The Little Couple: Uncovering Gender and Race Stereotypes

"Spending Time With Will" - Episode (Watch)

            T.V. has been criticized for the gender and racial stereotypes that it produces and reflects on, for many years. It is interesting how these gender and race stereotypes have changed in society, yet are still the base of many television shows. In the show “The Little Couple” on TLC, I noticed how they tried challenging some typical gender stereotypes, yet failed and reinforced them. The same happened when they introduced a new race to the family through their adoptive child. Do shows actually reinforce gender and race stereotypes when they try too hard to tell the public that they aren’t being racist or sexist? Is this dangerous since the public is oblivious to the racism and sexism portrayed? 

 In “The Little Couple”, the couple had recently gone to China to pickup their adoptive child, who also has Dwarfism. They made the decision to adopt after they had many failed attempts to get pregnant. The fact that they adopted a child from China brings up an interesting concept of race and how it may be portrayed. The show could intend to show a generous couple making a good dead while going through a struggle, this could also be represented as a wealthy white couple helping a foreign poor child, while they get something out of it. This concept reminds me of “The Blind Side”, where a poor African-American is adopted and taken out of poverty and made into a famous football player. Many of these stories use Pathos to engage people in the story. Yet many of the race and power stereotypes can be interpreted differently. In the journal, "The 'Other' Laughs Back: Humor And Resistance In Anti-Racist Comedy," Weaver talks about the issue of reverse racism in the form of comedy. This could be relevant because it is taking something that is supposed to make the public laugh in a positive way, but may still produce an unknown normativity of racist thoughts.

The show “The Little Couple” seems to be an innocent show that portrays family struggles. In the episode, “Spending Time with Will,” the family takes Will to the grocery for the first time. During this episode, they also tried showing how caring and concerned Will’s parents were with him, and how they wanted to adapt him to the American culture without giving him a culture-shock experience. When analyzing it through a different perspective, we see that the mom emphasized many Chinese stereotypes. She makes comments on how Will can’t only eat rice, or questions if it is “safe” for him to eat certain foods. She looks at the Asian culture as something exotic and completely different. She also makes a lot of weird comments on how there are no groceries stores in China.

This episode was also mostly about the dad playing with the boy and the mom cooking. Through out the scene, the characters stated many times that the dad would usually be helping in the kitchen also, but that the dad was playing with Will, so he couldn’t help. Then he also made a comment about how the food was actually good and that his wife didn’t burn anything. These things were said to try to cover up the fact that there were traditional gender roles being played out. This would have been unnoticeable to a typical viewer, but I believe that by them stating it throughout the scene it makes it look like they are playing stereotypical gender roles and that there is a level of sexism. The men were playing with toy cars and were wrestling on the floor, while the woman was cooking food and making the grocery list. The husband also stated that she would be the one taking care of sinning him up for school and all of the logistics like that. This could be another way of showing sexism bluntly but subtlety. In “The Subtleties of Blatant Sexism” they argue that “provides viewers with rhetorical resources to imagine their view in practices as an act of protest against an imagined dominant female authority, and that those resources potentially allow viewers to accept the sexism of the program at face value. This is a dangerous concept, like hidden racism, because viewers don’t think about the subtle messages the show presents.

            It is interesting to see how channels like TLC try to show a diverse range of shows, yet try to adapt to a conservative side of society. Even though shows like, “The Little Couple” try to present themselves as modern and liberal, they still stick to many of the stereotypical foundations. “The Little Couple” is a show that one might find enjoyable because of how emotional it is, and how easily it is to share feelings with the characters. What we overlook is the amount of hidden racism and sexism that innocent shows subtlety show. This could be very dangerous because the viewers think positively of the show and may take it as a role model show rather than think about it critically. Do you know any shows that might have hidden racism or sexism? Is it inevitable?

"Bill and Jen's Excellent Adventure: From TLC to Oprah and Beyond: Bios: TLC." TLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

"How We Got On TV: Little Couple: TLC." TLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

Johnson, Ann. "The Subtleties of Blatant Sexism." Communication Critical/ Cultural Studies (2007): n. pag. Web.

"The Little Couple Unite with Their New Daughter." PEOPLE.com. N.p., 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

"TLC's 'Little Couple' Defends Their Double Adoption." Wetpaint. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

Weaver, Simon. "The 'Other' Laughs Back: Humor And Resistance In Anti-Racist Comedy." Sociology 44.1 (2010): 31-48. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Super Fun Night & Representations of Fatness (originally published in Little Village Magazine)

Disclaimers:

*I did not include full citations, but YOU NEED TO!

