I was in my writing class yesterday when my professor brought up a topic that strayed from the words of Faulkner and Poe. We were explaining the typical hotness scale, the one that decides whether or not you get to enter a party according to another student, when the professor threw a loop in our direction. “Ever notice how it’s okay for a woman that is spectacularly beautiful to be with a not so spectacular man, but not the other way around in society?” he asked. Shows like “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons” and “The Big Bang Theory” all came to mind. It suddenly became a truth that was hard not to pay attention to when seeing what was on the television screen.
With “Family Guy,” the situation is highlighted in multiple episodes. Lois is supposedly this beautiful woman with an amazing body and likeable personality (if you don’t pay attention to Stewie’s point of view). And then we get Peter: a character portrayed as an idiotic male that doesn’t do much but drink, play with the dog and make decisions that usually cause everyone to fail in some way.
The same comparison can be made with “The Simpsons’” Homer and Marge, “The Flintstones’” Fred and Wilma and “The Big Bang Theory’s” Leonard and Penny. They’re all enjoyable shows that feature comical situations where the male is making a mistake and his counterpart is trying to solve it. They also bring a male together with a woman conveyed as beautiful and desirable. It’s weird how the same situations can’t be applied if the roles were reversed.
In some films and television shows shown on the small screen, if the man is the desirable character and the woman is portrayed as nerdy or a bit foolish, then she has to go through a transformation or prove herself in order to gain his love. She has to fix her hair, change her style and gain confidence before she can be with the man she desires. People reject the male being with the average female, yet a male that is nerdy and short or overweight and unintelligent can be with the voluptuous blonde or the smart redhead. In society, it becomes a truth as we watch red carpet shows and wonder “how did she get him?” I’m not sure when it all became acceptable, but watch an episode of one of the shows listed and wait to see the teacher’s words unfold as truth.
Photo Sources:
http://picsotheedem.blog.com/2014/02/08/lois-griffen/
http://creatememe.chucklesnetwork.com/memes/83724/what-if-by-her-saying-…