The 1960’s was a decade filled with revolution across America, in the forms of both counterculture and pop culture. The second wave of feminism ran rampant, powered by Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. The role of the housewife began to be placed under the microscope and women started to wonder aloud whether they were truly happen being second-rate to their husbands. The television sitcoms of the 1960’s displayed this change in thinking, one sitcom specifically being I Dream of Jeannie. The plot of I Dream of Jeannie centered on an astronaut named Major Tony Nelson and his incidental discovery of a genie in a bottle. This genie, named Jeannie, saves Nelson from the island he is stranded on and she stows away in his luggage to follow him home. The rest of the storyline is devoted to Jeannie fulfilling Nelson’s wishes as he struggles to keep her existence secret from the rest of the world. The key conflict in every episode usually entails Jeannie making a wish against Nelson’s orders and working to fix the consequences of what she’s done, commonly saving Nelson from various predicaments. However, due to the feminist relevance of the time period, the show’s plotline should be analyzed for an underlying meaning. This second meaning focuses on Jeannie’s role as a woman in a country with rising feminist values. Despite the fact that Jeannie is subservient to Tony Nelson, she is still ultimately an independent and capable woman, thus representing the feminist movement of the 1960’s.
The fact that I Dream of Jeannie features two bumbling male roles, Major Tony Nelson and Major Roger Healey, as two of the three main characters says something about the show’s representation of feminism. Jeannie inevitably used her magic to make somet...
... middle of paper ...
...ision. Although Jeannie doesn’t quite show the wit and cunning of a Samantha in Bewitched, and Tony Nelson doesn’t seem to be quite the oaf that Bewitched’s Darrin, the roles of each hold an important place in television sitcom history. The key takeaway of this analysis is that even a role full of feminine stereotypes on television can result in the exact opposite of what it may seem to show. Jeannie showed that a woman can be second-rate to a man figuratively while at the same time not have to be second-rate in reality. As feminists worked to gain prevalence in the second wave of feminism in the 1960’s, shows like I Dream of Jeannie may have seemed to be counter-productive to the cause, with the show having a woman in servitude to a man. However, in the end, I Dream of Jeannie has proven to be an accurate portrayal of the feminist cause in the world of pop culture.
May begins by exploring the origins of this "domestic containment" in the 30's and 40's. During the Depression, she argues, two different views of the family competed -- one with two breadwinners who shared tasks and the other with spouses whose roles were sharply differentiated. Yet, despite the many single women glamorized in popular culture of the 1930's, families ultimately came to choose the latter option. Why? For one, according to May, for all its affirmation of the emancipation of women, Hollywood fell short of pointing the way toward a restructured family that would incorporate independent women. (May p.42) Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, for example, are both forced to choose between independence and a happy domestic life - the two cannot be squared. For another, New Deal programs aimed to raise the male employment level, which often meant doing nothing for female employment. And, finally, as historian Ruth Milkman has also noted, the g...
...ew ideal woman, the public has changed its expectations of a woman to coincide with the ideal. It is relatively uncommon to see a woman on a television show that does not work, and oftentimes they work at high positions such as doctors or lawyers. If she is married, she often has more say in the relationship than the man, a complete switch of earlier roles. These new ideals have mostly improved the public's view of women and improved women's view of themselves.
The story A Television Drama, by Jane Rule is an exciting story about an unusual event, which the main character, Carolee Mitchell, experiences the end of. The story is about her quiet street becoming unusually busy with police officers, and how the man who is being chased by these officers ends up being outside her front door. Through the point of view of the story, the characterization and character change of Carolee Mitchell, and the setting of the story, A Television Drama is an exciting read. The story conveys how important it is to be aware of ones surroundings, and what is happening around oneself through these elements.
