The Big Bang Theory Gender Analysis

Every night after our dinner my family and I would sit down and watch The Big Bang Theory on television. Those thirty minute airings had my whole living room roaring. We loved how awkward Sheldon was and how Leonard was always chasing pretty Penny. It was not until recently that I have noticed how misogyny is portrayed throughout the show. As I watch the episodes back I still laugh: however, I cannot help but to realize how the women, in particular Penny and Amy, are characterized throughout each episode. For those who are not familiar, The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. Aired on CBS, this comedy is about how four geeky, socially awkward guys interact with the world outside their laboratories. The four main male characters are Sheldon Cooper (physicist), Leonard Hofstadter (physicist), Howard Wolowitz (aerospace engineer), and Raj Koothrappali (astrophysicist). Penny, on the other hand, started the series being a waitress and a want-to-be actress. As you can see from the job titles the show implicates that …show more content…
Penny is written to be a dumb attractive female while Bernadette and Amy are smart, but perceived as unattractive. This emphasizes stereotypical ideologies about women, in the fact that they are either hot and dumb or smart and not attractive. Even with two female scientists, the male characters still are misogynist towards them based on their looks.
The Big Bang Theory continually characterizes misogyny throughout each episode. They objectify women and tend to see them as more as caregivers, than their equal. The show illustrates misogyny through the treatment of women, portrayal of women, and how women are talked about on the show. Repeatedly, the male characters comment on women’s appearances and their attributions to sex, depicting male gazing. They portray women as inferior to the men in every aspect on the