Millions of Americans spend their evenings watching their favorite primetime television shows. I often find myself rushing through the grocery store or runnung home from class in an attempt to make it home in time to watch the season premiere of Gray's Anatomy or Desperate Housewives. By watching excessive amounts of primetime television shows, audiences have gained ideas concerning gender stereotypes and what it really means to be a male or female. The recently popular abc hit series, Desperate Housewives exhibits several gender stereotypes and depicts what it really means to be a male or female in today's society.
American women are often viewing the sexual, beautiful and dependant characters on Wisteria Lane as accurate representations of women in the real world. On a fictional street, called Wisteria Lane live six housewives in pleasant suberbia. The cast consists of wealthy, gorgeous women that are perceived as deceiving and having petty problems. All of the women are married and live a life fuilled with drama, concentrating on their appearance and social status. Eva Longoria, one of the main characters, is depicted as a stuck-up, Latino gold-digger and Bree is obsessed with being the perfect homemaker and mother. In an earlier episode, Lynette is forced to stay at home with her children as her husband goes back to work as a successful businessman. This characterizes women as passive and men as aggressive and in control.
I believe that Desperate Housewives consists of many gender stereotypes that are inaccurate portrayals of real-life. Wealth, high-staus and sex-appeal are substitutes for community involvement and family interaction. Morality is out of the question, as many characters are involved with extramarital affairs and lack consequences. In reality, women in today's society are caring, independent and successful. To keep audiences interest, media networks often dramatize and incorporate overly simple and entertaining storylines. As a media consumer myself I need to realize television shows merely exsist to entertain. I and many other consumers need to pay better attention to media messages and critically analyize content to uncover true meaning.
American women are often viewing the sexual, beautiful and dependant characters on Wisteria Lane as accurate representations of women in the real world. On a fictional street, called Wisteria Lane live six housewives in pleasant suberbia. The cast consists of wealthy, gorgeous women that are perceived as deceiving and having petty problems. All of the women are married and live a life fuilled with drama, concentrating on their appearance and social status. Eva Longoria, one of the main characters, is depicted as a stuck-up, Latino gold-digger and Bree is obsessed with being the perfect homemaker and mother. In an earlier episode, Lynette is forced to stay at home with her children as her husband goes back to work as a successful businessman. This characterizes women as passive and men as aggressive and in control.
I believe that Desperate Housewives consists of many gender stereotypes that are inaccurate portrayals of real-life. Wealth, high-staus and sex-appeal are substitutes for community involvement and family interaction. Morality is out of the question, as many characters are involved with extramarital affairs and lack consequences. In reality, women in today's society are caring, independent and successful. To keep audiences interest, media networks often dramatize and incorporate overly simple and entertaining storylines. As a media consumer myself I need to realize television shows merely exsist to entertain. I and many other consumers need to pay better attention to media messages and critically analyize content to uncover true meaning.
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