They did not challenge gender norms or ideals. Nor did they aim to usurp the position of the man. Rather, they supported the overarching mentality that women were to be submissive, strive to fulfill the needs and wants of men, and aim to please their male counterparts. (Kallen) Importantly, none of these women or representations of women exhibited any physical attributes that the dominant culture would view as masculine. Instead, they all displayed quintessential feminine characteristics and traits. Moreover, they were not valued for their brains or accomplishments; they were judged solely based on the degree to which they conformed to the male-dictated status quo. Marilyn Monroe and other sex icons of the 1950s were portrayed as dim-witted, naïve, childlike, and vulnerable, which was the polar opposite of society’s picture of the strong, smart, witty, and brave male. There was nothing about these women that challenged male superiority or threatened the overarching worldview that it was a ‘man’s world’ and women’s purpose was to make this world more enjoyable for the men who ruled it. (Meyerowitz
Steffen’s article, “Gender Stereotypes Stem From the Distribution of Women and Men Into Social Roles”. In this article, they discuss the root of gender stereotypes being derived from the unequal distribution of roles for men and women in society. They believe too many women are left to be “homemakers” while men become professionals. This is evident in Survivors as the show chooses to have Abby take on this maternal role. This unequal distribution of roles then, in turn, leads to men and women being labeled with certain qualities. According to Steffen and Eagly, women are believed to have communal qualities, or “manifested by selflessness, concern with others, and a desire to be at one with others”, and men agentic qualities or, “self-assertion, self-expansion, and the urge to master” (Eagly, Steffen 736). Abby epitomizes this desire to help others and selfness, while the surrounding men are less likely to trust others by questioning the actions of other men in the
The lives of men and women are portrayed definitively in this novel. The setting of the story is in southern Georgia in the 1960’s, a time when women were expected to fit a certain role in society. When she was younger she would rather be playing ...
In the 1950’s becoming a wife, having and raising children and taking care of the home was the primary goal for most women. Post war brides were marrying young, having children at significant and unrivaled rates, and settling into roles that would ultimately shape a generation. This ideal notwithstanding, women were entering the workplace like never before and changing the face of American business forever. In the movie The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit directed in 1956 by Nunnally Johnson, we get an inkling of the type of voice American women would develop in the character of Betsy Rath. We are introduced to a wife and mother who leverage her role in the family to direct and influence. The decade of the 50’s signify the beginnings of the duplicity that women would embrace in America, being homemakers and independent women.
I chose to analyze the sitcom That 70’s Show, a show that follows the lives of a group of teenage friends: Jackie, Donna, Hyde, Kelso, Eric, and Fez. The show addresses several social issues of the 1970s, including: sexism, sexual attitudes, drug use, politics, and the recession. I selected certain episodes from Season One based on their titles and descriptions; ones I thought may deal with sexism more in-depth than other episodes.
Allyson Jule’s article on feminism in conjunction with Mary Tyler Moore establishes that the show can be used to teach the American movement of second wave feminism (123). She looks at the show as more of a historical teaching tool rather than just a comedy. On the other hand, Willa Paskin explores another view of the show, the comedy.
Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique, explains the mind set of society in the 1960s. She writes that the women of the ‘60s were identified only as creatures looking for “sex, babies, and home” (Friedan 36). She goes on to say “The only passion, the only pursuit, the only goal a woman [was] permitted [was] the pursuit of a man” (Friedan 36). This mind set, this “feminine mystique,” is clearly shown throughout the show Mad Men. The side effect of the feminine mystique hurt all the women of this time. Matthew Weiner shows how this conception of the “ideal woman” hurt all of his lead women. The consequences are shown in the two women who bought into the idea, Betty and Joan, and the one who re...
