Gender Stereotypes

By Spencer Johnston

• Gender Stereotypes are generalisations about both genders that are very common in Film and Television.

• Gender Stereotypes tend to represent Men as being hard-working, strong and dominant, while they tend to show women as dependent, home-oriented and weak.

Female Characters who follow the Gender Stereotypes

• An example of women in film and television that abide to the gender stereotype would be Vicky Thailer from Raging Bull and Penny from the Big Bang Theory. The character of Vicky Thailer is very coherent to the gender stereotype of woman. She is very submissive to her husband who acts agressively towards and treats her as if she is below him. She also cries a lot and is very home-oriented.

• Penny from The Big Bang Theory also follows the gender stereotype as she is made to be a lot less intelligent than all the men around her and is dependent on their help for a lot of things.

• The appearances of both these woman are also very coherent with the gender stereotype. They are both very attractive to men and they are both dressed very feminine.

Female Characters who go against the Gender Stereotype

• However in Film and Television there is an increasing number of female characters who contrast to the Gender Stereotype.

• An example would be Ellen Ripley from Alien 1-4. Ripley contrasts the female stereotype as she is very strong and independent. She is a dangerous fighter and is willing to risk her life in order to save her child.

• An example of a television character who does not abide to the gender stereotypes would Frankie from Skins. This is because her character is not materialistic and is not obsessed with her appearance. Frankie is also very shy and is not home-oriented.

• The appearances of these woman also contrast the gender stereotype. They are both dressed in a masculine way and they both have very short hair.

Male Characters who follow the Gender Stereotype

• An example of a male character from film that follows the gender stereotype would be Henry Hill from Goodfellas. Henrys character follows just about every stereotype there is about the male. But to be specific his character is extremely dominant, worldly and cruel. He also follows the gender stereotype for men of treating woman as if they are objects.

• An example from television would be Peter Griffin from Family Guy. Excluding his crude sense of humor, Peter’s defining attributes as a character are his greed, enjoyment of action, dominance and his insensitivity.

• Both characters conform to the male stereotype. They are both big and appear to be strong. They are are both dressed very conservatively.

Male Characters who go against the Gender Stereotype

• Ricky Fitts from American Beauty is a character who does not conform to the male gender stereotype. He is very sensitive and caring and cares more about the beauty in the world than about sports or cars.

• Kurt from Glee is another character who goes against the gender stereotype. His character is very gentle and emotional. His character also has very feminine qualities such as a high voice.

• Both characters are very thin. Kurt’s appearance is less compatible with the male gender stereotype due to the clothing he wears which is usually feminine.