T.V Show Analysis Essay Essays - Gender Studies, Social Status

T.V Show Analysis Essay Gender roles have long been prevalent in society, whether due to inherent nature or adaptation. In "That 70's show", we're introduced to a comedy induced series revolving around the lives of a group of mischievous teenagers. Through their daily routines and blunders, the gender roles that exist between individuals within the circle of friends become more apparent. As men and women have traditionally been privy to different expectations and circumstances throughout civilization, "That 70's show" further highlights the complexity of these dynamics, and how gender roles between men and women can differ and sometimes be reversed. "That 70's show" highlights traditional themes of sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and longing for beauty for females, and the obliviousness that comes with a male's lack of attentiveness, as well as need to be the provider. In the first episode I've chosen, Jackie portrays the first theme of sensitivity, and the emotional state of being most women tend to find themselves in. By detailing her array of emotions to the rest of the group, she meets the stereotype of females being more emotional and sensitive than their male counterparts. This crush that Jackie has on Fez also further highlights another aspect of the female gender role, beauty. Often throughout the episode, Jackie is seen trying to pamper up before Fez walks in the room to attract his attention to possibly mate. This dynamic of gender roles dates to the time of cavemen, in which women were often expected to find ways to attract the attention of males that they wanted to take interest in them. On the other side of the gender role spectrum, men are conditioned to not be as in tune with their inner inhibitions/emotions, because that action is deemed a female trait. For example, Fez is oblivious to Jackies signals, since men are taught to to ign ore tribal matters such as love, along with their feelings to not be categorized "soft". This also adds to the common stereotype that male lack attentiveness more often than women. In the second episode I chose, Red (Kelsos father) retires from his job. As a male, Red was accustomed to working and providing for the family. His wife (Forman) primarily preformed housekeeping duties as a stay at home mom, which included cooking, cleaning, and maintaining tidiness of the house. Most episodes of the series show Red returning home from work, and sitting on the couch to wind down from his tiresome work schedule, waiting for food and refreshment to be brought out by his wife. This dynamic of gender roles highlights the expectation of the woman to always serve the man of the house, and to accommodate his needs. However, once Red retires, he's forced to embrace the female gender role and help his wife around the house. As the main breadwinner of the family, Red is not used to a lot of housekeeping. This reversal of gender roles further highlights Reds inability to meet the sufficiency of what he has been expecting of his wife years leading up to his retirement, and makes for dramatic irony when he commits mistakes and blunders. This reversal of gender roles also allows Forman to criticize Red for his mistakes, and to assume the position of the enforcer and regulator that Red once held as a grumpy husband. By highlighting Reds mistakes during trying to manage housekeeping, the director of the show draws parallels between how men and women are both expected to meet each other halfway, and provide for the other what one is missing to sustain a livable environment. it also confirms that men struggle carrying out the expectations that face women, because Red is almost completely incapable of cooking, cleaning, or even correctly separating white clothes from colored clothes in laundry. Gender roles have been transparent in civilization since the beginning of time. Among many of these, the most commonly reiterated one seems to be that the woman must be subservient to the man. The stereotypes discussed In Signorelli's article conform to such gender roles, some of which are blatant misconceptions. In her article, she states that, "women are more likely to be spending their time dating while men are seen as working towards their success"