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Skyler's Stereotypes

Decent Essays

Anyone who’s watched American television knows all too well the trope of the bumbling husband who is constantly reprimanded by his naggy wife. In the hit AMC show Breaking Bad, this view is no different; While Walter White continues down his spiral into depravity as chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-kingpin, his wife Skyler is often portrayed as demeaning, argumentative, and a hurdle to leap over by both the audience and the characters. However, while many will argue that Skyler’s presense furthers this problematic stereotype, her actions could instead be viewed as a way of subverting traditional submissive gender roles and creating spaces of empowerment for female viewers.

While Skyler White’s story arc is extensively portrayed throughout the …show more content…

discuss their new cars, her repeated moments of almost speaking but then choosing to stay quiet as Walter discusses how buying these cars fit into their cover, and later her disgusted first words of the episode as Walter slaps down $15,000 on the counter and tells her they can afford it (“You’re back at it?”). She showcases her disapproval further by asking Walter if he thinks boarding school for their children is a good idea, which ultimately leads to a conflict in which the viewer is meant to mimic Walter’s irritation with her suggestion and take the dominant gaze that she is an obstacle in his pursuit of success. We know that this is the suggested gaze because Skyler is always put in an antagonistic position; when she brings up her anger, we get multiple scenes of Walter and others (like their son) showing disapproval at her actions and attempting to gaslight her into dropping her …show more content…

Why would we demean and claim that a mother and wife is irritating and useless for opposing her husband threatening their family and continuing to stay in the meth business long after it’s no longer necessary? With the oppositional gaze in mind, I actually view Skyler White as not only the real hero of this narrative, but a very dynamic look into breaking traditional gender roles enforced on women in media. As Janet McCabe comments in her essay ‘Structuring a Language in Theory,’ women’s presence in film “endangers the coherence and survival of the male group (18).” Oftentimes, while Walter parades with his acts of dominance that are defended by his insistence that he is doing what he is to keep his family safe and supported, it is instead Skyler who is keeping them out of danger and trying to keep herself and her family afloat. In many ways, her persistent defiance of Walter’s struggle could be viewed as equally manipulative as her husband’s but for much more altruistic reasons. While she still functions with the intention of keeping her family together and supporting her role as the matriarch of the household, her story is empowering to female viewers who could see strength in the way

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