Futurama Series Speaks Against Gender Stereotypes

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Summary
References

Introduction

Futurama, an animated sci-fi sitcom made in the United States at the turn of the 21st century, is worth mentioning in the list of works whose relation with gender stereotypes is quite ambiguous. In one respect, it seems to support them, as several characters correspond partly or completely to formulaic images of men and women. On the contrary, the moviemakers respect for strong and self-reliant personalities, including females, is apparent throughout the series. This allows assuming that Matt Groening and other creators of Futurama sought to communicate the need to treat people in accordance with their traits, not gender or looks, to the audience.

Main body

At first sight, Groenings team may seem to have utilized a sexist approach to designing the characters as well as the relationships between them. Thus, Amy Wong, one of the female protagonists, is outstandingly beautiful but quite narrow-minded, embodying the stereotypical idea that an attractive appearance cannot be combinable with intellect. Turanga Leela, the central female character and Amys friend, supports such a view as well, but in a different way; being physically, morally, and intellectually strong, she considers herself not sufficiently good-looking. Furthermore, the girls compete with each other on a constant basis, trying to identify who is more attractive and which behavior is stereotypically female.

Upon a closer view, however, it becomes apparent that the characters are substantially deeper and actually oppose gender stereotypes rather than support them. In particular, Amy appears to be considerably less focused on the ways people look than she may seem to be initially. Her provocative outfit is actually a form of protest against the will of her parents, who try to force her to dress like a noble lady (Louden & Keeler, 2000). It would be more appropriate to classify Amys parents as sexists than those who created her since the former are convinced that a woman should look exclusively in a certain way. The latter, meanwhile, gives the character the right to wear what appeals to her, which is a stand against prejudice.

Regarding Leela, the plot shows that the belonging issues, which she is experiencing, are rooted in her low self-esteem rather than the attitude of the others to her. Being a mutant, she has one big eye instead of two smaller; this naturally makes her stand out but does not compromise her attractiveness. In her childhood, she was actually a victim of bullying. In adulthood, however, hardly any of her nearest treats her worse than otherwise solely because of her cyclopia, which is apparent from the characters behaviors and dialogues throughout the series. Her virtues, such as honesty, courage, fidelity to her principles, decisiveness, and many others, actually are the reasons why her friends respect her, and her appearance plays no considerable role. The prevalence of personal characteristics over the way an individual looks, presumably, is among the most important messages that the moviemakers sought to transmit in the piece.

In addition, the series ridicules certain behavioral patterns that are not solely stereotype-based but harmful, dangerous, and, consequently, unacceptable. Specifically, at least some of the men whom Leela dates in various episodes can qualify as abusers because of their attempts to use emotion to press on her. Zapp Brannigan, for instance, awakens compassion in her that leads to intercourse, after which he stalks her for a long period, seeking mutuality (Sheesly & Kelley, 1999). Another example is Alkazar, who pretends to be the only surviving male representative of the species to which Leela hypothetically belongs to seduce and then enslave her (Dietter & Kaplan, 2000). Both of those look dramatically miserable and disgust the audience; Leela rejects them quite soon. By these means, the authors apparently oppose the idea of male dominance and female humility.

Other episodes may look ambiguous through the gender lens as well, but in fact, they stand against stereotypes. Thus, Amazon women, where the male characters find themselves captured by a tribe of giant female warriors, may seem outstandingly offensive due to the way in which it depicts women (Sheesly & Morton, 2001). It is important to remember, however, that the series is a comedy, which presupposes ironic images by definition and focuses on the views that it promotes. Specifically, the given episode shows, albeit in a grotesque manner, the falseness of the assumption that only men need sex and can derive pleasure from it. This is essential, as even a considerable amount of women still share such an opinion, which prevents them from empowerment.

Summary

To summarize, although Futurama may seem to be a sexist series, at first sight, a closer examination reveals several directions in which this work speaks against gender stereotypes. Primarily, its creators highlight the priority of personal traits over appearance as well as actions over words, which underlies the unacceptability of relationships with abusers, although prejudice teaches women to be obedient. Other obscurant views, such as requirements for the way a woman dresses or the belief that she does not have her own sexual appetite, also are caricatured in the piece.

References

Dietter, S. (Writer) & Kaplan, E. (Director). (2000). A Bicyclops built for two (Season 2, episode 9) [TV series episode]. In M. Groening (Producer), Futurama. 20th Century Fox.

Louden, Ch. (Writer) & Keeler, K. (Director). (2000). Put your head on my shoulder (Season 2, episode 7) [TV series episode]. In M. Groening (Producer), Futurama. 20th Century Fox.

Sheesly, B. (Writer) & Kelley, B. (Director). (1999). Love labours lost in space (Season 1, episode 4) [TV series episode]. In M. Groening (Producer), Futurama. 20^th Century Fox.

Sheesly, B. (Writer) & Morton, L. (Director). (2001). Amazon women in the wood (Season 3, episode 1) [TV series episode]. In M. Groening (Producer), Futurama. 20th Century Fox.

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Futurama Series Speaks Against Gender Stereotypes

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