What I find interesting about this show is its ability to take stereotypical, archetypal characters and turn them on their heads. For instance, we got the normal and overly cheerful nice girl with Rachel, but she is also seen as manipulative and self-absorbed. This is especially evident when she says that she wants to allow another couple win the duet competition, because she is helping other people feel like they have accomplished something while only looking for her own benefit in the long run.
Rachel is not the only example of such characterization; The McKinley High cheerleaders have also been altered from their typical forms. Brittany and Santana are shown to be the most popular of their school. However, their relationship is what sets them apart from the typical cheerleader. Showing the two girls acting on lesbian impulses provides enough character development to increase the diversity of the already wide-ranging show.
The biggest distinction of the show comes from Kurt and his embodiment of what a typical homosexual character can be described as, and his ability to stereotype others. He is quick to assume that another character, Sam, is gay based on how his hair looked; At the same time he can call another one homophobic for telling him that he is overstepping his boundaries. The whole situation with Kurt is interesting because it is a typical scenario of a fictional work: A guy likes someone, uses a scheme to get close to that person, and in turn tries to get that person to like them. The only difference is that this time the situation is based on a homosexual interest that can cause many problems when sexual preferences are taken into question and consideration.
I really liked your interpretation of Glee. I think you did a very good job at clearly formulating what I knew was going on in the show, but had trouble expressing.
ReplyDeleteYou effectively analyzed the stereotypical side of the show, yet you opposed it by bringing up some elements that don't make it so stereotypical!
I thought that Kurt's character was in fact the most stereotypical character in Glee. He is presented as most movies/media etc depict gays and I could not find the element that set him aside from that archetypal image.
What I also found interesting, but that you did not mention, was the way Sam is portrayed. He seems to have the good looks of a popular highschooler, yet he is "downer" on which we play all kinds of tricks.
What I understood from your analysis is that, overall, Glee did do a good job of incorporating those stereotypes and refuting them at the same time.
Great analysis!
I also found the situation with Kurt interesting. Not only his situation with Sam, but his decision to do the duet by himself. He sang both male and female parts, and his outfit that he wore was split down the middle, one side representing male, and the other female. I thought this totally embodied the idea of "gender identity" because Kurt is identifies himself as a male, but he's still very feminine. I felt like that outfit and that song really represented his identity.
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