Cross-posted at Jezebel.
Alicia S. sent in an image of the poster for the movie Life as We Know It, featuring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Heigl appears to be in her familiar role as responsible, career-oriented, but uptight and ultimately unfulfilled woman who falls for an irresponsible or immature guy. In the movie, the two main characters end up raising a child together after the death of the baby’s parents. The poster pretty much sums up the messages you’re going to get about gender:
Want more? Here’s the trailer:
So women are responsible — they can even get themselves dressed — and nurturing while men are childish boors. Alicia says,
While Heigl is presented as a warm, caring motherly figure, her male costar is likened to a baby: immature and irresponsible, just another child in the family. He reflects the stereotype represented in so many romantic comedies and Monday night sitcoms alike that men are messy, careless, and juvenile.
They’re repeatedly presented as messy, careless, and juvenile…and yet still ultimately get the mature, caring, nurturing, attractive woman.
These stereotypes are offensive to women and men. Women are supposed to settle — to fall in love with the equivalent of a child, and to find that endearing, as opposed to insulting or creepy. That means, of course, she’ll have to be primarily responsible for childcare and running the household, since you can’t trust an immature, careless person to do important things (think of every sitcom or commercial that shows a hapless man messing everything up when he’s left to care for the house on his own).
And men are depicted as ridiculous oafs. I’m always surprised that more men aren’t offended by this representation of manhood: men as incompetent pigs who treat women badly (setting up another date in front of his current one at the beginning of the trailer) who can barely take care of themselves, much less anyone else. Of course, the stereotype does have benefits from those men willing to draw on it: if you are incapable of taking care of children and doing housework without causing a major disaster, you’re relieved from those tasks, or your partner has to fight constantly to get you to do them. So while the gender stereotypes on display here are insulting to both men and women, they reinforce a gendered division of parenting labor that justifies putting the burden of that labor on women rather than men.
Comments 137
T — September 26, 2010
I'm not offended by this because there are a lot of irresponsible oafs... and then there are lots of men who aren't. I don't identify with the former, but they exist and they can be funny characters (both in movies and in real life). If women generalize "all men" to be this way, well, then that's their problem... and perhaps why lots of women end up with irresponsible oafs. "Well, all men are like this... so he's probably no worse than anyone else!"
When it comes to stereotypes, seems that pretty and responsible (and intelligent) is a whole lot better than pretty and vapid. I know I personally don't have much tolerance/patience for the pretty and vapid type o' woman.
That being said -- I'm pretty jealous of Mr. Duhamel's body. I think I'm gonna go to the gym now.
Gill — September 26, 2010
Yeah, this film doesn't look particularly creative.
Katherine Heigl once mentioned in an interview that she was disappointed in the "sexism" of one of her breakout films, "Knocked Up," where the women begin as shrewish and the male characters are portrayed as infantile up until the movie's final act.
Then she went on to star in films like "27 Dresses" (career woman longs to get married, ends up with journalist who writes insulting piece about her) and "The Ugly Truth" (career woman falls for immature TV show host). She also helped produce the latter.
If we no longer want to see stereotypes in movies, it's up to the audience to vote with their wallet and actors, producers, and directors to turn down films that compromise their integrity. But I guess this is Sociological Images, so I'm preaching to the choir.
Anthony — September 26, 2010
I don't get upset over the stereotype of men being "depicted as ridiculous oafs" because I don't sweat the small shit.
Also, if "men [are] willing to draw on" that stereotype in order to dodge chores around the house, how is he able to justify working? I don't believe a man who is incapable of washing dishes or cooking a meal is capable of doing any labor, skilled or unskilled, outside the house.
Just wanted to point out that logical fallacy.
Arielle — September 26, 2010
I had a conversation/argument with my husband about this very poster which we saw at a bus stop. My argument was pretty much this article word for word, and I pointed out to my husband, "You're a guy who can cook and clean without burning the house down--I don't understand why you're not more offended by this."
He saw the poster completely differently--he thought it said "a couple has a kid and thereafter the woman ignores the husband entirely and takes care of the child instead." (We don't have children, by the way, so he wasn't speaking from personal experience.) I don't see it at all, but that was what he thought.
