The third theme that arose throughout my research was the portrayal of female characters more often as independent, intelligent, confident, and equal to or more successful/powerful than men. For this theme, I counted the number of times female characters were shown defying the stereotypical norms that women are passive/submissive, weak, and emotional. Similarly to my second theme, From Housewives to Working Women, I also counted the number of times male or female characters made comments about a female character’s profession.
70s/80s:
The results of my analyses for this theme illustrated that in the 1970s and 80s, female characters were often portrayed as dumber, weaker, more submissive, and overall the lesser sex. In Saved By The Bell, Slater states, “Great, we’re working for a woman” and, “Of course you’re a girl so it’s not like you could hit it anyway, you throw just like a girl why don’t you just hire a man to do it” (Engel 1989). Another example of this was found in the show The Brady Bunch, when a character states, “Honey, they’re girls – the gentler sex” and, “Next Saturday morning, instead of me, Mother is going to help you with baseball practice” … “Dad, she’s a girl, a female” (Schwartz 1969). Another interaction between a husband and wife illustrates how women were portrayed as weak and dumb, and that what women think of as hard work is seen as ‘fun’ in the eyes of men:
90s-2020:
The results of my analyses for this theme illustrated that women in the 1990s-2020 were portrayed more often as intelligent, confident, and equal to or more successful/powerful than men. In the first season of the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Buffy is shown fighting a male vampire much bigger than her, and she wins. This is an example of how the norms and expectations for women have evolved, making them more strong, assertive, and capable. I recorded 9 instances of female characters being portrayed as intelligent, powerful, and strong. Another example of this is when Buffy asserts in the show, “I’m the slayer and you’re not” (Davies 1997). Additionally, in the show Teen Wolf, two of the main female characters were portrayed as strong, confident women. Lydia’s character is extremely intelligent, independent, and fierce, and Allison’s character is badass, strong, and has proven she can take on any male villain (Genier 2011). Not only do they have these character traits, but Lydia’s character is given powers that are just as strong if not stronger than any of the male characters, and Allison is a werewolf hunter.