Back in the first season of Glee, oh so many moons ago, there was quite a bit of talk about whether or not the show fell into sexist territory on occasion. If you’re thinking, “I never heard anything about that,” clearly you weren’t looking in the right places. People who complained that Glee had a not-so-admirable opinion on girls and women were kind of right. Terri and Quinn were both lying about their pregnancies (or lack of pregnancy, in Terri’s case) and were uncaring “shrews” towards Will and Finn, respectively. Emma and Rachel were both “the other woman” in two separate already-established relationships. Sue was the evil villain of the show. There was nary an admirable female character in sight, whereas Will, Kurt, and Finn (and Artie, to a certain extent) were (and still are) portrayed as saintly.
I personally didn’t think it was that big of a deal, back in the first season. I’ll admit, I was a bit distracted by all the flashy musical numbers and the “we can do it!” feel-good attitude. The show was a little dose of sunshine every week, and for that, I was willing to overlook some of the more serious problems it has. Most shows have issues with continuity, character consistency and development, tone, pacing, etc., at some point. Granted, Glee has those problems in spades, but the problems I’m talking about are more social. Is the show racist at times? Is it sexist? Is it ableist? I think a lot of shows are, but those shows don’t package themselves as repurposed after-school specials, complete with morals and a lesson. The theme of the show is, “Appreciate the things that make us different.” Dare to stand out, to go against the “norm.” That’s why the show gets a lot of attention on that front.
So the question is, why does a show that preaches acceptance and tolerance persist in being intolerant, or at the very least, ignorant of people who are different? These past two episodes have kind of shook my inner-feminist awake and said, “Neener neener, I’m not playing nice.” Here’s a brief list of what I take issue with.
1. Sluts, prudes, and nothing in-between.
Glee never portrays girls’ sexuality in a positive light. I thought they might, back in the first season (I think it was the second episode?), when Rachel pays a visit to the Celibacy Club and says, “You know, girls like sex too.” I thought, finally, a girl on television who isn’t a “whore” and isn’t a “prude.” She’s just normal (not that there’s anything wrong with being a so-called “prude,” but in TV land, some character would have a problem with it eventually). But no, come this season and Finn’s complaining that Rachel won’t let him get any. In last week’s episode, “Never Been Kissed,” he said something to Sam, like, “Figures we’d date the only girls in school who won’t put out.” First off, really? Rachel and Quinn are the ONLY TWO GIRLS IN SCHOOL who won’t put out? Seriously, Finn?! And why would Rachel or Quinn WANT to put out? So they could be labeled as “sluts,” like Brittany and Santana?
There’s no middle ground. The girls are either uptight and won’t give their poor, poor boyfriends any sex, or they’re too promiscuous – girls who gain a reputation as “whores,” and can get no real respect from boys or their fellow girls. Let me assert, there is nothing wrong with having sex, or not having sex. It’s the show that portrays them in these ways: it’s healthy for boys to want sex, and for girls to not give it to them. It’s not healthy for girls to want sex. For all the promise I saw in this show, I was proven wrong. I thought they’d have female characters who weren’t defined by their sexuality in some way, and while most of the girls on this show are multi-faceted (sexuality or lack of sexuality is NOT Rachel’s defining characteristic, for example), there are still some confusing, negative messages being sent out here.
NOTE: The subtitle on this first entry to my list is a bit misleading. There IS something “in-between.” There’s the girl no one wants to imagine in a romantic situation at all, i.e. Mercedes. Everyone knows that curvy girls can’t get love, duh. Clearly that’d be gross.
2. Gay guys, cool! Gay girls, ew.
I appreciate, for the most part, the way the show handles Kurt’s character. He’s the heart of the show, the emotional nougaty center. I know that Ryan Murphy, as a gay man himself, probably invests a lot of concern, energy, and time into making sure that Kurt, as a character, is well-rounded and a positive example for other gay teens. I think he does a good job, for the most part. I know some people say that Kurt seems too “stereotypically” gay, but I’d say that he’s been developing past that. As we get to know him better, he’s become perhaps the most well-rounded character on the show, outside of Rachel, maybe. However, we don’t see the same respect being paid to the show’s other non-straight characters, Santana and Brittany. At this point, it’s pretty much undeniable that those two are at least bisexual, and not just “for show.” When Ryan Murphy was initially asked about those two, and their relationship and where their storyline was going, he replied, “We’re not that kind of show.” What kind of show is that? The kind of show that’s okay with gay guys AND not-exactly-straight girls? The kind of show that’s logical and all-encompassing in the tolerance it preaches? Not that kind of show? Okay.
