There seems to be a large handful of shows and movies these days that use recycled storylines, character traits and scripts, and occasionally, plots can start to become predictable. In other words, there’s a general lack of over-the-top creativity. That’s where Jane The Virgin comes in, and sets itself apart. This American romantic-comedy/drama TV series, which aired its first epsiode in October of 2014, is based on an older telenovela (or ‘soap opera’) entitled Juana La Virgen, but despite that, each episode carries something unexpected. The storyline follows a 23-year-old religious Latina woman (Jane Villanueva), who is very hard-working, has a passion for writing, and is studying to be a teacher. She has vowed to save her virginity until
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Some images that come to mind might be a tall, dark and handsome man wearing a suit and tie, a man that appears to be wealthy, or a man standing over a woman in a position of power. According to Connell (1995), the definition of hegemonic masculinity is “the configuration of gender practice which embodies the currently accepted answer to the problem of the legitimacy of patriarchy, which guarantees [...] the dominant position of men and the subordination of women” (pg. 77). Though it isn’t necessarily a significant part of the show, there are, in fact, examples of this hegemonic masculinity in Jane The Virgin. The main example is seen in one of the main characters, Rafael Solano- otherwise known as the biological father of Jane’s accidental baby. From the first episode, we know that he was born into a wealthy, unstable and uncaring family, and now owns part of the Marbella hotel in Miami (where much of the show takes place). We also discover that he has had a reckless past--likely due to the family he grew up with--and is also known to have been somewhat of a womanizer. Despite Rafael’s family history, he’s an all around caring person with good intentions--throughout much of the series, however, his attention is constantly being brought back to business related to the hotel and making a profit. Additionally, once Jane gives birth towards the end of the first season, he establishes himself has the financial ‘breadwinner’ for the baby. Overall, he seems to embody many aspects of ‘stereotypical’ hegemonic masculinity. However, traditional gender roles have also reinforced the idea of men not showing emotion, often remaining a figure of ‘strength.’ According to Thompson and Walker (1989), “women tend to express more tenderness, fear and sadness than their partners; for many men, controlled anger is the only emotion they express” (pg. 846). The
Some images that come to mind might be a tall, dark and handsome man wearing a suit and tie, a man that appears to be wealthy, or a man standing over a woman in a position of power. According to Connell (1995), the definition of hegemonic masculinity is “the configuration of gender practice which embodies the currently accepted answer to the problem of the legitimacy of patriarchy, which guarantees [...] the dominant position of men and the subordination of women” (pg. 77). Though it isn’t necessarily a significant part of the show, there are, in fact, examples of this hegemonic masculinity in Jane The Virgin. The main example is seen in one of the main characters, Rafael Solano- otherwise known as the biological father of Jane’s accidental baby. From the first episode, we know that he was born into a wealthy, unstable and uncaring family, and now owns part of the Marbella hotel in Miami (where much of the show takes place). We also discover that he has had a reckless past--likely due to the family he grew up with--and is also known to have been somewhat of a womanizer. Despite Rafael’s family history, he’s an all around caring person with good intentions--throughout much of the series, however, his attention is constantly being brought back to business related to the hotel and making a profit. Additionally, once Jane gives birth towards the end of the first season, he establishes himself has the financial ‘breadwinner’ for the baby. Overall, he seems to embody many aspects of ‘stereotypical’ hegemonic masculinity. However, traditional gender roles have also reinforced the idea of men not showing emotion, often remaining a figure of ‘strength.’ According to Thompson and Walker (1989), “women tend to express more tenderness, fear and sadness than their partners; for many men, controlled anger is the only emotion they express” (pg. 846). The