*This piece also lacks a strong thesis statement, but yours should have one

ABC’s Super Fun Night features Rebel Wilson as awkward, yet successful, New York City lawyer Kimmie Boubier (yes, it is a boob joke, pronounced like “boobie-yay!”). Together with her also awkward roommates, Marika (Lauren Ash) and Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira), Kimmie decides that instead of staying home every Friday night like they have for over a decade, they are going to go out in the world and find some fun. As Kimmie puts it, “We’re never gonna bust out of our cocoons if we don’t put our busts out there!”

As an Australian comedian, Wilson is probably best known in the U.S. for her role as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect (2012) or as Kristen Wiig’s crazy roommate, Brynn, in Bridesmaids (2011). Her unique style of self-deprecating humor, and the fact that she both created and stars in this Conan O’Brien produced show, helped generate a lot of early buzz for Super Fun Night; however, upon release of the pilot screeners, the critical excitement quickly turned into critical aversion. The reason for the unenthusiastic response: too many fat jokes.

Kevin Fallon wrote for The Daily Beast, “... the frequency of the weight-related punchlines, not to mention the droll way in which Wilson delivers them, ends up being depressing.” Similarly, Lily Rothman notes in her review for Entertainment Weekly, “Wilson has burdened [her character] Kimmie Boubier with constant tiresome references to her less-than-perfect physique.”

These responses, plus the original pilot teaser with its relentless body-shaming and scenes of social rejection, pretty much convinced me I was going to hate this show as well. But then something weird happened. When I watched the revised pilot, I actually liked it.

Yes, fat humor can be a sign of lazy writing. This is exemplified by CBS's Mike and Molly, where the two main characters, played by Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell, often embody fat stereotypes and humor constantly revolves around dieting and overeating. Shows like The Honeymooners, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of Queens, Fat Actress and The Drew Carey Show are also guilty of using easy fat guy/girl jokes.

But does it always have to be offensive and perpetuating of negative stereotypes about weight or physical appearance? No.

One joke depicts Wilson running down the hallway of her office, warranting a colleague to call out, “Boubier, what’s the rush?” She responds, “Gary just tweeted that there are jelly donuts in the break room.” This exchange clearly taps into stereotypes concerning the amount and types of foods that fat individuals eat. However, when the thin colleague expresses an equal amount of excitement over the donut rumor and rushes out of the office with her, this scene not only shows that the love for donuts transcends all body types, it also doesn't shy away from embracing the idea that, regardless of body size or gender, people can and should be able to enjoy eating whatever they want. Maybe I am giving this scene a generous read, but I am so sick of television shows, films and advertisements trying to convince women, in particular, that salads are fun and inspiring of smiles.

Still, there are some off-hand remarks by other characters that do come across as lazy fat jokes and that encourage viewers to laugh at Kimmie because of her size instead of the silly situations in which she finds herself. For instance, a fellow lawyer tries to explain how Kimmie may be involved in a secret romance by saying, “You get a big one on the leash, you wanna keep it on the DL,” implying that anyone dating Kimmie would or should be embarrassed because of her size. Later, Kendall, Kimmie's nemesis and the show's mean girl says, “You have the heart of a lion, and the body of a much much larger lion.” Unfortunately, neither of these lines are particularly funny, and when you combine them with repeated Spanx jokes I can see why viewers or critics may take offense.

The Spanx jokes, to me, seem to make more fun of Spanx themselves as opposed to Kimmie's body wearing them. An opening scene involves a sight gag in which an elevator door closes, tearing off Kimmie's dress to reveal her beige Spanx. When Kimmie's love interest returns to find her in a state of partial undress, she takes a sip of her smoothie and grins with an expression that simultaneously conveys embarrassment and a kind of an endearing, clumsy coolness. The Spanx exposure and her reaction to the situation are the source of humor, not her body.

Another Spanx joke marks Kimmie's exit from a piano bar later in the night, she says “Well, I’m gonna go now before my boob sweat seeps into my Spanx.” And finally, a montage at the end of the episode shows Kimmie dancing around her apartment, straining to get her Spanx on. Again, this could be read less as pointing out the incompatibility of her fat body and Spanx, and more as exposing the futility and silliness of anyone wearing Spanx in the first place. Aren't all our bodies sweaty, less-than-perfect and often sources of both embarrassment and humor?