Missdisco — September 26, 2010
That poster doesn't really match the trailer, since they seem to both be working hard with the baby, and it doesn't really give the impression he's a layabout slob.
Mari — September 26, 2010
I for one was pleased with Film Brain's review of The Ugly Truth where he DID call out the unnecessary and awful generalizations of BOTH genders, but had a special place in his resentment for Gerard Butler's character...
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/fbv/bmbe/23995-the-ugly-truth
Belinda — September 26, 2010
i've pretty much learned to have no expectations with movies that star katherine heigl. it's very obvious that she doesn't care about how women are portrayed in film as evidenced by the roles she chooses. what really pisses me off about her is that she made a big stink about the sexism in "knocked up" (after she had already promoted and and talked about what an awesome movie it is and how much fun she had filming it) and rightfully so because it was a negative portrayal. but then to star in and produce a movie called "the ugly truth" which was infinitely more offensive to women? why make a big deal about it if you will continue to make money off of movies like that? i just avoid her movies altogether. they do nothing but raise my feminist ire.
eduardo — September 26, 2010
I’m not offended by this because there are oafs like that, and also because it’s very entertaining to see them on TV. Watch the Jeremy Kyle show and have a laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMrJGz3EIg
Kelly — September 26, 2010
One more thing, saying a person who is "messy, careless, juvenile" and an "incompetent pig" is the "equivalent of a child" plays into America's anti-child sentiment (something I write a bit on). I love this site, but in general I would love to see SocImages do a better job with anti-child sentiment in our culture.
I have kids. The child class is not 'messy, careless, juvenile pigs' or subhuman as many people (both parents/carers and those without kids) seem to often frame them. But when we treat them that way by rote we can rest assured such ageism will continue to play out.
There are many other great adjectives and nouns to use about bad-behaved adults and/or gender disparities without invoking anti-child sentiment. Inconsiderate, boorish, ill-mannered, bad-mannered, discourteous, disrespectful, insulting, derogatory, disparaging, abusive, unfriendly; unhelpful, obstructive, discouraging, damaging . Etc.
b — September 26, 2010
What amazes me is how many people fall for this hook, line, and sinker.
I belong to a community to discuss marriage - people post questions just out of curiosity or to get advice on their own situation. And I'm kind of appalled at the number of times I've wanted to answer someone's question with "Well, I've never had to deal with that, because I married a grown-up." And yet the comments are full of women commiserating because they, too, are married to someone who doesn't believe he should have to do any housework, or considers a half hour of playtime to be his role in taking care of the kids!
T — September 26, 2010
Also -- I keep coming here because I find many of the topics interesting. I also find it very interesting when so many commenters on here don't seem to understand how to approach a discipline in a scientific way... How so many don't see that contributing factors may be extremely important in informing how the primary cause(s) take shape... How whenever I try to analyze or even casually discuss a "side issue," I am called a denier or revisionist!
I find all of this amusing. A bit disappointing for an online community that claims to be interested in sociology as a discipline... but still amusing.
I would also point out there MAJOR double-standards at play here. No one gets called out for being "anecdotal" if they agree with the conclusion. But if someone dare do this (asking for more rigor etc.), well it's a 10-way attack! If the person being called out is the author of the post (Lisa, Gwen or a guest), the most typical response is "It's their blog, they can do what they want."
Also... one last thing... I find it MOST amusing that all of my comments are read as ABSOLUTE statements and even the most moderate statements are taken as utter damnation of Z Y or Z. Ridiculous.
