We are all familiar with the advancement of women’s rights and we still have a long way to go. Now women can work, hold positions of power, and be the head of the household. Living in the 21st century, it can be hard to imagine a time where women were servants of their husbands. One show that captures the complex view of females in the past is That ’70s Show. As depicted in the show, females have power over the men in a romantic way but are still inferior in every other aspect of society. They cook, clean, and run the household while the husband is the breadwinner for the family. Aside from the obvious nuclear family ideals, one interesting aspect of the show is the double standards where men are praised and women are criticized for the same things. Let’s see if these depictions have improved since the ’70s or if they are still dominating society today.
- Jackie Burkhart vs. Laurie Forman: BURN
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Michael Kelso, played by Ashton Kutcher, was a player in That ’70s Show. He was introduced in the first season dating Jackie Burkhart, played by Mila Kunis. The running “joke” in season one is that Jackie is annoying and Kelso is adamant about breaking up with her, but never does. Instead of breaking up with Jackie, Kelso decided to try and get the best of both worlds by dating his best friend’s sister, Laurie, at the same time he dated Jackie. When Jackie finds out and breaks up with Kelso, she takes her anger out on Laurie. They exchange insults at each other and are praised when they have a “sick burn.” This is similar to society now, with greater emphasis being placed on the side chick in situations and rarely blaming the man who was juggling two or more women at the same time.
- Eric Forman vs. Laurie Forman: Easy Target
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Before Laurie started messing with Kelso, she was known as the “Community Chest” of Place, Wisconsin. Everyone made a joke about Laurie sleeping around, having multiple partners, being easy, being a failure, etc. Laurie’s brother Eric makes it his life mission to tease her, and all his friends praise him for it, even his parents sometimes. Although these jokes provide comedic effect, they are adding to the double standards in the portrayal of Laurie as a “slut” for liking sex and using birth control but praising men for losing their virginity young and having sex as much as possible.
- Jackie and Hyde vs. Eric and Donna: Forbidden Love
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As mentioned above, Jackie and Kelso were quite the toxic couple. Thankfully, later in the show, Jackie fell in love with Steven Hyde. Hyde made Jackie think about life differently and taught her how to be independent. While she was with Kelso, she only looked for material ways for Kelso to prove his love. The double standards problem comes with the juxtaposition of Jackie and Kelso’s relationship with Jackie and Hyde’s relationship. When Kelso repeatedly cheated on Jackie with Laurie and other girls, his friends Eric and Donna sat idly by and never told Jackie. When Eric and Donna find out that Jackie and Hyde were together, they were quick to judge and tried to break them up because their relationship would hurt Kelso. When Jackie found someone who made her happy, Eric and Donna sided with Kelso just like they did when Kelso cheated on her. The man was praised while the woman was criticized.
- Bob Pinciotti vs. Midge Pinciotti: Power Struggle
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Bob and Midge Pinciotti are a prime example of a ’70s family, with the husband working all day and the wife staying home and taking care of the children. Writers chose to portray both Bob and Midge as “airheads” but make Midge significantly dumber than Bob, thus keeping the power structure intact. Midge is a trophy wife whose only job is to sit around and look pretty. She soon gets tired of Bob controlling her and wants to do something productive with her time. The ’70s saw a rise in feminist movements, which is incorporated into the storyline for the show. Midge signs up for a feminist class, which would be okay with Bob if only the class didn’t meet at night time. Since Midge would go to class one night a week, she wouldn’t make dinner for him. Bob very explicitly states that he only wants her to have dinner ready for him when he gets home after a long day at work. His job is to provide for the family, and her job is to cook, clean, and stay home. Bob buys Midge things and puts a roof over her head which, in his mind, should be enough. Problems arise after this class, leading to Bob almost cheating on her and their short separation.
Bob thinks everything went wrong when Midge decided she wanted to “think.” Viewers were not happy with the way Bob acted towards her, but that’s how it was back then. Has it changed since? Although it is normal for both a man and a woman to work to provide two incomes for a house, many men are still insecure about female independence and their masculinity. Many husbands feel inadequate when their wives make more money than them, and it’s 2020. Women are still expected to take care of the house and children while the men go to work and bring home the money. This is just a new form of the male breadwinner model.
That ’70s Show is great for a good laugh, but the themes in the show can challenge you to think. It may be easy to dismiss the digs at women and the portrayal of dominant men over helpless women. Next time you watch the show, look closer at the way women are treated in the ’70s and compare them to society today. Has anything changed?