it'll all get better in time

my comm 356 course is mostly a discussion and study of gender representations within the media realm. we were required to write a paper on a particular television show or film and discuss gender roles within its text. i decided to write my paper on one of my absolute favorite shows, Will&Grace. I had never taken a look at the sitcom beyond its comedic value, but i did for this paper. while it takes some enjoyment out of the show to look at its deeper implications, i still enjoyed analyzing it.

the show offers a variety of gender roles that intersect with class, race, and sexual orientation. karen and grace, for the most part, feature positive gender roles. they are both successful and independent, as well as intelligent. grace can be problematic, however, in that her relatoinship with will places her in a passive role. in addition, grace nor karen ever deal with any real issues like violence, disease or ilness. they live in a world where they are allowed to be successful without struggle.

jack and will, when juxtaposed with one another are complete opposite representations of male and of homosexuality. will is the dominant male displaying chracteristics that would categorize him as heteronormative. that is, he is labeled gay on the show, but many of his actions are similar to what is generally considered a straight male. these include his intimacy with grace--their hand holding, kissing, eating together, sleeping together (not sexually). these actions seem to portray will and grace as a married couple rather than best friends. jack is flambouyant and superficial. he often relies on will to provide for him--food, clothing, rent. in addition, he relies on karen to buy him lunch, beauty treatments, and new outfits. jack consistently relies on will for "protection" or provisions. will pays half of jack's rent (jack's mom pays the other half), he gets him out of troublesome situations like tax evasion, joblessness, and homelessness. in addition, jack's relationship with karen (their intimacy and racy, boderline sexual conduct) seems to suggest that even gay men need to engage in heterosexual activity to maintain their masculinity.

while sitcoms are entertaining, it is important to understand the dimensions of the characters outside their comedic value. this is especially important for audience members that have not come into contact with the gay community before, so that their only representation is that on the television show. anyway...these are a few of my conclusions.


^^compliments of google images

sweeter dreams
k