But apparently that’s no longer an issue, as we saw in “Duets,” when we learned that Brittany and Santana sometimes make-out without a boy present. It seemed, for a fleeting second, that their relationship might be played for something more than laughs. Santana doesn’t want to take the next step in their relationship – singing a duet of “Come to My Window,” of course – and she doesn’t want Brittany thinking there’s anything serious going on between them. Brittany’s upset and uses Artie to get back at Santana. Santana then ruins the relationship Artie and Brittany have going on by basically alerting Artie to the fact that Brittany sleeps around (and how did he not know that one? The show can’t stop reminding us).
How can we not read some hurt and jealousy in Santana and Brittany’s actions? I want to think that this is going somewhere, and that there will actually be some positive, not-just-for-titillation girl loving fo’ real happening on primetime television for once. But “Never Been Kissed” makes me think maybe we’re jumping the gun here. All traces of discord in Brittany and Santana’s relationship are gone. Puck’s back and Santana is all too willing to jump back on the Noah Puckerman Express (because you know that’s what he calls his penis). Meanwhile, Artie, who was not too pleased with Brittany at the end of “Duets,” suddenly regrets ending things with her, and Brittany seems to be more than receptive to his advances (or, rather, she’s the one making the advances). Then Puck tries to ditch Artie so he can take both Brittany and Santana back to his place.
So I guess we’re back at square one, and I doubt the issue will ever be brought up again, because that’s how Glee rolls. And in the meantime, Kurt’s problems will be treated with all the respect and seriousness in the world, which it deserves. But still… don’t expect the same respect and seriousness for our two bi-curious Cheerios.
3. Shut up, Rachel, you harpy shrew!
Okay, I’ll be honest, one of the reasons I was happy to be delusional about the “Glee hates girls” argument was because of Rachel. I thought she was an awesome character, one who took time to analyze herself and why people don’t like her, but someone who is ultimately unrepentant about who they are. But it soon became clear that NO ONE AGREED WITH ME. And yes, I get where the dissenting opinions come from. She was cocky, thought all the solos should go to her, was a diva, etc. But I saw her as a character that was growing, and learning who she was, and in the meantime, she was confident in her talents and her appearance. But all the complaints about her seemed to manifest themselves in less screen time for her, which is also fine because this is an ensemble show and everything.
However, so far this season she’s been reduced to “Shut up Rachel, you’re annoying and no one likes you and your sweater’s ugly.”
Besides that nice moment where she reached out to Kurt because they both knew what it was like to be teased and bullied, she’s had very little character development or positive, serious screen time this season. That’s sad to me. Rachel is ultimately a positive role model for girls, I think (or at least I would’ve seen her as one if this show came out during my preteen and teen years), and by reducing her to an annoying presence or a punchline isn’t sending a good message. I feel like the message it is sending is that Rachel has too many opinions and has too much self-confidence, so she’s annoying and we should punish her for it. That’s not cool, dude.
4. I want to be single, I don’t need a man… LOL, JK.
I was so stoked that Quinn appeared to be dedicated to her plan of not dealing with boys after the pregnancy fiasco. I thought, “Yay! A girl who knows she doesn’t need a boyfriend to be happy or popular!” But no. Along came Sam (and what happened with the rumors that he’d be Kurt’s boyfriend? Did Quinn really need a guy that bad that they had to – well, supposedly – change their plan for the character to give her that guy?). Now they’re dating. Which, if it was an interesting storyline, maybe it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But it’s not. It’s basically just a rehash of every other Quinn/insert-male-character-here story, except maybe a little creepier because they looks like siblings. Quinn wants popularity out of the relationship, she dates a football player who is also in glee, the guy wants to go farther with her than she wants to go with him, he complains about blue balls to anyone who will listen… this is how it is with Sam, this is how it was with Puck, and this is how it was with Finn. So what is so exciting about yet another story just like that? What would’ve been way more interesting would be if Quinn didn’t need a guy. But, no. Girls can’t be single AND be happy! That’s preposterous. Which brings us to our next point.
