For my next essay, I chose to write about the ABC comedy, "Modern Family". I chose this show because it is based on 3 very different types of families or families that challenge heteronormativity and the stereotypes they face. One family consists of two gay men who have an adopted baby girl. The second family sounds "normal" with a husband, wife and three kids, but does not function like a typical family. The third family consists of an older man who is married to a young, beautiful, Hispanic woman who has a young son from a previous marriage.
Throughout the show, the stereotypes of these families are emphasized. As we talked about in class, the gay couple plays a very comical role. As a result, it is almost as if homosexuality is being mocked. This couple obviously challenges heteronormativity due to they mere fact that they are gay.
Further, in the "normal" family, the wife is the rule-maker and the person who runs the house. Meanwhile, the dad is the fun one with no rules, who is told what to do by his wife. I thought this would be good to investigate and write about because in a way it goes against what the norm is in the media. The woman, in this case, is the aggressive, powerful character while the male is the more passive and obedient one.
Lastly, in the family with the older man and the young wife, the wife is really ditzy and it seems as though she relies on him for support. Rightfully so, she is often accused of being a gold-digger. This family challenges heteronormativity because this is not the typical family structure and it shows the problems they face because their family is difficult for society to accept.
The show "Modern Family," portrays each family comically. The fact that they are portrayed in this way is very stereotypical. Although it is comical, I think that it could be potentially harmful to families that are like these but do not act as these ones do.
In this paper, I will analyze how these families challenge heteronormativity and the effects that this may have on the audience.
I totally agree with what you said, when i first saw this in the magazine i though wow why does she need plastic surgery? In my opinio she looks worse then before but what would drive her to extremes. Like you said its the media, they are pointing out whats wrong with girls and are causing them to go to extremes to feel better about themselves. I think this is a good topic to write about, you can use what heidi said and also the readings to do a good paper. Make sure you include what Heidi said like you did in the blog, it give the readers an uderstanding as to why she had all these surgeries. I think this will be a very intresting paper.
ReplyDeleteHi Maya,
ReplyDeleteAs you could tell from Thursday's class, I think this is a great topic for your essay. I haven't seen enough episodes, but I think that your claims are interesting, especially the one about the "traditional" family. This makes me think about a lot of current commercials that show the husband as silly or bumbling, and the wife as the one in control. I wonder if this counters heteronormativity, or reinforces a new idea: that of the man as perpetual child. Phil doesn't need to implement rules, because that's what Claire does. And if I'm reading what you say correctly, is he equally at fault if he breaks the rules? Or are the different consequences to his actions?
One thing that I think is also interesting about the show is the relationship between Jay and his wife (Gloria?). While you're right in that she's clearly there to be the sexual object, you might want to investigate her role further. Is she more intelligent than Jay and the others give her credit for? Or is she truly ditzy?
Overall, this is a great idea for your paper, and I'm interested to see how this turns out. ~Megan