I've got to say that these statistics actually surprised me. I started to think about the television shows that I watched growing up, and I could remember plenty of prominent female characters. However, now that I actually think about it, they weren't prominent at all. The females in mostly all sitcoms are either the wife, daughter, or sister of the main men characters (i.e. Full House - the only females are the children and Uncle Jesse's wife, Becky). And then I started thinking about one of my favorite TV shows growing up - Saved by the Bell. At first I thought, "well at least there were 3 males and 3 females." But then I started thinking a bit more about the roles of those females, and I got sort of discouraged.
First there was Kelly Kapowski, who I desperately tried to identify myself with as a child. She was the most beautiful girl at Bayside, a cheerleader and homecoming queen, and more importantly she was the love interest of Zack Morris. Unfortunately, Kelly's character had little to no actual substance. The audience rarely saw a deeper side to Kelly. The closest we got to actually knowing Kelly was when she had an affair with her older, male boss, yet that just furthered her role as the show's sex symbol. 
Then there was Lisa Turtle. Lisa portrayed another stereotype of females. She was the snobbish, materialistic diva. In pretty much every episode Lisa made at least once reference to shopping. She gives the impression that nothing else matters...certainly not the education she was receiving at Bayside. Instead, being beautiful and trendy was her calling in life.
And then there was Jessie Spano. Finally, a feminist character who we can all look up to, right?! Not quite. Yes, Jessie was certainly portrayed as an intelligent, strong-willed female. Yet she was also portrayed as being bossy, stuck-up, and downright crazy at times. Her intelligence and strength as a female was made fun of about 99% of the time. She was the bitch of the show who bossed around her boyfriend AC Slater. She often used the term "sexist pig," in fact. Of course, when push came to shove, he was the only one who could tame her and help her revert back to her "feminine" side.
Talk about a wake-up call! The female stereotypes on Saved by the Bell couldn't be any more blatant, actually. But I've gotta say, it did make the show pretty interesting. However, the fact that I never really picked up on these stereotypes and actually thought that they were normal goes to show just how much these gender-roles are engrained in our minds...especially when we're young. It also shows that it's not just the amount of females present on TV or film that require our attention, but the personality and role that the character is given. Gauntlett points out that things are beginning to progress in this area, such as with Ugly Betty and Charlie's Angels. However I don't think that stereotypes of females are ever going to completely disappear.
3 comments:
Whenever a man says anything sexist about a woman, the audience reaction is "oooo" he crossed the line. But when a woman says something sexist about a man or slaps him, the audience reaction is laughter and cheers. This is showing people at a young age that violence against men is supposed to be perfectly fine and even funny and that women are always good and men are always bad. And that's bull.
I came across this really great assessment, while watching Saved by the Bell (SBTB), thinking about gender relations, and finally Googling "saved by the bell and gender relations" (sans quotation marks). The episode which finished up a few minutes ago, was about an attractive substitute teacher, who is a man, coming to Bayside High, and how "the girls" became obsessed with him, envisioned marriage (with dresses and everything), and then competed for his attention.
It was really cheesy, which made it funny, but at the same time kinda sad, considering the popularity of the program, and what it tells young men and women about what is "natural" and "normal" in terms of gender relations.
In regard to the comment written by Vinny, asserting the idea of some kind of reverse sexism, it is important to note that though it is correct that violence or discrimination toward anyone is not acceptable at all, in order to make the argument intimated to in the comment credible, in the very least, it cannot be assumed that there are conditions of gender equality, in which power relationships involving gender are even-handed.
You must note that on a whole, men have occupied more powerful positions, or have been more empowered in societies across the planet than women(in this instance, we should be largely thinking about northern North America), and then set out what you mean in a nuanced fashion, explaining that representations of such interactions between men and women, limits our understanding of gender and domestic violence, or whatever you are trying to say.
This must be done, no matter how empowered you do or do not feel in everyday life, regarding social relations, gender or otherwise.
The point here, is that men on a whole are not victims. Men are certainly more powerful across the board regarding social relations. This is largely due to cultures of male (and race-based) privilege.
Unfortunately, this sense of victimization plays a large part in some serious problems involving gender and race relations. Many men feel no sense of power in everyday life. For many men identified as or identifying with a marginalized group (in relation to gender, race, class, or sexuality), discouragement is an everyday reality, making gender relations tough enough.
However, for white men, there is something more specific going on, which is probably in large part due to deteriorating economic conditions, and changing social conditions, bringing women and racial/ethnic minorities into the competitive field for scarce jobs, which were in the past reserved for white men, providing stability, and encouraging traditional hegemonic masculinity, while preserving the cultural dominance of the nuclear family.
This certainly plays a role in exacerbating problems in the private (personal) and public lives of white men in relation to gender, power, race, and masculinity. So, in the end, it is easy to feel like a victim, turn against the most immediate, perceived source of one's woes (women and racial/ethnic minorities), and neglect to recognize commonality.
Most commonplace, and additionally most noteworthy of these endeavors to manage boxing were the Marquess of Queensberry rules, which in addition to other things determined that battle matches comprise of three-minute adjusts, each isolated by one-minute breaks.
Over the span of a cycle, a boxer who gets a knockout blow is said to be out like a light. On the off chance that the contender can't recapture his balance amid the check, which keeps going 10 seconds, he or she is proclaimed "out" by the arbitrator, thereby losing the match.
Be that as it may, if the ringside bell flagging the finish of the round sounds previously the tally is finished, the contender is said to be saved by the bell meaning.
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