Queer Identity : Modern Family

Family Guy, an animated sitcom about a New England family and their everyday dilemmas, is a way for viewers to see the comedic side of a dysfunctional family. The Griffins consist of Peter and Lois, the patriarch and matriarch, and Meg, Chris, and Stewie are the children(Family Guy). Every character is different from the next character. They are also weird in their own way. The television show itself displays feminism, structuralism, and gay and lesbian criticism. Each character in the show also displays those criticisms in a certain fashion. Family Guy can be offensive to viewers with its satire, and the way the show delivers its message can make the family and the other characters in the show seem dysfunctional.

The word family has changed so much in the past century. A family back in the 1950’s was probably considered a husband, wife, and one or more children. Times have changed and families have become much different. The Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others book defines family as a, “Unit made up of any number of persons who live in relationship with one another over time in a common living space who are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinship” (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 243). Families can be broken up into five different types. The first is the traditional family, which includes a mother, father, and their biological children. Next, is the blended family which includes

Sitcoms today have completely done away with what was the “formula” for a sitcom, single parents, interracial couples, LGBTQ couples as the parents, as well as having multiple kids, 4-5, having foster children, interracial children even LGBTQ children have become the social norm for a Suburban

The families in America are steadily changing. While they remain our most valued and consistent source of strength and comfort, some families are becoming increasingly unstructured. In the past, the typical family consists of a working father, a stay at home mother and, of course, well-rounded children. Today, less than 20 percent of American families fit nicely into this cookie cutter image. American households have never been more diverse. Natalie Angier takes stock of the changing definition of family in an article for the New York Times.

As early as 1950, television families have depicted not only the way we live today, but also the way we ought to live (Tueth, 2003). Hence, television has continued to present comedies about family life that ranges from the didactic model of domestic conventionalist and gradually to non-conventionalist ways of life. By conventionalist, I mean the depiction of the “nuclear” family that consists of clear roles, responsibilities, and gentle lines of authority that flow from the wise dad and understanding mom to the obedient children (Kutalas, 2005). Examples of these types of shows between 1947 to 1990 that constructed more than 60% of family sitcoms included: The Cleavers, The Cosby Show, Father Knows Best, Family Ties, and Growing Pains

Modern Family, created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan shows viewers stereotypes when it comes to women. This is shown through the main female characters, Claire (Julie Bowen), Gloria (Sofia Vergara) Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Alex (Ariel Winter). Claire is depicted as being an uptight, naggy stay at home mother, Gloria as a hot blooded attractive trophy wife, Haley as an unintelligent teenager who only has her looks to offer and Alex, who is the nerdy and unattractive sister.

Change is inevitable, and history has shown us that change in family status has been both positive and negative. Historically, the flux in family diversity can be traced back for centuries, and we see many different practices that have had successes and failures amongst families in the United States. Over the last six decades, the image of the ideal American family has changed, as well as the political and economic status of women. The development of relative economic power for women has led to a change in family structure. The evolution of families can be seen in the media and television shows, and the contrast between shows in the mid 20th century and now, is shell shocking. As new developments in human society continue to grow, family

I agree with your assessment regarding the show Modern Family. I think that this show is an important step in widening the typically narrow view of romance and relationships on television. The series does challenge how romance is typically portrayed in the media and the non-normative themes that represent the framework of the show send an important message of acceptance. I agree that this is a big jump from what television would have been like twenty years ago. It is awesome that as a society we are engaging in recognition of all individuals no matter their race, sexual orientation, or religion. Shows like Modern Family challenge heteronormativity in particular by showing people that a loving homosexual couple with children is likely very

The show Modern Family (2009) is a critically acclaimed television comedy sitcom. It displays the lives of three families who are quite different from the traditional American family that is normally portrayed on T.V. Specifically, the show focuses on a nuclear family, a step family, and a same sex family that are all connected through a relationship with the grandfather Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neil). On the show, Jay Pritchett is married to his second wife Gloria Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) who is a younger immigrant woman from Columbia. Despite the age and cultural gap that exists between the two, the characters genuinely love each other, and they raise two kids, Manny Delgado (Rico Rodriguez) and Joe Pritchett (Jeremy Maguire). However, prior

