Gender Roles in Cartoons
Cartoons have a large influence on our children’s societal education. They learn how to act, treat others, and what their role in society is (Heintz). Have stereotypical roles changed over time on the Cartoon Network Channel? What will unfold as we explore the character roles on Cartoon Network? First, let’s understand what stereotypical gender roles are. In order to know if there has been change, we first need to establish what those roles are and understand where they come from. Stereotypical is a word that refers to majority norm on a large scale. Gender role is a portrayal (not identity) of male or female. Stereotypical gender roles would refer to the norm in which society sees male and females and the role …show more content…
Turner Broadcasting Cartoon Network launched in October 1992, competing with cartoon giant Nickelodeon (Ahmed). During this young entertainment era research studies reported that programing for girls was unnecessary. Successful shows needed to appeal to boys, according to CBS’ vice president at the time. Simply put, boys do not like shows that have leading girl characters but girls will watch programs with male or female leads (Thompson). Hence the programming geared toward boys.
The research focused on 27 popular cartoons over the course of Cartoon Network’s programming. The cartoons were selected by using the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and choosing the most popular cartoons of each decade (Wallace(3). Two to three episodes were randomly chosen to view for each show listed.
In the 1990’s, the collection of data is similar to the 2:1 male/female ratio noted previously. The lead character representation is approximately …show more content…
Male characters are still in charge (Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Powerpuff Girls), however some female roles (Mandy in The Grim Adventures of Bill and Mandy, and Truffles in Chowder) are more domineering and rude. There are two shows that appear to be well-rounded with many different characters, male and female, representing different personalities, strong and weak interchangeably, Total Drama Island and Justice League Unlimited. These programs have male and female leaders and the stereotypical gender roles are prominent in some characters but not
Cartoons have a large influence on our children’s societal education. They learn how to act, treat others, and what their role in society is (Heintz). Have stereotypical roles changed over time on the Cartoon Network Channel? What will unfold as we explore the character roles on Cartoon Network? First, let’s understand what stereotypical gender roles are. In order to know if there has been change, we first need to establish what those roles are and understand where they come from. Stereotypical is a word that refers to majority norm on a large scale. Gender role is a portrayal (not identity) of male or female. Stereotypical gender roles would refer to the norm in which society sees male and females and the role …show more content…
Turner Broadcasting Cartoon Network launched in October 1992, competing with cartoon giant Nickelodeon (Ahmed). During this young entertainment era research studies reported that programing for girls was unnecessary. Successful shows needed to appeal to boys, according to CBS’ vice president at the time. Simply put, boys do not like shows that have leading girl characters but girls will watch programs with male or female leads (Thompson). Hence the programming geared toward boys.
The research focused on 27 popular cartoons over the course of Cartoon Network’s programming. The cartoons were selected by using the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and choosing the most popular cartoons of each decade (Wallace(3). Two to three episodes were randomly chosen to view for each show listed.
In the 1990’s, the collection of data is similar to the 2:1 male/female ratio noted previously. The lead character representation is approximately …show more content…
Male characters are still in charge (Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Powerpuff Girls), however some female roles (Mandy in The Grim Adventures of Bill and Mandy, and Truffles in Chowder) are more domineering and rude. There are two shows that appear to be well-rounded with many different characters, male and female, representing different personalities, strong and weak interchangeably, Total Drama Island and Justice League Unlimited. These programs have male and female leaders and the stereotypical gender roles are prominent in some characters but not