Darkwing Duck — September 26, 2010
I tried to browse most of the comments to make sure I'm not repeating anything someone else has already said, but the key word here is browse, so my apologies if I'm the echo in the room. From what I could see of the critiques of the critique ( a comedic notion in and of itself) no one has taken the performance perspective. By performance perspective I mean to look at the film from the perspective of someone playing a character. Character is defined not from the perspective of what would or should I do as a person but what would a certain character created by an author would do as written in a script. As an actor and as a student of drama the whole irresponsible/juvenile character pairing with a responsible/uptight character has a wonderful place within legitimate comedic performance. Anyone who has ever watched a Laurel and Hardy movie or enjoyed the Three Stooges will have seen examples of this trope ( trope here not being a bad thing as the goal is not to be clever and correct but to get people to laugh). Sociological, of course, it is very interesting and telling as to what will generally get a laugh out of people. I would suggest that perhaps the more interesting question to ask would be whether or not people would enjoy this comedy if the roles were reversed? In other words is it acceptable for the male to be the buffoon character in a comedy and not the women? A reverse parallel can be seen in the whole superhero genre. Within the Superhero movie we see a strong, resilient male saving the incapable female from certain doom. And interesting note would be that no one accepts either comedy or superhero movies as an accurate portrayal of everyday life. Are we saying as a society that we do not accept the idea of a strong capable women not only being personable but even forbearing the chance at a family if an actual responsible male falls to come along ( because she couldn’t go out and find one, men have to arrive on her doorstep) while at the same time saying the ideal male ( capable, strong, willing to sacrifice his life etc) that would meet this goal doesn’t exist? Speaking purely from my own perspective I do think I would find a comedy based on the premise of a responsible male taking care of a irresponsible women distasteful and get even get a little protective, while a movie making fun of men would not and does not bother me in the least because I’m (hrrrruuuggg!!!) a man and can ( wait for it) take it. Which is horribly sexist. Just a thought.
Restructure! — September 27, 2010
Most men aren't offended, because men's full range of humanity is represented, they are the default human in 99% of stories, but women are not. Women are portrayed as having a limited set of characteristics.
Also, it does not negatively affect their careers. No one is going to discriminate against men because of this stereotype, and no one is going to expect them to do unpaid labour, either.
GCNJ — September 27, 2010
I want to see a movie where Gordon Gekko's comes home to find his wife has fired all the help and demands that he starts "pitching in around here". THAT would be funny!
Sam — September 27, 2010
The reason men don't care if they look like oafs on the screen is because they don't want to do housework. Now if they showed men being the same oafs and women being the smart ones in the workplace then there would be a huge outcry.
Andrew — September 27, 2010
Most of the post's analysis of the movie poster doesn't really apply to the trailer, which presents both characters as comically unprepared for the parenthood that they've been thrust into, and shows them both trying equally hard to fulfill the childcare duties - and both encountering the same degree of awkwardness. Both adults are shown behaving childishly (FFS, the woman attacks someone with a bouquet!), but the woman has less disheveled hair.
As for the poster, I can see how it fits into Gwen's gender narrative, but as a piece of marketing I think it's actually pandering more to typecasting (showing us the stars as we recognize them from other roles) and to the predominantly hetero female audience it aims to attract (hence it's the sexy male showing the skin, and the woman dressed modestly).
What is really going on in the narrative? Based on the trailer, I'd put it in the category of films that imply that romantic love is the only path toward becoming a mature and responsible adult. The characters in this genre begin as self-centered overgrown adolescents, and their individual aspirations and ideals are reduced to silly personality quirks. They don't become complete in our eyes until the third act, when they put their selfish ways aside and settle for monogamous commitment, marriage, babies, or all of the above.
In short, adults are really just children until they "settle down." I don't like this subtext at all myself. But the theme and its implicit conservative streak are incredibly popular in Hollywood, which is decades behind so many broader cultural shifts in how we regard relationships, sexuality, and individualism.
Erin — September 27, 2010
Knowing what this movie is about totally changes the way I perceive this poster. When I saw it in the subway yesterday without any idea of the plot, my thoughts were actually centered around how nice it was to see a promotional poster where the male was mostly naked and the female was fully clothed. Rare, no?
Basiorana — September 27, 2010
I HATE this stereotype. I hate that it is perpetuated by women more than men, to the point where even self-proclaimed feminists encourage it. I hate that I cannot have a conversation with someone without a joke at my fiance's expense about how he's always wrong. I hate that he has internalized this after years of his mother, his family, and my family telling him he's this buffoon and he gets nervous and forgets and makes mistakes (he is mentally ill). I hate that every few months I have to spend a night with him talking about how he's worthless because he's disabled and doesn't have a job and isn't contributing despite doing 90% of the housework so I can work all day. I hate how masculinity is defined as hiding and repressing one's feelings so when a guy IS affected by this, negatively, he conceals it so those guys lucky enough to not be affected think it's no big deal.
