Gender Representation on The League

            In a society where the ideology of patriarchy can still be seen far and wide, from television shows to TV and print advertisement, I appreciate when a program does more with a female character than stick her in a typical stereotyped feminine role of raising children and housekeeper. This is the exact reason that Jenny, a female character from “The League”, an FX sitcom, is one of my favorite female roles on television right now. Not only does her character represent the idea of anti-patriarchy and the opposite of stereotypical femininity, the show also developed her character in a way revealing of the difficulty in male-dominated society to break from those stereotypes and simply fit in with “the guys.”

            One aspect of Jenny’s character that the show did well was show that her interest in football was not one developed to fit in with her husband, Kevin, and his all-male group of friends; fantasy football was an actual interest of hers and one that she had to prove to the guys before finally being accepted into the league. Football was not an interest she developed because she felt left out of their shenanigans, it was an interest developed before her marriage. Long before she was accepted into the league, Kevin often came to her for advice illustrating their shared interest and his trust in his wife’s knowledge and ability in the usually stigmatized male sport of football. Unfortunately, Jenny had to prove herself to the guys before she could be accepted into the group as the other men vowed to keep it an “all-male sanctuary” free from wives who nag and lack a “real” understanding of football.  

            Eventually, in season two after being passed up for membership in the league for a male counterpart, Jenny finally gets her opportunity to participate in the formerly exclusive male only group. She has to prove herself further through her skills and ability to handle the crudeness of characters Ruxin and Pete, but she has little issues fitting in with them through her language and actions. Sometimes, she even manages to come off even more vulgar than the shows main character that one could argue has the least redeemable qualities, Ruxin. This was illustrated in the episode where Jenny is getting some heat at her daughter’s school because she began modeling her mother’s sometimes crude swearing tendencies. The group often exchanges video messages to talk smack to one another and one of these videos surfaces causing the teacher to instantly realize exactly where the daughter is picking up the troublesome behavior. In the video aimed at fantasy opponent Pete, Jenny says,

“This message is for Pete the crown prince of douchecockery. I’m here to let you know that this week I'm going to obliterate you. I’m going to take my metaphorical dick and I’m going to shove it so far up your metaphorical vagina and then I’m going to take a go at your very real ass hole. I’m super excited about it, so have a great week jackass. – Jenny” (“Kegel the Elf”, Season 2, 9 Dec. 2010).

This is the one of the examples in the show of Jenny’s “un-ladylike” behavior that illustrates how she fits in with the guys and why; however, in this episode, Jenny also re-evaluates her role as a mother versus her role in the league. Because of her daughter’s behavior, Jenny worries that her duties as a mother are being neglected by her time spent focused on fantasy football. By doing this, the series is showing Jenny’s pressures to act in one role while still trying to maintain her commitment to another. As a female with a daughter, her job is to set a good example and devote her time to her child, but this episode shows the inner-conflict as a women and mother because Jenny also enjoys the league and interacting like one of the guys.

 

            The League also offers the audience a means of comparison between two of the main female characters on the show. Ruxin and his wife, Sophia, present a kind of opposite representation of Kevin and Jenny because he views his wife as more of a trophy and prize that he is constantly calling too hot for him, and she in turn, takes little interest in fantasy football or their league. On the other hand, Jenny is presented as a strong female character not simply seen as a “hot” trophy wife; she is seen as intelligent, flawed, and somewhat masculine because of her incessant swearing and ability to “think like a man.” Unlike Sophia, Jenny and Kevin have a shared interest that allows her to act outside of the typical wife and mother role often portrayed on television. She is feisty, scheming, and often times has to tell Kevin to put his big boy pants on because her role in their marriage and the league is one that screams anything these men can do, she can do them one better. She asks for no special treatment in being a women and in turn, the men in the group treat her like one of the guys. By presenting this point of comparison, the show is creating a more realistic representation because it is recognizing its flaws and short-comings at the same time. The League offers two different representations of female characters; therefore, two different means of interpretation.   

            Throughout television history, some shows have attempted to change the conventional gender representations on shows, from Roseanne to Grey’s Anatomy. Today, women are still vastly under represented on television and a lot of times are portrayed as unemployed and struggling, but The League offers us a fresh interpretation in Jenny’s character. She is a successful women in her career and questions the traditional role of a polite, sensitive, and quiet feminine woman. Jenny’s character, while unpolished at times, is where I hope the representation of women is headed because we need more strong female characters like her on television.