The composition of the modern and the old-fashioned family has changed over the years. No family in the United States today is exactly the same compared to how it was for old-fashioned families in which all families were the same. Unlike old-fashioned American families, today’s modern families are composed of women in the workforce, stay at home men, adopted children, same sex family heads, and interracial families. Women are joining the workforce, which means that they can now provide for their families while the men stay at home and do housework. This would have never happened in old-fashioned American families since men were the ones who went to work while their wives stayed at home. The modern American family sometimes opts to adopt children rather that conceiving themselves, unlike the old-fashioned American families that conceived over adopting. Since same sex marriages became legal in the

Former President, Obama once said, “We are big and vast and diverse; a nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, different experiences and stories, but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look like, how you started off, or how and who you love, America is a place where you can write your own destiny.” Many things have changed in the past decade, the United States electing its first African-American president not only for one term but for two. President Obama administration helped expand and advance equality regarding the LGBT community. The Obama Administration provided support and equality towards the LGBT community. Numerous people have come to accept their ‘true identity’ without the fear of

Most families want to be the TV family that has everything that is perfect or not perfect but a perfect kids or parents. In the 1980s TV shows talked about the politics. In the 1990s a popular show came out called full house, this show put Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on the map. Modern family was the first show to have a same sex parents, the new show trophy wife is about a girl who trades her young party ways of life for a mature man who has been married twice. She decides to mother a lot of kids

What they do not hold into consideration, however, is that many same-sex couples today raise children together and that through a sperm donor, this couple could have had a biological child, and they also fail to notice that it is normal nowadays to see gay couples in society; it is no longer considered a sin. Furthermore, they do not take into account the fact that the previously Disney owned network has been behind many non-family-friendly series, such as The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a series centered around a pregnant fifteen year old. Taking into consideration the criticism, the two creators of the family show, Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige, responded to the conservational group, with Peter Paige arguing that “Respectfully, for me, a stamp of disapproval from One Million Moms is like a critic's pick, […] I'm incredibly grateful for their attention." Paige and Bredeweg both expected some controversy around their TV show, but argued that the controversy and the criticism are what draw viewers in, viewing the way that the One Million Moms association had handled the situation as a way to help promote the show and boost ratings. Despite its controversy, ABC Family aired the pilot and after the success of the first season, it renewed the show for a second season after finding that a lot of the viewers identify with the subject explored, and even the characters. Peter Paige commented on this phenomenon that “We are living in a culture completely obsessed with its own reflection, and the mirror is the 52-inch plasma in all of our living rooms […] When you don’t find yourself there, you really feel culturally

No matter how well the gay community can be portrayed, it will always be a controversial matter, but Modern Family elevates it above just a sitcom. In season 5 episode 1, Mitch and Cam decide to think about marriage after the same-sex marriage was passed in California. But they both wanted to propose to each other, and the show does subtle things to hint at the present hardships lingering in the dominant heteronormative society. Every time gay marriage was mentioned, Joe, Mitch’s brother, would spit or throw up. When Cam says, “As of today, it is legal for a man to marry another man, “ Joe spits but Jay adds, “He just needs time to get used to the idea” (Season 5 Episode 1). The writers of the show utilized Joe and Jay as opposite responses

When visualizing what an ideal family on television show is shown as, viewers would often picture a functional and ecstatic family composed with the typical members: father, mother, and their two to five children. Families that are made up of a single parent and their children is a trend that is now trending on television. The parent of this family is usually shown facing the challenges of single parenthood, working full-time jobs, while also raising two to six children in their household that they also have to maintain. In the earlier shows such as, The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) and Full House (1987-1995), these families were never usually shown as going through hard times and facing the challenges of single parents in the shows like The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) and Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life of Katrina Gilbert (2014). With these viewing of the single parents changing through the years, humor as changed gradually with it. With major changes in television programs, single parent families have gone from happy and loving life to in today’s programs being poor and facing many challenges in the world.