Glee and the portrayal of race, class, gender, or sexual orientation

For me Glee was an eye-opener to the truth of the American society. At least that was what I thought until I read the "Masculinities on The O.C." which made me think deeper. The truth is that although Glee does address people of different races, sex, class and orientation the way it portrays them is completely stereotypical.

Santana

To many people the first words that come to mind, when they think of Latinas are fairly negative. They believe that girls of that origin have a lot of attitude and are promiscuous. In the TV series this is exactly what we see. Santana is the type of girl who had slept with the entire football team, had Mono several times but she is proud of it. Does this demonstrate a typical latin american girl? Probably not, the fair majority of Latinas are most probably not any of the things listed above. Although, Santana forcibly comes-out of the closet she portrays a very stereotypical idea of a lesbian. She is acting rude, full of herself and when in relationship, it is certain that she is the one wearing the pants. Finally, she comes from a poor family, she lives in a neighborhood called Laima Heights. Which makes her very, very "ghetto."


All the South American girls I know are very sweet and trustworthy. Even if they lived in a troubled neighborhood they don't act like they will fight anyone and everyone who gives them a rude glance. Where, my lesbian friends are perhaps friendly and girly, they are not controlling or rude.


P.S. Some of the richest people in America are Hispanic and they don't have the "Laima Heights" attitude.

Kurt

Kurt is a gay teenager, who is bullied due to his sexuality. The reality is that Glee does not have any gay characters that are very manly. The only other gay guy in the school (before Kurt's boyfriend switches to his school) is a football player who is preferring to stay in the closet. Yet, the fact that this happens makes gay people seem very feminine and stereotypical. Not all gay people dream of wearing dresses or becoming Prom Queen. In fact, some homosexuals are extremely manly. So, if Glee really wanted to address the issue of discrimination by sexual orientation it should have had at least one more character who is the masculine type of homosexual. If we look at the show right now, Kurt's homosexuality sometimes is brought to the extent where it seems as if the show producers are mocking homosexuals rather than portraying equal rights. 

Sugar


Sugar is the stereotypical rich girl. She judges people by their clothing, she is snobby but above all she lacks talent. According to Glee it's the money that get her through life. But are all rich girls like that? I've studied in a private school my entire life and all I can say is that a small minority of the girls are like that. This character gives an idea about what the upper-class is like. In reality, it is quiet different.

Puck

Puck is the typical "bad boy" that "slept with every single girl in the high school twice." He is extremely manly, he exemplifies brutality and makes us forgive him for anything he does. According to surveys, he is the most desirable male-character on the show. But with attitude, come bad grades, indecisiveness in life and just trouble, trouble, trouble. Characters like him are the one's that make girls want to date bad boys who will treat them badly. It is Puck's attitude and looks that make him more desirable than the Finn, who is probably equally good-looking. The fact that Puck is shown that way is making normal guys want to be "badasses" because that's what according to Glee will get them girls. 

Rachel

Rachel is the epitome of a female who needs a man in order to be happy. In season one, we seen Rachel not being extremely confident and perhaps even slightly depressed because Finn, her longterm crush, doesn't pay any attention to her. She is insecure and dresses oddly. However, the moment Finn notices Rachel, her eyes start to glow. It seems as if she is being re-born into something new, a confident female. What idea do we get from this relationship? That the moment you will get a boyfriend is when you will be happy. It is not the independence that will get you anywhere in life but rather the dependence on 

another person, a human who you didn't mean much to for the majority of your life. 

Brittany
Brittany S. Pears is the "dumb blonde." Again, another stereotype. The girl actually, says some of the stupidest things ever but her lack of intelligence is justified because she is cute. What does that teach us? If you are good-looking, even if you are dumb you will be just fine. Why don't any of the shows have a girl who is a stupid brunette? It is always, always, always the blonde cutie, who has an IQ of 55 and can barely spell her own name.




Conclusion

It seems to me as if the people who wrote the script for Glee tried to address different groups of people and portray a different view of stereotypes. Yet, I feel like they failed to do so. The "Latina" stays ghetto and carries her promiscuous image throughout the show. The homosexual guy, is always looking for a place to escape even when he does overcome challenges he brings every single mistake or misfortune in his life to the fact that he is a minority. Lastly, a normal girl like Rachel only becomes happy when she gets a boyfriend. No matter, how independent she seems, the moment Finn isn't there she is lost, upset and insecure. Therefore, the people who wrote the script are probably a group of males and females that tried to address the issues of discrimination and lack of quality.

What about Who?

The show is about stereotypical teenagers, who try to overcome challenges. Yet, at the end we get certain ideas about what society should be like and the show is not that fun, once you realize that.

Why is it that Way?

It's this way because it is easier for our brain to comprehend stereotypes. If Glee were to have a stupid brunette, guy who is desperate for a girlfriend and a very manly homosexual, it will be harder for us to comprehend it. However, since our brain already knows about a bunch of stereotypes, it doesn't take as much work to get us "hooked" to the show. At the end of the day, what producers care the most about is not the message, the acting or the scenario it is the profit that matters.