Dr. Grey's Anatomy Stereotypes

Dr. Meredith Grey: Promoting Women in the Medical Field
The role of females in mainstream culture has grown significantly from the conservative and restricted characters of women in early nineteenth century media. Coupled with the influx of women into once male dominated fields such as medicine, the image of female success has continued to develop and become more prominent to this day. In modern day society however, several stereotypes surrounding both males and females within the medical field are still present in popular culture. In media concerned with the medical field such as television and cinematic works, the conventional image of a white, male surgeon along with his cast of female nurses and male physicians is seen often. Grey’s Anatomy

Grey initially enters the medical field as a surgical intern and in further episodes, she eventually becomes the head of general surgery due to her outstanding abilities and work ethic. By documenting this rise from an entry level position to a prestigious post within medicine, Grey’s Anatomy promotes a positive image of ambitious and committed women who can advance to high level promotions that would stereotypically be held by men. Along with this idea of female success, the women in the show are often shown in the same scrubs as men of the same position, eliminating the stereotype of the highly sexualized female appearing in mainstream culture. As a character, Dr. Grey is a social, professional, and dependable surgeon who is able to consistently demonstrate her talents as a surgeon throughout the show. In episode seventeen of the second season of Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Grey shows an extreme dedication to her occupation and patients when she risks her life to remove a bomb from a patient in order to treat the patient’s bleeding. By putting herself in a position where she saved both her patient and willingly removed a bomb, Dr. Grey displays a high level of compassion, courage, and intelligence that puts her well above the stereotypical idea of a competent male doctor within the medical field. In this light, the characterization of Dr. Grey’s character on Grey’s Anatomy promotes the image of a successful, dependable, and non-sexualized female doctor in

Grey’s traits and qualifications as a female prove her capability to be as competent as another male physician of the same position in the television drama. Dr. Derek Shepherd is the head of neurosurgery at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital where the series is set. Among the staff in the show, Dr. Shepherd is regarded as a highly proficient neurosurgeon whose years of experience in complicated cases and procedures have earned him a reputation that intimidates interns and residents. Though she initially starts off as an inexperienced intern, Dr. Grey quickly becomes an able surgeon that can hold her own even against the exceptional Dr. Shepherd. Grey’s Anatomy portrays both head surgeons as characters of equal abilities and talents, continuing to dissolve the stereotype of only competent male doctors in the medical field and women as assistant nurses. In this light, the portrayal of both Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepherd as equal but highly regarded surgeons allows the audience to see past the stereotype of male dominance in the medical field in a female that is equally, if not more, competent than a male doctor that is respected in Grey’s