BG — September 27, 2010
I hate this stereotype (and also because my mother and brother have said "men never grow up" to me before).
However, there is a huge diversity of male characters on TV if you count all genres. Sitcoms usually do have the serious, attractive wife and immature husband, and commercials almost always show household chores as women's work, but I typically watch procedurals, dramas, and sci-fi/fantasy shows. Men are depicted in many different ways (even if they do follow archetypes) and are allowed to be heroic and flawed. They are not defined by romance or a sex-object status. Women usually have much more limited roles and are typically of a certain age range and physical attractiveness level. You will very rarely see two non-related women who have a significant platonic relationship in mainstream TV shows. Rizzoli and Isles is one of the few examples I can think of where a procedural focuses on two female leads.
I don't need to see superpowered Buffy types. I just want to see more flawed, interesting, diverse female characters who aren't defined by their relationships with men.
Sue — September 27, 2010
"That means, of course, she’ll have to be primarily responsible for childcare and running the household, since you can’t trust an immature, careless person to do important things...."
Of course, outside of the home, suddenly it's women who can't be trusted with the most important, prestigious, and rewarding tasks.
Anonymous — September 27, 2010
Men aren't insulted because the message is "you can be an irresponsible oaf with no repercussions, because that's just how awesome being male makes you".
Of COURSE they don't have a problem with it.
j-p — September 27, 2010
I thought the message was "you can be an awful actress and get away with it if you're pretty".
Syd — September 27, 2010
Another idea as to why men aren't offended: when media aimed at women addresses stereotypes, more often than not (certainly not universally, but more often than not), implying that a woman is weak or vapid, only fit for housework/childcare, or a power-hungry shrew, is considered negative, something women should fight against. Even publications like Cosmo, at least on the surface, considered many stereotypes about females something negative (whether they perpetuate those stereotypes or not). But what would be considered analogous publications (such as Men's Health or AskMen.com) for men take the opposite road. The stereotype of men as stinky, hairy, lust-driven brutes who can do lawn work but not vaccuum, and sit around drinking from a trough of beer and gnawing on a hunk of communal meat? That's not something to challenge, that is the ESSENCE OF MAN, and something good, to encourage, even if those silly wimminz don't get it, wink wink. Historically, men haven't had to challenge stereotypes to be taken seriously. Stereotypes are either something that silly women think because they're silly, or something hilarious and positive.
J.R. — September 28, 2010
The stereotype I hate the most (relating to women and movies) is how women are unable to be rational or show any kind of leadership - when there is a puppy, a kitty or most often a BABY (a child) involved.
The high commander of an intergalactic star fleet will sacrifice the entire universe in a heartbeat if by doing that she will prolong the life of an innocent baby by 30 minutes. Ok, maybe not always, but you get the idea and know what I am talking about?
And a lot of times this is portrayed as "a good thing". Women are nurturing and loving and want to protect babies unlike those big mean male leaders who only think about money and military victories. To me it seems like the message is, women are great as long as they are taking care of babies and not deciding the fate of the universe or anything else big.
Anonymous — October 2, 2010
I found a large part of this discussion interesting.
I think men - on the whole - aren't as bothered by this ridiculous portrayal because it isn't as socially detrimental to them. They're secure in their current position of power in society and have the luxury of laughing it off.
Erik — February 10, 2011
Lets just destroy the word, "stereotype" and enjoy ourselves instead of wasting precious time being so damn sensitive!!!
Erik — February 10, 2011
This movie is retarded anyway. I don't even think I would be able to sit through the trailer of this studio system, ticket selling, trash. Try using a more intelligent film for an example to back up your thesis. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk but you might as well be using the Teletubies or Toy Story to back up your argument. If this movie reflects the world you live in, then I am guessing you are from another planet! By the way, was the above article done for a Freshman Sociology Class?
tremblingbeforeg0d — March 14, 2011
Wow, everyone here is missing the point. It's not SUPPOSE to be offensive to men as it is to women. As always, women are expected to pick up the slack. Women are expected to be responsible. Women are expected to do the dirty work. All men are expected to do is stand there, belch and fart.
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Shrews and Stereotypes: Or Why I Hate Katherine Heigl — July 21, 2011
[...] Sociological Images breaks it down: [...]
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