Moving Beyond Period Jokes

I've been watching a lot of Friends reruns lately, and after revisiting the episodes, it has become blatantly clear to me that the writers rely on stereotypes about men and women to make the show funny. For example, I recently watched an episode where Rachel claims she kissed a female friend while in college. When her college friend (Winona Ryder) claims to not remember the kiss, Rachel recreates it to the amusement of her male audience as represented through Joey's reaction throughout the episode. He consistently asks her about this sexual encounter because it makes her more attractive that she has "been with" another woman. Similarly the show relies on this idea that Monica used to be fat. In various episodes, Monica's previous weight is a source of humor. For example, when Chandler admits to breaking up with another woman due to her weight, Monica becomes concerned that Chandler will break up with her for the same reasons. In the end, Chandler says he'll love Monica at whatever size she is, but then Monica asks "How much weight did this ex-girlfriend gain?" When Chandler says about 150 pounds, Monica says, "Did she eat a whole person?" and the audience laughs. But really, why are we laughing? I don't think it's funny to call another person fat or assume that all women kiss other women as a source of fun and amusement during college.

I was asking this same question about why we find certain jokes funny in popular culture while watching the recent episode of Modern Family where the women in the Dunphy household have their periods and Phil does everything he can to get away from the women. They are portrayed as overly emotional, angry, and hysterical because apparently all women lose their sense of reason and intelligence when they have their periods. It was particularly problematic that Alex, the Dunphy child that is often valued for her intelligence and quick wit, is belittled to an overly emotional wreck who cries at movies all of the time. The episode ends with Phil simulating "period symptoms" with the dialogue "I feel nauseous, hungry, angry, and upset all at the same time." This fits with Phil's character on the show since often the writers use his "feminine side" as a joke. For an example, you can refer to my post on Phil's visit to the spa.

This episode was also frustrating in light of the recent drama in the media about men making decisions about women's bodies and birth control. Women's bodies are constantly being portrayed as not belonging to them or as peculiar and abnormal. This episode of Modern Family reinforces this idea that once a month women become crazy and lose their ability to make clear judgments. I see a clear connection between this thinking and the doubts that women can hold political office or high roles in companies. Let's break this stereotypical thinking...

Note: Let me also be clear that I like both of these shows and enjoy watching them! I just think it's important that people become intelligent consumers of popular culture. Otherwise, we'll keep falling for the same stereotypical bs!

"Modern" Constructions of Femininity

I was watching an episode of Modern Family today that had me thinking about "modern" constructions of femininity and masculinity. In this episode, Claire tries to mediate an argument between her daughters while Phil enjoys a day at the spa where the women teach him the "proper" ways to speak with his wife when she is having a rough day. Instead of offering a solution like "don't use the highway if there is traffic", the women tell Phil to just sympathize with Claire and tell her "I'm sorry" and "That's horrible." In this clip, it is evident that Phil sees men as "problem solvers" while women sit back in their chairs gossiping and giving advice without actually "doing" anything. 


It was funny to me because I remember in my AP Psychology class in high school my teacher pointing out that stereotypical difference between men and women. Men always answer by finding a solution and offering steps to fix the problem while women answer with empathy and a response such as "Oh, I'm sorry. That's awful." I keep returning to that statement because I think it is true and false. While it's true in some situations, in others, I just don't think it is because I'm surrounded by a group of women that are empathetic with advice and sympathy but also know how to solve a problem with concrete solutions. Why can't women be both, and why do those traits need to be separated into masculine and feminine terms?


Also present in this episode is Phil's "feminine" side. He is often made fun of on the show for his tendency to behave in stereotypically "feminine" ways. He goes to the spa, and in this clip, he speaks about his preference for kiwi hand cream. I know this is just supposed to be funny (and of course, I see the humor in it!), but I wonder if it is offering a reality about the way masculinity and femininity are constructed? We need to question what exactly is so funny about Phil behaving this way. It's funny because Phil is acting out of the "norm". He's a man at the spa, a stereotypically female space and behavior. I wonder: Where did that thinking come from, and do I perpetuate it in my daily conversations? I'm not saying that women shouldn't go to the spa (I think it's great!) but can we make it a gender-free zone? But then again, can anything be free of gender differences?


Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0ceYcuo7mI&playnext=1&list=PL6FFD22150704CDF4

(http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2010/06/modern-family.jpg)