Keven Carlson
Comm 3070-001
Gender Roles Challenged in New Girl
In September of 2011 a new television show aired named “New Girl” it told the story of a young girl in Los Angeles who, after a break-up with a long time boy friend, tries to find a new place to live. She ends up finding a place where she wants to stay, but the catch is that she’ll be living with 3 men, all single in their thirties. This show, starring Zoe Deschanel, on the surface may seem like a light-hearted, quirky comedy, but when we get dig just a bit deeper, we find that it may be challenging gender roles and making us question what really is masculinity and femininity. The three main male characters are Schmidt, Nick, and Winston, and they all in one way or another …show more content…
Nick challenges mainstream masculinity because he doesn’t care much for being the poorest in the apartment. Usually, we would think it is a masculine trait to try to be the best, especially in the situation that they find themselves in. If many men live together mainstream thinking would make us imagine that there would be a lot of competition, but Nick is perfectly okay being an unsuccessful person because he does what he likes to do and is comfortable with that. Which some may think could be a very masculine trait, being comfortable with oneself and enjoying what you do. Nick also challenges the thought that men must be self-reliant, he often doesn’t have the means to pay rent, buy food, or do other activities. He has to borrow money from his friends and they don’t mind lending it to him because he helps fix things around the …show more content…
He is a black male that used to play basketball professionally on a team in eastern Europe. He may not be the best basketball player, but it is clear that he has played a lot and grew up playing the game. Messner makes another observation in his paper, Masculinities and Athletic Careers, He mentions that organized sports for young boys may be a cause of male aggression because many times coaches will tell their players to “make the other team hurt, or make them bleed.” This is a very viable theory and could hold some weight and explain a lot about male aggressiveness. The interesting thing about Winston’s character is that he does not fit in with Messner’s theory that sports make men competitive and aggressive. Winston is the least aggressive out of all the characters in the show. Many times, Nick and Schmidt get in arguments or disagreements and Winston has to be there to make them make peace. In one particular instance, the two men and Jess are arguing and Winston comes out in his pajamas, telling them that it was a Saturday and that “Saturdays are for sleeping in” but he doesn’t hold his ground long as he is not a very aggressive
Comm 3070-001
Gender Roles Challenged in New Girl
In September of 2011 a new television show aired named “New Girl” it told the story of a young girl in Los Angeles who, after a break-up with a long time boy friend, tries to find a new place to live. She ends up finding a place where she wants to stay, but the catch is that she’ll be living with 3 men, all single in their thirties. This show, starring Zoe Deschanel, on the surface may seem like a light-hearted, quirky comedy, but when we get dig just a bit deeper, we find that it may be challenging gender roles and making us question what really is masculinity and femininity. The three main male characters are Schmidt, Nick, and Winston, and they all in one way or another …show more content…
Nick challenges mainstream masculinity because he doesn’t care much for being the poorest in the apartment. Usually, we would think it is a masculine trait to try to be the best, especially in the situation that they find themselves in. If many men live together mainstream thinking would make us imagine that there would be a lot of competition, but Nick is perfectly okay being an unsuccessful person because he does what he likes to do and is comfortable with that. Which some may think could be a very masculine trait, being comfortable with oneself and enjoying what you do. Nick also challenges the thought that men must be self-reliant, he often doesn’t have the means to pay rent, buy food, or do other activities. He has to borrow money from his friends and they don’t mind lending it to him because he helps fix things around the …show more content…
He is a black male that used to play basketball professionally on a team in eastern Europe. He may not be the best basketball player, but it is clear that he has played a lot and grew up playing the game. Messner makes another observation in his paper, Masculinities and Athletic Careers, He mentions that organized sports for young boys may be a cause of male aggression because many times coaches will tell their players to “make the other team hurt, or make them bleed.” This is a very viable theory and could hold some weight and explain a lot about male aggressiveness. The interesting thing about Winston’s character is that he does not fit in with Messner’s theory that sports make men competitive and aggressive. Winston is the least aggressive out of all the characters in the show. Many times, Nick and Schmidt get in arguments or disagreements and Winston has to be there to make them make peace. In one particular instance, the two men and Jess are arguing and Winston comes out in his pajamas, telling them that it was a Saturday and that “Saturdays are for sleeping in” but he doesn’t hold his ground long as he is not a very aggressive