Some might be just as shocked as Dee is in the clip below about the unnecessarily blunt and sexist language used to describe her. The purpose of the essay that follows is to hone in on the portrayal of women in It's Always Sunny, and how this representation relates to and informs modern studies of femininity.
Text Talk Two: Femininity in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
There are nearly countless stereotypes of women that are portrayed on modern television sitcoms, and those that are most often shown on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia relate to women’s position in the hierarchy in accordance to men. In season seven of this sitcom, characters use an explicitly blatant form of insults and degrading language towards the women in the show in order to conform to the show’s satirical nature. While The Office uses ”that’s what she said” jokes and other sexist slurs with shocked and insulted reactions from other characters, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is not at all subtle about its misrepresentation of women, and all of the main characters seem to be perfectly fine with the sexism (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). The representation of women on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, otherwise known as It’s Always Sunny, challenges traditional portrayals of women.
To begin, the three female stereotypes most often found in modern television, according to modern gender studies and an interview with Suzan Walters, a graduate sociology student at Stonybrook University (S. Walters, personal communication, November 13, 2015), are as follows: the women are over-sexualized, are placed low in the hierarchy in comparison to men, and are given specific job titles (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). Firstly, the sexualization of women as a general stereotype is defined as women being shown in only a sexual light. Women are often sexualized on television and are valued based upon their physical features and physical attractiveness. Secondly, women are often placed lower in the hierarchy in accordance to men in modern sitcoms. An example of this could be found in The Office, in which one of the main characters, Pam, is just as smart if not more intelligent than most of the men in her place of work, but is given the receptionist job in order to ensure her subordination. Lastly, a common female stereotype used today in television shows is the specificity of job titles given to women. These stereotypical job titles include maid, waitress, receptionist, or even prostitute (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). This limits women in a way that puts them in a lower position than men, just as the second stereotype mentioned does. All three of these stereotypes mentioned imply the subordinate nature of women in reference to men. In an interview with Suzan Walters, she emphasized the fact that feminine studies cannot be done without that of masculinity, and vice of versa (S. Walters, personal communication, 2015). One truly always informs the other. These three stereotypes are shown clearly in season seven of It’s Always Sunny, but in a way that is satirically overemphasized and challenges these gender norms in television.
Women, throughout the entirety of season seven of It’s Always Sunny, are portrayed in an overly sexist light through the use of the three previous generic stereotypes on modern television. Firstly, in the episode “High School Reunion," Dee, one of the main characters in the show, can be seen wearing a stunning, revealing gown to “the gang”’s high school reunion. She is reconsidered by Adriano, the high school bully who used to poke fun at her spinal condition and metal brace by referring to her as the “aluminum monster," and her worth is restored because of the sexual appeal that she now shows to him. When he is ultimately disappointed, he states, “I can’t believe I was going to let you jack me off." This vulgar and obtrusive remark is an example of the explicit representation of the three stereotypes on the show. The second stereotype, which relates to a gender-based hierarchy, is shown in the entirety of the season of this sitcom, as Dee is constantly belittled by the other members of “the gang” by being called names such as “bitch," and is the only one out of the friend group that does not own the bar, simply because she is a woman. This, again, is overemphasized for satirical effect. Lastly, in the second episode of season seven, titled “The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore," Charlie says, “I spent the night with the waitress,” to refer to his love interest. She is never referred to by her real name in the entirety of the show, and is thus defined by her stereotypically female occupation. This, again, is an explicitly inappropriate and satirical method of displaying generic female stereotypes on television.
As Suzan Walters stated in an interview, masculinity most definitely cannot exist without femininity, and therefore negating masculinity informs femininity (S. Walters, personal communication, 2015). These two portions of gender studies interact with one another, and one can truly not be studied without the other. For example, the fact that “the waitress” is a waitress alone is not enough evidence to inform femininity. The implication of more masculine jobs in light of the feminine occupations are what inform this stereotypical representation. Also, women are sexualized in comparison to men, and that comparison is what makes the misrepresentation so prevalent in modern day television and gender studies. This misrepresentation occurs frequently in today’s sitcoms, but It’s Always Sunny portrays this sexism in an explicitly blatant and satirical manner. Conclusively, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s explicit method of portraying female stereotypes defies the generic descriptions of women by overemphasizing their subordination to men.
