Human beings are a very interesting species. We look for patterns in our fellow beings, and form opinions about those people that shape how we treat them. Such patterns in these people are called stereotypes, and they are more prominent when the patterns are uncommon. In The Laramie Project, a true story, Matthew Shepard was a bright and vibrant young adult. Sadly, he was targeted and beaten to death due to the fact that he was a homosexual. Homosexuality is a fairly rare trait in comparison to heterosexuals, so the stereotypes against this sexuality are extremely heavy. In addition to humans being stereotypical, we are also very influential. The media and popular culture have a major influence on the stereotypes that humans create for homosexuals. Homosexuality has experienced negative stereotypes dating back thousands of years. However, thanks to television shows, these stereotypes are recently being challenged. For example, in the show The Office, character Oscar Martinez is a latino homosexual who works as an accountant. He is considered to be the smartest character on the show and a bit arrogant as well. Oscar isn’t even suspected to be homosexual until his identity is forced out of him by another character in the show, Michael Scott. Martinez behaved no differently than the other heteresexual men in the area of masculinity. As someone who has seen the show, I saw his behavior as stereotypical intelligent, heterosexual, male behavior. In other words, Oscar Martinez does not hold traits similar to the stereotypical traits of gay males. This show challenges the common stereotype that gay men are effeminate and unintelligent. This stereotype has been around for decades and is still present in today’s society. Thanks to shows like this, there’s a chance someone's mindset can be changed every time they turn on the tv. In addition to shows, the commercials aired with shows have also been challenging homosexual stereotypes. Many people see commercials as obnoxious and impactful, but studies show that commercials are capable of changing opinions, even on serious topics like sexuality. One of these commercials, created by IKEA, dates back to 1994. The commercial, while centralized around a product of IKEA’s, displays a homosexual couple eating dinner. The two men are middle-aged, and look like ordinary middle-classed men that you could see in public. The commercial does well in challenging the stereotype that gay men are “weirdly” dressed, young, and poor. In other words, the couple was functional and mature which challenges stereotypical gay relationships. Although maybe not as effective as a television show, these types of commercials are challenging the stereotypes of homosexuals. They leave an impression on us that anybody, no matter how they look or act, can be homosexual. However, some things continue to
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Movies have been around for over a century, and most of these movies are made to entertain. One genre in particular, comedy, often enforces stereotypes in an effort to get a laugh out of the audience. The problem is that even if the audience is enjoying the film, the groups that are stereotyped in the film will suffer consequences from society. For example, in the movie Legally Blonde, character Elle Woods is extremely stereotypical towards gay men in one scene. Elle Woods is a lawyer in a court case against Brooke Windham who has been accused of murdering her husband. Primary “witness” Enrique Salvatore says that he was with Brooke having an affair at the time of the murder. During an intermission, Elle is impatiently tapping her foot behind Enrique Salvatore at a water fountain before Enrique turns around and tells her, “Don’t stomp your little last-season Prada shoes at me, honey.” Elle immediately runs to her prosecution team and tells them that Enrique is gay, saying “Gay men know designers, straight men don’t.” The stereotype here is obvious. This scene enforced a stereotype that gay men know designer women’s shoes, while straight men don’t. The scene also portrayed Enrique wearing a bright colorful vest and speaking with a “feminine” voice. In other words, this movie put a stereotype on gay men that they wear bright clothing, speak in a feminine voice, and know designer shoes. This movie heavily enforced the modern stereotype that homosexual men are effeminate. Stereotypes are not only enforced on screens, however, enforcement can exist on paper as
Movies have been around for over a century, and most of these movies are made to entertain. One genre in particular, comedy, often enforces stereotypes in an effort to get a laugh out of the audience. The problem is that even if the audience is enjoying the film, the groups that are stereotyped in the film will suffer consequences from society. For example, in the movie Legally Blonde, character Elle Woods is extremely stereotypical towards gay men in one scene. Elle Woods is a lawyer in a court case against Brooke Windham who has been accused of murdering her husband. Primary “witness” Enrique Salvatore says that he was with Brooke having an affair at the time of the murder. During an intermission, Elle is impatiently tapping her foot behind Enrique Salvatore at a water fountain before Enrique turns around and tells her, “Don’t stomp your little last-season Prada shoes at me, honey.” Elle immediately runs to her prosecution team and tells them that Enrique is gay, saying “Gay men know designers, straight men don’t.” The stereotype here is obvious. This scene enforced a stereotype that gay men know designer women’s shoes, while straight men don’t. The scene also portrayed Enrique wearing a bright colorful vest and speaking with a “feminine” voice. In other words, this movie put a stereotype on gay men that they wear bright clothing, speak in a feminine voice, and know designer shoes. This movie heavily enforced the modern stereotype that homosexual men are effeminate. Stereotypes are not only enforced on screens, however, enforcement can exist on paper as