preview

Gender Roles In The Show Modern Family

Decent Essays

The show Modern Family is a sitcom that satirizes the public view of families in today's society. The show breaks away from argumentum ad antiquitatem, which is a traditional philosophy which praises tradition and ridicules nontraditional practices. This discriminatory philosophy is unfortunately still present in much of modern media. Modern Family is a show that accurately depicts realistic contemporary families by positively representing same sex marriage, breaking down gender roles, and divulging problematic parental habits. The show’s most defining aspect is its representation on same sex marriage. Of the families represented, one is a well-adjusted gay couple raising a child. Although another heterosexual couple could have been …show more content…

The existence of such roles are shown to be damaging to all genders, causing people to feel set on specific interests and life paths based only on gender. Tara Culp-Ressler concludes, “This constant effort to manage one’s everyday life in line with gender norms produces significant anxiety, insecurity, stress and low self-esteem for both boys and girls.” Previously, women were associated with cooking, cleaning, and other typically feminine activities, while men were associated with sports and other typically masculine activities. Men must be the providers of a family, while women are expected to be caregivers. Modern Family opposes these set roles. In the beginning of “The Cold,” Phil says to “man up” and put on a unitard. This is against the set roles for dress, as men would not typically wear this kind of clothing. Manny is shown to be bad at sports but good at cooking. Typically, boys are expected to enjoy sports, but Manny prefers more effeminate activities such cooking and dressing well. Jay expects Claire to be tough through her illness while her brother, Mitchell, suggests she relax. This opposes the mindset that all men are tough while women tend to be weak. Additionally, Mitch and Cam’s babysitter is male which is atypical as women are supposed to be the caregivers. It is critical that television shows represent gender as more than clear-cut male or female roles. By instead demonstrating the fluidity of gender, a …show more content…

One representation of this is Mitchell’s image of Lily. He is a parent that thinks of his child as above average, describing other children as “paste-eating, shoe-losers” (“The Cold”). Because of this he sets up play dates for her with children he thinks are on Lily’s level. In the episode, Mitchell’s perception of Lily is forcibly changed when he finds that Lily’s friend is more gifted than her. Although Lily is not upset about her apparent ineptness, Mitchell becomes frustrated. He ends up ruining the girls’ friendship, making a six year old cry, and causing Lily to be angry with him. He is like many parents that expect too much, and this expectation is found to cause “student anxieties over a perceived failure to perform up to parental expectations can harm self-esteem and make it more difficult to adjust to school” (Nauert). So in reality, this behavior harms the child later in life rather than helping her. This over-expectation is paralleled in both Jay and Claire’s and Gloria and Manny’s relationship. Because of the pressure Jay puts on Clair to keep working in the face of pain, she over exerts herself to the point of collapsing. Additionally, Gloria’s perception of Manny being perfect causes him to feel immense pressure to do well in football, although he is not skilled at it. These imperfect relationships are juxtaposed to the

Get Access