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| The cast of Glee: just more stereotypes? |
His point is salient. Many of the characters, both male and female, are recognisable versions of their gender: the clueless jock, the feminine gay male, the conniving female, or the unintelligent cheerleader. Denhart argues that Glee "accepts society's definitions and reinforces them". How this may affect young viewers' understanding of the gendered world is unknown. At a time of life when identity formation is so crucial, television can "reinforce or cause the development of gender-typed perceptions and... stereotyped achievement aspirations and self-image" (Perloff, Brown, & Miller, as cited in Aubrey & Harrison, 2004, p. 115). While Witt (2000, p. 322) asserts that young viewers "will imitate and repeat behaviours they see on television", more recent research suggests that what is internalised by viewers is only what matters to them (Aubrey & Harrison, 2004, p. 114). In the case of Glee, its humour is reliant on stereotypes, but it takes a more mature viewer to appreciate the subtleties of the satire and see beyond the "ugly" stereotyping, as Denhart describes it.
Denhart's elaboration of each stereotype rings true, but there is no mention of either the characters' interactions or the issues with which they deal - not even the power of humour as social commentary. Without these details, he glosses over important aspects relevant for a young audience, such as the acceptance of difference, minority groups, or emerging sexualities. Indeed, similar arguments could be made about the use of stereotypes in other comedies, such as Summer Heights High, if there is an avoidance of the program's purpose. Young people crave examples of other identities, so they can work out where they fit in. (A recent news article in The Sydney Morning Herald even attempted to categorise the youth subcultures in Sydney for better understanding.) Even if television shows that embrace diverse youth identities, like Glee, continue to be criticised for perpetuating stereotypes, at least there will be an awareness (and hopefully acceptance) of difference. And surely that is important for our youth to understand.
Greg
REFERENCES
Aubrey, J., & Harrison, K. (2004). The gender-role content of children's favorite television programs and its links to their gender-related perceptions. Media Psychology, 6(2), 111-146.
Witt, S. (2000). The influence of television on children's gender role socialization. Childhood Education, 76(5), 322-324.
The point made about how the use of stereotypes in a comedy can encourage viewers to consider how they perceive others is a good one. Television programs like Glee and Summer Heights High do present various gender stereotypes to the viewer, like the unintelligent cheerleader and the clueless jock, however it is unlikely that these shows accept and reinforce societies definitions, as Denhart (2010) says of Glee. People do not generally take comedy programs seriously, and the humour used raises awareness of the gender stereotypes presented and encourages the viewer to reflect on them, rather than to take these stereotypes on board.
ReplyDeleteSuch stereotypical gender roles are also present in films. Mean Girls is one such film, and displays stereotypes such as the plastics, jocks and band geeks. As in the television programs mentioned, the satire used in Mean Girls causes a critique of these gender stereotypes and high-school groups, rather than accepting and reinforcing them.
Roger Dunscombe, Deputy chair of the Australian Teachers of Media, in a Today Tonight Segment on Summer Heights High, stated that the program gives teachers the opportunity to address important school based issues. I agree, and think that television programs and films such as the ones mentioned above can be used as tools to discuss and address stereotypes present in the media.
By Kara
REFERENCES
Denhart, A. (2010, May 17th). Glee’s Harmful Simplicity. The Daily Beast. Retrieved on 18th October 2010 from URL: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-17/glees-harmful-simplicity/