Stereotypes in Modern Family: Ditzy gold digger with wacky traditions
In The Bronze Screen Looking at Us Looking, the author reminds us that how a specific ethnicity or race is portrayed in the mainstream media may be much different than how they would be portrayed if the film was produced, written and directed by people of the same race and ethnicity. If a film is done correctly and respectfully it can have a greater impact on both politics and culture but it can only have exceptional meaning if current events also speak to the importance and meaning of the film.
“… it needs to be stressed that what determines whether or not a film is reactionary or progressive depends on the configurations of power relations operating at any given historical moment.” (Bronze Screen)
Many times it’s not how people are portrayed in the media that upsets them but the details that are assumed. In Hanging Out with the Homegirls? Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca, Rosa Linda Fregosa discusses what was wrong with the film. The biggest issue she says, is that it’s essential to tell the story from their perspectives.
“One way to humanize people who don't get represented on the screen is to make sure you tell the story from their own point of view, to insure you depict their reality through their own eyes.” (Fregosa)
The filmmaker wanted to do her best to represent people who often aren’t represented on the screen as real as possible but according to Rose Linda Fregosa they fell into a stereotype which often happens. The way that minorities are often portrayed in the mainstream media can quickly become stereotypes. If people do not introduce themselves to authentic media, they will only familiarize that race and ethnicity with what they learned from mainstream media which is often not true.
A mainstream media television show which often plays into stereotypes of not only race and ethnicity but also women as well is Modern Family. Gloria Pritchett is the Columbian wife of Jay Pritchett. Because she is much younger than her husband she is often portrayed as a “young, beautiful, and ditzy gold digger.”
In this clip, Gloria is explaining Columbian traditions to Jay who is making fun of them. From the very beginning, Gloria is sexualized by how she is cooking. Gloria often wears low cut shirts on the show as well and uses her sexuality to get what she wants. For many people who have never met a Columbian woman but watch this show they make think that all Columbian women are ditzy and sexual. In this clip, Jay is insulting Gloria by mocking her family traditions. Eventually, Gloria gets Jay to participate in one of the “Columbian family traditions” which she describes as something that is “very important to me.” She makes Jay slap the chicken and yell which makes Jay feel very dumb. It ends up being a joke that Gloria played on Jay to make him feel stupid and says, “that’s not a real custom in Columbia, we’re not lunatics.” First of all, the way Jay makes fun of Gloria’s traditions is alarming. Just because it is different than what he experiences it does not make it “nutty” as he describes it. Also, Gloria says that her culture is very important to her, yet she mocks it herself. Modern Family is on ABC with about 6 million people tuning in each week. If this is the only source of Columbian culture for many of these people, then they will continue to think that Columbian women are ditzy gold diggers with crazy traditions.
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