Upon Observing the current status of our society's views on masculinity and femininity, the author, David Gauntlett, explains in his book, Media, Gender and Identity (2008), that attitudes toward traditional roles are changing. A great example of these changes has be duly noted within Gauntlett's text.
The award winning sit-com, Friends (1994-2004) played a valuable role in portraying to our society what these changes look like. While maintaining what is often perceived as a conventional looking comedy, this sit-com pushed the envelop in exposing a new side of what masculinity and femininity can look like.
In comparison to these new looks of acceptance, I will also peruse the concept of our society's views of gender representation in the past.
Gender Representation of Our Past
In regards to our society's perception of gender roles through years past, Gauntlett states in his text that, "Men were more likely to be assertive... where as women were more frequently shown as weak, ineffectual, victimised, supportive, [or] laughable." (p. 47). What I find interesting about this concept is that it not only portrayed the supporting cast memebers in male dominant television shows, but it also defined the few women that were considered superstars in the area of television.
One of the most popular celebrities of of the 1950's was a woman by the name of Lucille Ball. Though she gained much of her success from the Emmy award winning show, I Love Lucy, she was also well known for making guest appearances on many primetime game shows.
In the clip below, Lucille Ball is embracing her well known ability to be laughed at. Some things to keep in mind while viewing this clip is that it certainly portrays what Gauntlett refers to as male dominance. Although Lucille is being asked the questions, I found it interesting that a male figure was the one to respond/translate to her humurous remarks.
Present Changes in Gender Representation
Though the spotlight of gender representation appears to be primarily focused on femininity, observing the unique changes in the way we perceive masculinity should also be in question. The following clip portrays two characters that are considered to be a new look on how our society views gender roles. As brought up in Gauntlett's text, the characters of Friends carry the traditional style of masculinity and femininity while also exposing a rather new take.
What is interesting about this clip (along with many others from the sit-com) is that the men are often categorized as being sensitive to certain issues or in this case no athleticism. This idea of a man not necessarily acquiring all of the masculine features such as being macho, is where I believe our society is changing. Our society is slowly losing its grip on criticism for men that choose to take on what in the past was considered to be feminine qualities.
The other interesting concept that can be discussed from the previous clip is that of the feminist movement. The woman in the clip, Monica, wearing a loose fitting sweatshirt and sweatpants, appeared to be "wearing the pants" in the conversation. Unlike the example of Lucille from the first clip, the advancement of women carrying a more idependent look has increased.
There have certainly been changes in how the media portrays different gender roles. Whether it be the decrease in machismo amongst males or a new independent look for women, it is evident that things have changed. Understanding and observing the drastic changes in our society over the last fifty years leads me to wonder what the future of our society will look like.