The first time Friedan got pregnant she was maternity leave and out for a while however, when she got pregnant again they fired her because they did not want her to be out that long. Still to do this day many people do not want to hire women because they are a female and do get pregnant. Although women do have maternity leave, however, people still to do this day get fired. As a society, we need to change this such as Betty Friedan has once changed the mindsets of both men and women, but yet today we are still fighting for the equal amount of higher ranking jobs and it is not because guys are smarter than girls, it because we let society rule our world. Freidan wanted women to succeed and be able to make progress in their life and to find life enjoyable, which everyone should. After Friedan stepped down from the National Organization of Women, she organized The Strike for Equality which was about providing equal opportunity for all women, it was the 19th amendment that entitled women to do. It helped support the Women’s Movement and recognized by both men and women. The Women’s Movement occurred because of Betty Friedan in which she wrote “The Feminine Mystique”, but also many other women. The income between men make is still significantly more than women, women are paid less than men, which is a horrible outcome. Women make seventy-seven cents for every
The classic network era is one of the most easily recognizable and distinct eras in television history. Both Bewitched and I Love Lucy were huge sitcoms that took up issues of gender representation and patriarchy in their programs through the representations of the main male and female characters of their respective series. While both of these series pushed boundaries when it came to the representation of women, in the end, the costuming of these men and women, how the main characters are introduced, and the domestic environment that the atmosphere takes place in, all serve to reinforce traditional gender norms and reveals that patriarchy is dependent on maintaining dominant ideas about masculinity and femininity.
First titled Life and Stuff, Roseanne aired its first season in 1988 and its last season in 1997. The show starred Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner and John Goodman as Dan Conner. The couple lived in Lanford, Illinois with their three children Becky, Darlene, and D.J. They are a blue-collar, working-class family with both parents working outside of the home. They struggled just to pay the bills and put food on the table, sometimes each working two jobs. It portrayed real life issues such as pre-marital sex and pregnancy, financial struggles, sexuality, infidelity, death, drugs, and much more. In the first of its nine seasons, Roseanne (Barr) works at Wellman Plastics, along with her sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) and friend Crystal (Natalie West). Dan (Goodman) works as a self-employed drywall contractor for his company, Four Aces Construction. Roseanne's parents, Beverly (Estelle Parsons) and Al Harris (John Randolph), drive their two daughters crazy. Teenage Becky (Lecy Goranson) begins dating her first boyfriend Chip (Jared Rushton. Darlene (Sara Gilbert) wonders if she can still play baseball after having her first period. This season also deals with the issue of death, a terrifying tornado, Dan and his father’s relationship struggles, and Roseanne and her friends quitting their job. In season two, Jackie decides to become a police officer and begins a serious relationship with Gary (Brain Kerwin). Roseanne runs through a plethora of jobs, with shampoo woman at the beauty parlor being most influential. Roseanne also deals with issues of attractiveness when Dan's poker buddy Arnie (Tom Arnold) passionately kisses her. She is slightly disappointed when he does the same to Jackie. Crystal and Dan’s father begin a romance. Becky h...
The 60’s was certainly a time of women’s curiosity and venture outside of the norm “homemaker” role. Women not only found pleasure in the world, but in themselves as a whole and as a woman. Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown played an important role here as her intent was to guide women - or more specifically the single woman - in her pursuit of independence and pleasure. Sex and the Single Girl most definitely lead the readers on to believe that it was to empower women; even to break away from the norm and advocate the unattached female. My response will focus on the contradictory nature the guidebook, and other literature like Cosmopolitan, create when advising a woman to do and be something on the one hand while having an underlying message on the other.
These homemaking shows’ tactics were to encourage and show women that being a homemaker, wife, and mother is not a lonely life or a life full of drudgery and that having this status is not being an unproductive citizen. These shows had to incorporate these tactics because a decade before women’s role were vastly different to the roles they have now. Women before were working in jobs that were mainly solely for men, they were independent by earning their own wages, and being patriotic citizens by participating in the war effort by fighting on the home front or joining the military. Their work on both fronts were dangerous and life-threatening in which these jobs were predominantly for men; many were spies, others made bombs and weapons, and many flew planes and carried out dangerous missions. All of this changed during the postwar years in which their main occupations now were mothers and housewives. It may seem that women decreasing independence and their rigid gender and social mobility made them feel limited in