Ultimately, there are elements of the show where it is clear that Rebel Wilson is making light of her size and showing that fatness itself isn't always as serious as the “obesity epidemic” context may frame it to be. She generally seems to accept her body, and if the show continues, I think it has the potential to be one of the few that promotes body acceptance--assuming it doesn't veer off into overeaters anonymous territory or switch to an endless string of failed diet jokes. 

While it’s nice to see critics being sensitive to fat jokes, especially considering the fact that they’ve long been an easy and offensive source of comedy that may perpetuate size discrimination and fat stigma more broadly, I wonder what the difference is between Kimmie in Super Fun Night and Rebel Wilson’s other characters, or even the physical humor of male comedians like Chris Farley or John Candy, that inspires such sensitivity to this show. If you are going to hate the show, don't hate it because of its focus on fat just yet. Hate it because it has thus far only succeeded at proving itself better than the series premiere of Dads.

Feminism in "One Tree Hill"

Feminism in “One Tree Hill” For a solid nine seasons One Tree Hill has captured the hearts of many and created interesting gender role reversals in order for the female cast members to be more than objectified eye candy for audiences. Throughout a variety of episodes that were aired of One Tree Hill the male characters on the show were used as the fetishized objects and sometimes even played the more sensitive “feminine” personalities. I feel that this was the smartest way for producers to reach their target audience which was teenage girls to young female adults because it gave them Mr. Sensitive to latch on to and begin to link emotions with characters other than females. One Tree Hill is a drama filled soap-like television show that the CW aired in 2003. There were plenty of ups and downs, twists and turns that occurred during the duration of the show, but it found a way to play around with various ideologies and social perceptions of women on television. The reoccurring issue that surrounds this teenage drama is the blossoming relationship between two half-brothers over the course of time and the role their father plays in each of their lives. According to a previously written blog Dan Scott (father of Lucas and Nathan,) bending of hegemony is seen when Dan takes on the role as the mother of the house where he cooks, cleans, and coaches Nathan basketball. When looking at Dan’s role of attempting to portray both of the idealistic genders is it seen to be “normal” for him to be doing all of the duties but it isn’t seen as being “very ladylike” and it contradicts the gender identities. (CW Television Network) Although Dan is the primary antagonist in the show who can also be seen to other characters in the show as hyper-masculine, his “mother-like” role in Nathan’s life says a lot about his developing character over the seasons. For someone who is so evil for a majority of the show, overtime he grows to be more sensitive, caring and ultimately viewed to feminists as not normal because it is going against socially constructed ideologies of single parent roles. In addition to Dan’s “mother-like” role, something else that One Tree Hill exemplifies is role reversal. Rather than the women always illustrated on screen as “objectified sexual playthings,” (Kubicek) the male characters have the tendency to be half-naked, bid on, or making money through a strip tease performance. In other words, One Tree Hill shines as a beacon of feminism in an otherwise male-dominated society. It might seem odd, but looking back at the history of the series; it’s always been a place where it’s the male stars that are made into sexual objects.(Kubicek) Some examples that created a few good laughs for One Tree Hill viewers was the unforgettable episode in which the male basketball players of the Tree Hill Ravens were to “do their thing” down the runway, most of which consisted of James Lafferty’s and Chad Michael Murray’s along with other teammates stripping off clothes for the highest lady bidders to buy a date with one of the guys for the night. Interesting, the women are the ones throwing down the bills and in control this time, (no oppositions there.) But hey what hormonally crazed adolescent female doesn’t like a James Lafferty or Chad Michael Murray parading around barely clothed shaking their money maker? Obviously, a Haley James Scott (Nathan’s wife,) who becomes a pop sensation and later a school teacher, a Brooke Davis (Lucas’ ex girlfriend,) who successfully creates her own fashion line, and a Peyton Sawyer (Lucas’ wife,) who eventually owns her own record label. These three women are the main female dominant characters in One Tree Hill, but are portrayed as hard working, determined, self sufficient women who overcome many trials and tribulations over the course of the show. Overall, there are always going to be opposing opinions when it comes to the correct portrayal of women on television, but as far as One Tree Hill I think that it does an exceptional job at least when it comes to the women of the show not always being the central point of sexuality and completely dependent on a male for happiness and stability. Also, along with Haley, Brooke and Peyton, I would like to bring attention to Karen who is Lucas’ mother. At a young age Karen was left by Dan to be a single parent to Lucas, aside from the struggles of raising a child alone, Karen opened her own café and managed to give Lucas a stable home to grow up in. This furthers how One Tree Hill does not just reverse the roles of parenting but also portrays how the women of the show can overcome adversity and can provide themselves happiness on their own. Though many shows on television today are trying to differ themselves from others, or break socially constructed ideas of gender, One Tree Hill was able to reach their target through the use of feminism to appeal to the female target audience in a positive manner. Works Cited CW Television Network. One Tree Hill. February 6, 2012, Retrieved from:http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=lucas,+nathan+and+dan+scott&um=1&hl=en&bi Kubicek, John. "'One Tree Hill' Aftergasm: Feminism and Half-Naked Men." 'One Tree Hill' Aftergasm: Feminism and Half-Naked Men. BuddyTV, 3 Feb. 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