There are nearly countless stereotypes of women that are portrayed on modern television sitcoms, and those that are most often shown on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia relate to women’s position in the hierarchy in accordance to men. In season seven of this sitcom, characters use an explicitly blatant form of insults and degrading language towards the women in the show in order to conform to the show’s satirical nature. While The Office uses ”that’s what she said” jokes and other sexist slurs with shocked and insulted reactions from other characters, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is not at all subtle about its misrepresentation of women, and all of the main characters seem to be perfectly fine with the sexism (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). The representation of women on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, otherwise known as It’s Always Sunny, challenges traditional portrayals of women.
To begin, the three female stereotypes most often found in modern television, according to modern gender studies and an interview with Suzan Walters, a graduate sociology student at Stonybrook University (S. Walters, personal communication, November 13, 2015), are as follows: the women are over-sexualized, are placed low in the hierarchy in comparison to men, and are given specific job titles (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). Firstly, the sexualization of women as a general stereotype is defined as women being shown in only a sexual light. Women are often sexualized on television and are valued based upon their physical features and physical attractiveness. Secondly, women are often placed lower in the hierarchy in accordance to men in modern sitcoms. An example of this could be found in The Office, in which one of the main characters, Pam, is just as smart if not more intelligent than most of the men in her place of work, but is given the receptionist job in order to ensure her subordination. Lastly, a common female stereotype used today in television shows is the specificity of job titles given to women. These stereotypical job titles include maid, waitress, receptionist, or even prostitute (Birthisel & Martin, 2013). This limits women in a way that puts them in a lower position than men, just as the second stereotype mentioned does. All three of these stereotypes mentioned imply the subordinate nature of women in reference to men. In an interview with Suzan Walters, she emphasized the fact that feminine studies cannot be done without that of masculinity, and vice of versa (S. Walters, personal communication, 2015). One truly always informs the other. These three stereotypes are shown clearly in season seven of It’s Always Sunny, but in a way that is satirically overemphasized and challenges these gender norms in television.
Women, throughout the entirety of season seven of It’s Always Sunny, are portrayed in an overly sexist light through the use of the three previous generic stereotypes on modern television. Firstly, in the episode “High School Reunion," Dee, one of the main characters in the show, can be seen wearing a stunning, revealing gown to “the gang”’s high school reunion. She is reconsidered by Adriano, the high school bully who used to poke fun at her spinal condition and metal brace by referring to her as the “aluminum monster," and her worth is restored because of the sexual appeal that she now shows to him. When he is ultimately disappointed, he states, “I can’t believe I was going to let you jack me off." This vulgar and obtrusive remark is an example of the explicit representation of the three stereotypes on the show. The second stereotype, which relates to a gender-based hierarchy, is shown in the entirety of the season of this sitcom, as Dee is constantly belittled by the other members of “the gang” by being called names such as “bitch," and is the only one out of the friend group that does not own the bar, simply because she is a woman. This, again, is overemphasized for satirical effect. Lastly, in the second episode of season seven, titled “The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore," Charlie says, “I spent the night with the waitress,” to refer to his love interest. She is never referred to by her real name in the entirety of the show, and is thus defined by her stereotypically female occupation. This, again, is an explicitly inappropriate and satirical method of displaying generic female stereotypes on television.
As Suzan Walters stated in an interview, masculinity most definitely cannot exist without femininity, and therefore negating masculinity informs femininity (S. Walters, personal communication, 2015). These two portions of gender studies interact with one another, and one can truly not be studied without the other. For example, the fact that “the waitress” is a waitress alone is not enough evidence to inform femininity. The implication of more masculine jobs in light of the feminine occupations are what inform this stereotypical representation. Also, women are sexualized in comparison to men, and that comparison is what makes the misrepresentation so prevalent in modern day television and gender studies. This misrepresentation occurs frequently in today’s sitcoms, but It’s Always Sunny portrays this sexism in an explicitly blatant and satirical manner. Conclusively, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s explicit method of portraying female stereotypes defies the generic descriptions of women by overemphasizing their subordination to men.