Erhiza Nabong
Language Arts Per.2
July 7,1995

Television can give us different views about many things. In fact, it contributes to a numerous amount of false images that some people turn to believe because of what we see every day. One thing I found out when I analyzed some t.v. shows was that the common link they all had is the negative representation of women. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Beverly Hill 90210, and My So Called Life are three shows that illustrate how women are stereotyped.

In The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Hillary is the character that represents women in a bad way. Her character is a young female adult who's only interested in clothes, weight, and appearance. Most, if not all the episodes, have her remarking on how bad something looks. Most of these remarks are said because Hillary seems to be conceited, and she judges things and people on their appearance.

One episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air showed Hillary with "scrubby" clothes on and no make-up on her face. She was eating and watching soap operas with the butler, Jeffrey. He told her how he'd never seen this side of her, and she replied saying how comfortable she was like that. But when her boyfriend, Trevor, comes knocking at the door, Hillary covers herself up, and yells out, "Quick! Where's my hot comb?"

Another show called, Beverly Hills 90210, includes many girls in the cast. An episode I saw was about Kelly and Donna getting into a sorority. As a part of their little test, they had to be seen by their fellow students with face cleanser and their robes during breakfast. Kelly told Donna how embarrassed she felt because in her and the other girls' minds, they looked "ugly" because they didn't have any make-up on. The message this brings out is how women can only be beautiful if they have their eye shadow on, hair done, and nice clothes worn. And if you don't have these, you don't have the main qualities to fit in and be recognized.

Another time, Kelly was put down by a frat member she used to talk to. He said some unkind words to her, but all she did was turn away and let him get away with it. It bothered her, but she just ignored him when he needed to be corrected. This gives the impression that women always let things "slide". It's like anyone can say something very rude, but the woman stays under control, but is taken advantage of mentally.

My So Called Life has a young teenage girl named, Angela, who basically is infatuated with a guy named, Jordan. Whenever she talks to him, she acts different and feels in a lower level than Jordan. She ends up saying something like, "School is weird sometimes, huh?" Jordan replies with a simple answer and gives Angela a weird and dirty look. Angela feels stupid and ends up going into the bathroom to see if something is wrong with her face as she stares into the mirror.

I know that some women feel insecure about a certain physical feature that they have, but there are others who have enough self pride to not care about how others think of them. What shows do, however, is display the same messages about women in their episodes over and over again. From the three shows I've talked about, there isn't one character that stands out in my mind who is female, has no make-up on, no expensive clothes on who tries her hardest, has the respect that she deserves, and is in control of her responsibilities. The shows I've mentioned may display a woman, but if you look at their roles, you find, not a display, but a generalization of all women. Some of these stereotypes are how women like to go to malls, care about clothes, care about how they look, and feel in a lower position than a man.

Television shows bring about these quick judgements of women. From Married With Children and Roseanne to the shows I've discussed, I haven't seen a woman who was comfortable with herself. That's what shows do when they're shown. What I saw in these shows may have been different female characters, but all these characters had the same qualities. In the shows, women were stereotyped mainly because they made it seem as though clothes and make-up were their "bare necessities".