PLL Tradition"A"l or Not?

Tradition”A”l  or not?

Now a days television shows constantly challenge past issues, whether they be gender issues, class issues, or social issues, television shows are pressing towards new limits. ABC Family’s hit television show Pretty Little Liars is one of these shows that appears to be challenging these traditional issues. At first glance one might see all the examples pressing these issues, but once you dig down into the foundation of the show you will find something exactly opposite.

In traditional television shows the construction of the family is rooted in traditional viewpoints, such as a father mother household where the father works and provides for the family and the mother is a stay at home housewife and cares for the children. Normally in this type of family structure the father is the one with the power and control. Traditionally the kids in the household usually have friends their own age and don’t interact as much with kids of different age groups. If the television show depicts a traditional relationship between the children such as boyfriend girlfriend they are almost always the same age and/or gender.

Ezra and Aria’s relationship definitely goes against traditional age views, considering Ezra is Arias high school teacher. Not only is this illegal, it is definitely not something many people want to promote. Because of this taboo relationship, the scene setting usually takes place in private and in secrecy. This series often shows them in their relationship and makes the viewer understand and root for their relationship to last through all the ups and downs. Some of these ups include the support of her friends and romantic tactics of Ezra, while the downs include the lack of support from Aria’s parents and the other school administration who catch wind of their relationship.

Emily’s relationship tackles a whole different traditional view on gender based relationships. Being a lesbian in the television series, Emily faces many hard times early on in the series when going public with her views. However, unlike Aria and Ezra’s relationship, Emily’s is not illegal. That does not mean to say that she faces any less prejudice along the way. Same sex relationships are a newer revolution within television, and are becoming more popular among modern television shows and movies. Who knows, in the future they might even consider this type of relationship as traditional.

                The traditional family structure is also challenged by Hannah and her mother. Hannah’s mother is a working single mom who raised Hannah all by herself all doing so while having a successful career. This is also becoming more and more common in today’s society and breaking the traditional barriers, however “traditional” movies still have a father and mother figure being casted.

                Along with Hannah’s mom, Spencer’s mom is also successful. Even though Spencer’s mom is still married she is a successful lawyer and juggles managing a family and having a busy and successful career. Even though in the real world it isn’t considered abnormal for mothers to be out working and having full time careers along with raising families, in television the women are still assumed to be housewives, cooking and taking care of the children.

Throughout the series the viewers have this understanding and view that Pretty Little Liars is a television series that has no boundaries and challenges almost every traditional view and stereotype in television. But when you take a closer look, underlying in the foundation of the show, Pretty Little Liars is based on a traditional mindset.  Throughout the series the four girls try to find the killer of their best friend Allison, who they presume is this anonymous person who texts using a signature of “A”. As the show goes along they find out that one of Hannah’s good friends, Mona, is in fact “A”. Or is she? Then later in the series Mona tells the girls that she has been working for someone called “Redcoat”. They find out that “Redcoat” is in fact CeCe Drake. And of course when you think it is all said and done they find out that CeCe is working for the person in charge of the whole thing who turns out to be Ezra. So how does this fallow with traditional viewpoints? The whole show makes the allusion that women are in change and in power by having Mona as “A” then finding out CeCe is “Redcoat”, while in fact Ezra is the mastermind behind the whole operation. This displays that even aver all of the barriers one may think Pretty Little Liars is busting down during its series the very root of the show has the man in charge. The fact that the television show makes a male in charge in the most crucial character that hold the most power in the show exemplifies that Pretty Little Liars is based on traditional views.

Will traditional views change for future generations? Will the earlier topics discussed become the norm and traditional views we will see in future televisions shows and movies? It’s going to be interesting to see what people come up with next and how they will continue to push the limits.