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In the modern television sphere, the themes of sexuality and feminism have become more common than ever before. However, in the 1990s, these topics only started entering the media and faced challenges of introducing these complicated ideas to the general public. Multiple TV shows, including Ally McBeal, Sex and the City, Will and Grace, Ellen, and others, portray homosexuality and feminism through sexual minstrelsy that portrays sexuality in a comic way. The depiction of these complex topics in the TV series of the humoristic genre implies both regressive and progressive impulses for the audience.
In the 1990s, the mass media and entertainment spheres initiated a more active representation of homosexuality, introducing it as a norm. Such TV series as Will and Grace and Ellen “helped draw so much attention to the visibility of gays and lesbians on U.S. television” making “gay material a remarkable programming trend of the decade” (Becker, 2006, p.185). However, despite attracting the public’s attention to the issues associated with queer sexuality, the impulses these shows created were both regressive and progressive. Indeed, using homosexuality as a source of minstrelsy or entertainment, jokes are made around the challenges of homosexuals in the social reality where they are estranged and misunderstood.
For example, in Ellen, the main character is continuously portrayed in situations where her homosexuality is emphasized by the opposition of conventional female life choices and clothing to those stereotypically assigned to lesbians (Burns, 2012). In such a manner, through humor, the audience’s attention is attracter to homosexuals’ issues, as well as encouraged to differentiate them as unconventional.
Similar to the depiction of homosexuality on TV, feminism is also popularized through the entertainment medium. For example, in the TV series Ally McBeal, the portrayal of women is both progressive and regressive in terms of feminism representation. Indeed, although the TV show concentrates on women and their independence in general, it fails to deliver a positive image of feminist ideas. In fact, the show creates additional stereotypes on the ways women interact with one another. The humoristic effect is commonly achieved through the opposition Ally and Georgia, whose relationship is marked with the ambiguity of friendship and rivalry.
Through such a portrayal of female characters, the TC show cultivates a prejudiced idea of women as cruel and unsupportive of each other. An example of a scene that is very descriptive of this idea is when Ally and Georgia are participating in a fighting match against each other. Every punch is followed by apologies from one of the women address to another one (Pumpkin1977, 2011). As stated by Kim (2001), Ally McBeal entails “the depiction of independent women who are shown as unhappy because of this independence” (p. 320). However, such a dualistic portrayal of feminism reflects the ambiguity of women’s status in real life, where they are confused with the opportunities and insecurities that their independence grants.
In summary, the ambiguity of the portrayal of homosexuality and feminism in TV series reflects the dualistic nature of these issues in real life. Both feminism and homosexuality are used as a source of comic effects and entertainment, which creates an opportunity for both progressive and regressive impulses. The viewers are encouraged to recognize these issues as part of social reality and might find it challenging to accept them due to the emphasized differences and uncertainties.
References
Becker, R. (2006). Gay-themed television and the slumpy class: The affordable, multicultural politics of the gay nineties. Television & New Media, 7(2), 184-215.
Burns, R. (2012). Clues that Ellen DeGeneres is gay part 1 (Sitcom). [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Kim, L. S. (2001). “Sex and the single girl” in postfeminism: The F word on television. Television & New Media, 2(4), 319-334.
Pumpkin1977. (2011). Best of Ally McBeal part 1. [Video]. YouTube. Web.
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