiled by material wealth and overbearing parenting to the point that they are self-absorbed, pampered, high-maintenance, whiny, materialistic, and snobby. Since the slur reflects a phenomenon that is not limited to Jewish families, it has also been extended to other ethnic groups. In the American Northeast, it is frequently used as a religiously neutral term to describe any affluent, free-spending suburban woman.

As with all stereotypes, this one is often the basis for a variety of jokes and contrived but humorous scenarios. Its factual basis seems to stem from the rapid rise to affluence of Jewish families that started out in tenements of New York City, moved to residential, urban neighborhoods in the city, and then to suburbs on Long Island, northern New Jersey, Philadelphia and elsewhere in the United States. The notion is that many who are raised in the affluent environments have lost any sense of continuity with their hardworking parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. To a lesser extent, the term has been co-opted by some Jewish women as a term of affection or identity.

[edit] Characterization in popular culture

Perhaps the most famous example of a Jewish-American Princess is the character of Brenda in the novella Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth, and the 1969 film of the same name, starring Ali MacGraw.
In 1979, Frank Zappa wrote and performed a song called Jewish Princess in his album Sheik Yerbouti, making fun of the stereotype. Subsequently, 2 Live Jews performed a song called "J.A.P. Rap" in their 1990 album As Kosher As They Wanna Be.
In 1980, Goldie Hawn portrayed Judy Benjamin in Private Benjamin. In the film, a spoiled rich girl joins the army after her marriage fails, finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected, and ultimately rises to the occasion.
The 1987 movie Spaceballs makes several references to this stereotype via Princess Vespa, their 'Druish Princess'.
The movie Clueless (Paramount, 1995), a derivation of Jane Austen's Emma characterizes a self-absorbed, affluent young woman vaguely identified to be of Jewish heritage.
In the TV Series Friends the character of Rachel Green as portrayed by Jennifer Aniston is television's most famous character to fit the Jewish-American Princess stereotype. From the first episode where she fled her impending nuptials to a dentist named Barry, to her nose job, to her job as a buyer for Bloomingdales to her spoiled, entitled, daddy's-girl personality, Rachel embraced every Jewish Princess stereotype. Interestingly she may not even be Jewish, Ross and Monica are the only chracters confirmed to be Jewish.
In the 2002 movie Igby Goes Down, Igby Slocumb, who is played by Kieran Culkin, describes facetiously his friend Sookie Sapperstein, who is played by Claire Danes, as a "JAP" in reference to her materialistic upbringing in New York.
The stage persona of Sarah Silverman is often interpreted as an over-the-top stereotypical Jewish-American Princess.
Gilda Radner's gum-cracking Rhonda Weiss character who promoted "Jewess" jeans in an advertising parody on SNL.
Jessica Stein the main character in the independent movie Kissing Jessica Stein is a typical exalmple of JAP representation in the industry.