Lauren Christenson
Ms. Hamilton
AP Language/ Composition
10 October 2017
My first cotillion was approaching at a glacial pace. Who knew one person could devote an absurd number of Friday nights in preparation for one evening; not to mention the ballroom dresses and heels that were required. I attended a total of four cotillions. By the fourth one, I named myself a seasoned veteran of all things cotillion related. Boys pretended to be men, clothed in suits and ties that you could tell they didn’t tie themselves, and girls dressed like ladies ready for a night out on the town. Each person would be partnered off and asked to stand on a large staircase that descended into the ball room. Instructors milled about to make sure each ladies arm was tucked around the gentleman's as if for stability and support. My partner was 5’3”, I should’ve been the escorting him. Each dance was painful as he horrifically attempted to elongate his arms to match my reach. Attending each one of these senseless events felt like I was personally being transported to the world pre-civil rights movement when girls couldn’t sit at the head of the table, couldn’t eat the first bite (despite being the oldest), and were incapable of carrying themselves without the help of a man.
The ideas making up the backbone of cotillion culture of men’s dependence on women are only perpetuated by television and the media. It wasn’t until I saw Grey’s Anatomy for the first time in seventh grade that I saw women as more than just supporting characters. Females accounted for 42% of major characters on broadcast network programs in 2016-2017 (Lauzen, 2017). Yet, many of those roles aren’t empowering, only a small few being women that could serve as role models for the very impressionable young teenage girl. A vast majority television shows still comply with gender roles and norms of the 20th century for what? A laugh? This humor has misconstrued young girls representations of themselves as inferior to men, creating a generation of girls who feel that they need to guidance of men to make any significant impact. Popular sitcoms are the greatest example of this modern day stereotyping. Shows like How I Met Your Mother and the Office, as well as, series like The Vampire Diaries and the 100 all perpetuate the stereotype that has been going on for generations by passing sexist ideas off as humor. Even shows that attempt to defy these norms with female leads, still manage to revert back to this sexist ideal.
Women are portrayed in many shows as simply being the object of men’s lust. How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) serves as a primary example of “hook-up” culture which has become prevalent in our society. By the end of the fourth season in the episode, Right Place, Right Time, Barney celebrates the 200th women he has slept with. Throughout the show, the lack of depiction of these women is astonishing as they appear to be nameless and faceless. Thereby, dehumanizing women and equating them to objects of sexual pleasure to be exploited. Furthermore, in Season 7, Episode 2, Barney is asked “‘Have you ever successfully gotten a women in bed by lying to her?’” He replies, “‘More than once… I guess if we’re splitting hairs, then technically there was a plurality to the times I’ve lied to women for sex having purposes,’” (“The Naked Truth”). Barney’s larger than life personality accompanied with his bacheloresque lifestyle makes his life seem desirable to other men, while giving women the impression that men don’t care about them and don’t respect them as equivalent beings in society; giving women the idea that men aren’t opposed to using dishonesty as means to charm their way straight into anyone’s pants. By the same token, the jokes Barney makes where women are always at the butt end of the joke, are just a reminder that society hasn’t changed as much as we like to think it has.
An issue highlighted by television is that women are looked at as subordinate to men in the work place and there is a clear double standard in regards to how both are treated. The Office is one of the most blatantly sexist shows on television. This is a show where there is an entire episode that is dedicated to sexual harassment claims where men make jokes at the expense of their few female colleagues. All women in the show are subordinates until Jan’s introduction into the show. Jan was the vice president of northeastern sales living in NYC. Since her introduction, she has made it a point to shut down Micheal’s indecency. However, when they start dating this situation goes awry and both begin to exhibit inappropriate behaviors. This behavior is met by David Wallace their supervisor who decides that the best way to handle the situation is by removing Jan from the situation entirely. This reinforces the office stereotype that women are less than men and that when forced to choose, the women is at fault for any disruptions there might be in the workplace.
While there are shows that have female leads, like the Vampire Diaries, this does not mean they have a positive female view. Although the main character Elena is depicted as strong and courageous, she is also shown to be overly emotional and impulsive. These weaknesses contribute to the overwhelming stereotype that women are incapable of being in positions in power, where they have to be objective and well-calculated. Throughout the show, Elena’s decisions are almost always questioned by male main characters on the show who don’t think she is capable of doing what is best for herself and those around her. Additionally, the Vampire Diaries has many scenes where attractive women utilize their appearance to manipulate men into doing their bidding. Whenever a male villain on the show, there is most definitely also a scene where Elena, or another female character, uses their womanhood to seduce men into giving them information. Scenes such as these show young girls that it is okay to use your body to move up a proverbial ladder; instead of employing persuasive and intellectual skills that will be used throughout life.
The most comical exhibition of gender stereotypes in television today is how women are depicted in the post-apocalyptic world. Despite the imminent threats to survival, women in these shows always seem to be well kept. Meaning, they still find the resources and time to maintain their hair, shave, and keep their dental hygiene regardless of the environment they are in. This is true for many shows such as Lost and the 100. In the 100 for example, Clarke, the main character, despite being in constant battle with sweat and mud on her face, she still manages to keep her skin clear and moisturized and her hair pinned back. Whereas, Bellamy, a male lead in the 100 is seen with dry blood caking his skin and ragged hair. This teaches young girls that if women in a post-apocalyptic world always look their best, there is no excuse to appearing unkempt. However, once again, there is a double standard as men aren’t held to the same norms and their outward appearance isn’t regulated on television as much as women’s is.