Gender Roles In 70's Show

Improved Essays
That 70’s Show breaks the stereotypical roles by portraying men having a feminine side, and women being more masculine. In comparison to other characters, the two main characters Eric and Donna do not have the typical gender characteristics of what is usually portrayed in the media. Eric plays a more feminine role, whereas Donna plays a more masculine role.
After watching the “Pilot”, “Eric’s Birthday”, and “Streaking” episodes of season one, it is clearly seen that Eric is portraying a more feminine role compared to the other male characters. For example, his high pitched voice, lack of muscle definition, and demeanor are all things you notice right away. It is in the “Pilot” episode, Eric is first seen as being more feminine. For instance,
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Even after Eric father’s Red told him that he was not supposed to take the car out of town because “she is old (“Pilot”)” to which Eric agreed not to go out of town. However, Donna told Eric if he wanted to go “it is your car… you are a seventeen year old man it is your decision, (“Pilot”)” which is basically letting Eric know he needs to be a man and make a decision on what he wants to do instead of listening to Red. These are just a few examples of how Eric does not portray the typical male gender role unlike the other male characters within That 70’s show. As one can see, Eric is easily manipulated, he shows his emotions more than the other males and his manhood is constantly being called into question.
According to Planned Parenthood: Gender and Gender Identity, “gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors and characteristics.” As such, the words that are typically used to describe a male as being masculine are “independent, aggressive, strong, emotionless, sexually aggressive and self-confident (“Gender and Gender Identity”).”However, to only consider these characteristics of a male is naïve since it does not take into account that both male and females have traits that typically society indicates should be of the other gender. It is because of these stereotypes individuals are judged and

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