Stack and Kelly in Popular Media, Education and Resistance state that powerful media institutions have and continue to misrepresent and stereotype diverse communities. Through various texts , the media often misrepresents women, people of color as well as cultural and religious minorities (5). Youth today spend tremendous amounts of time watching television, playing video games and surfing the web (6). Kelly and Stack assert that “Democracy and education are in danger, because media is pervasive and is owned by only a few powerful groups. Thus, it is hard to hold people accountable for the public good and to promote well research and thoughtful views (as meaningful participation in meaning making)” (9). Therefore, it is essential for educators to create opportunities for students to reflect on and critique the narratives that depict stereotypes and to challenge these opinions and create more honest representations of diverse communities. The following is a critique of a popular television series.
The T.V series Modern Family is described on IMDB as the story of “… one big -- straight, gay, multicultural, traditional -- happy family.” Looking at Modern Family through a feminist lens, the show is promoted as being about a diverse and multicultural family by including several characters that do not adhere to a heteronormative notion of a family. However, the portrayal of Sofia Vergera’s character, Gloria, a Colombian, endorses a sexist depiction of women and Latinas. In the article, “Challenging sexism on television: Limits of and alternatives to the present regulatory approach”, Seline Mize has drawn the same conclusion which is in accordance with the Canadian Task Force on Sex -Role stereotyping in Broadcast Media, “…the media do not portray women and men as equal…” and “…women frequently are underrepresented and shown in narrow roles, which do not reflect the diversity of their roles in real life, that their sex appeal is overemphasized, and that program content often reinforces inaccurate and discriminatory stereotypes about them and their abilities” (59). Just as Mize affirms, Modern Family depicts women, especially the character of Gloria, in a stereotypical and sexist way. Gloria is portrayed as the conventional female nurturing type, as a caring wife and mother. She is shown as not as capable as the men in the show, since in some instances, other characters such as Claire, call her a “gold-digger”, a woman who married a man twice her age, and therefore, must be using him for his money and status (Season 1, Episode 5). This reinforces the sexist narrative often seen in T.V, that women are dependant or are “trophy wives”. Gloria’s character does not work, furthering the notion that she as a woman, is less capable and career driven than her male counterparts. The depiction of Gloria as a bad driver, promotes the stereotype that women are undependable and ditzy compared to the male driver (Season 1, Episode 14). Her character is over sexualized, her outfits are often revealing, and her chest in several episodes “accidently” pushes up against other male characters, further objectifying her as a sex symbol. This harmful narrative of women furthers men in that it continues to depict men as more intelligent, successful, capable human beings. If women and men do not stand up for a more realistic portrayal, women’s status and their opportunities for advancement will suffer.
The character of Gloria can also be viewed from another critical lens, a post-colonial one. Gloria’s character exemplifies the stereotypical Latina woman in film who is loud, crazy, over-emotional, curvy and attractive. The show overemphasizes her thick accent for comedic purposes and her sexuality is overstated, thereby grouping all Latina women into the “sexpot” image which does not represent the diversity of Latina women in real life. Tanisha Ramirez in her article “5 Common Latino Stereotypes in Film and Television” states that this typecasting of the “sexpot” encourages the viewer to think that Latinas cultural identification is “…based on their physical appearances …this type of thinking traps our culture within our bodies, ignoring the values, ethics, and traditions that contribute to our sense of culture and community”. This narrative benefits Caucasian people and reinforces their power and superiority over marginalized cultural and racial minorities.
In the article, “Images of Race and Identity”, Paul Lester affirms that children “… are not born with a knowledge of stereotypes…” but “…through repeated exposure…” by the media (79). Therefore, opportunities for reflection and critique of the media should be incorporated within classrooms, along with occasions to create counter narratives.
Works Cited
Lester, Paul Martin. “Images of Race and Identity.” Images that Injure: Pictoral Stereotypes in the Media. ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011. Web. Oct. 15, 17.
Levitan, Steven. Lloyd, Christopher. Modern Family. 20th Television, 2009.
Mize, Selene. “Challenging Sexism on Television: Limits of and Alternatives to the Present Regulatory Approach.”. Women's Studies Journal; Auckland, N.Z. Vol. 10, Iss. 1, (Mar 1, 1994): 59. Web. Oct. 10, 17.
Modern Family. IMDB. Web. Oct. 9, 17.
Nittle, Nadra Kareem. “Five Common Latino Stereotypes in Television and Film.” ThoughtCo., March 2, 2017. Web. Oct. 10, 17.
Stack, M., & Kelley, D.M. “Popular media, education, and resistance.” Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1), 5-26, 2009. Web. Oct. 10, 17.