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The Flintstones Gender Stereotypes

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Although animated cartoons have long been associated with children’s entertainment, many cartoons suggest they are for adults as well. Ranging from character portrayal to perceived gender roles, cartoons such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Scooby Doo both reflect societal values from their time periods as well as perpetuate the developed stereotypes. Comparing the earliest popular cartoons to more recent productions, shows progress towards a less stereotypical character portrayal in regards to gender. In North American culture, watching television is as much part of regular life as eating supper. In an age so heavily dependent on technology, newer additions such as Netflix enable society’s massive consumption. In a New York Daily …show more content…

Although the original target audience was adults, The Flintstones is commonly associated with children’s cartoons. The Flintstones were The Simpsons of their era (Heintjes). Throughout the show’s six seasons, the reoccurring characters are Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma Flintstone, and their neighbours Barney and Betty Rubble. Even thought it is set in the Stone Age, The Flintstones examines many of the ideals present at the time of production including gender expectations in the home …show more content…

Daphne is very thin, pale, has long hair, and delicate features. She is always seen in a pink and purple dress with high heels. As for her position in the cartoon, she is relatively useless to the actual plot, and instead is there to look pretty and act as a love interest for Fred. Velma, on the other hand, is of a stockier build, has short hair, and wears thick-rimmed glasses. She is seen in a red and yellow dress with knee socks. Unlike Daphne, Velma has a useful role in the storyline because of her immense knowledge. Despite having a superior personality, Velma is rarely ever portrayed as desirable to any man, and is often mocked by other characters for the way she looks and for her intelligence. Similarly to the female characters, Fred and Shaggy are portrayed as contrasting characters. Fred is the embodiment of hegemonic masculinity. He is tall, muscular, popular, brave, and athletic. To contrast this, there is Shaggy who is also tall, but skinny, unkempt, lazy, and cowardly. Fred’s role in the story is to be the group’s leader, come up with plans, and be popular with he female characters. Shaggy, in contrast, is the comedic relief. The representation of these characters enforces stereotypical opinions on how one should perform their

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