5. Men are like medicine. They cure what ails you.
During tonight’s episode, “The Substitute,” we finally got a story for Mercedes, the most forgotten character on the show. But it was less than satisfactory. Mercedes is upset about two things in this episode: the fact that Kurt isn’t paying attention to her or spending time with her because he’s busy with Blaine, and the fact that Sue’s taken over the school and gotten rid of tater tots in the cafeteria. Now, would any rational person think that those two concerns were related? No. But on Glee, it’s totally feasible! Kurt basically tells Mercedes, “You’re upset about my new friendship and so you’re eating your feelings. Also, you use me as a substitute for a boyfriend instead of getting a real one.” This isn’t a blog post about overweight issues, though, so I’ll begrudgingly ignore that first part (“LOL, all fat girls eat their emotions because how can you be fat and happy?”). Kurt is completely ignoring the fact that Mercedes is actually hurting because he’s dumping her all the time. They were obviously best friends before (it’s one of the only stories the show is consistent about, so how could we forget?), and now he’s being callous. Why wouldn’t she be upset? But instead of addressing the issue head-on, he fixes her up with a guy. At first she resists the idea, but then decides maybe if she had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t be clinging to Kurt or eating tons of tater tots. Which is rational, right? Suuuuuure.
71 comments
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November 18, 2010 at 6:06 AM
Manning
You bring up very good points. I adore Glee, but I totally agree with what you’re saying. They really need to hire a female writer or something.
(And for the record, yes, they /did/ change Sam’s love interest plot line with Kurt so Quinn could have a boyfriend. It was said in an interview with Chord Overstreet. Completely ridiculous as I was so looking forward to Sam/Kurt and Quinndependence.)
November 18, 2010 at 8:48 PM
leeraloo
I didn’t know it was confirmed in an interview. I’ll have to look that one up.
And you get bonus points for giving me the newest word in my vocabulary, “Quinndependence.”
November 18, 2010 at 6:12 AM
Crystal
Brilliant. I never liked Glee and these are a few of the reasons why. Not to mention all the racism and stereotyping. It really does parade itself as an all inclusive, accepting show when really it’s not that in the least.
November 18, 2010 at 6:24 AM
Ang
you need to break the paragraphs
November 18, 2010 at 8:26 PM
leeraloo
Oh, I know. I tried a gajillion times to separate them and it wouldn’t stick. I’ll keep trying.
November 18, 2010 at 6:25 AM
michael schade
I agree with you. And its sad.
November 18, 2010 at 6:36 AM
Megan
There are other issues as well. Such as the fact that every single female character is solely there to act as a plot device to develop characters for the men. Seriously, no girl gets their own individual storyline. Even Rachel’s last season was largely “I want to date Finn Hudson”
November 18, 2010 at 8:47 PM
leeraloo
This is a very good point. I was going to cover it, but there are so many instances I couldn’t decide which to choose. But you’re right, I think the most well-developed characters on the show are Finn, Mr. Schue, and Kurt. All men. But what can you expect from an all-male writing staff? I don’t know why they can’t see that this is a problem.
November 18, 2010 at 6:41 AM
Nikki
Don’t forget the complete and utter decimation of Beiste’s character in “Never Been Kissed”.
I love Rachel as a character. So many people despise her but I think she has the most potential out of all the girls (aside from Sue, and even she is shockingly two-dimensional given the level of detail and quirk they’ve put into her). I’m really hoping they’ll go back to developing Rachel as a character instead of continuing to turn her into an irritating backdrop with a pretty voice. Of course, I’m also hoping that Quinn will realise she’s gay, date another girl briefly before deciding she is happier on her own for the time being, and that she and Rachel will fall madly in love right before graduation.
I’m pretty sure I know which one is more likely to come true. But hey, a girl can dream!
November 18, 2010 at 8:45 PM
leeraloo
I actually was going to touch on the Bieste being kissed thing, but honestly it pissed me off so much, I couldn’t put my rage into words. Hopefully I’ll get around to adding it as an addendum to the original post, once I can clear my rage. (Also, Quinn is totally gay for Rachel, she should stop denying it.)
November 18, 2010 at 6:50 AM
Lo
I agree with this whole post so much!
November 18, 2010 at 6:56 AM
Lila
I think you are right, I really wanted to ignore all of these unhealthy behaviors the characters have, yet, now that I’ve actually read your post… well I cannot ignore it any longer. I am sure it is frustrating; however, remember that, even if we do not get to change what they do on Glee, at least we can be aware of what is going on. Being aware can help us resist this negative models, and use them as an example of what is not right… sadly, this is the best we can do with the negative images we are given.
November 18, 2010 at 7:22 AM
Megs
Great article, you’ve said everything I have been thinking (only said it much better). I was told last night I was being over the top for finding Mercedes’ tater-tots story a little offensive, so I’m glad to see I wasn’t the only one. Right on with calling both the madonna/whore bull and the gay guy/girl double standards. I wish I could stop watching this show because things like this really annoy me, but I love it, so I just want them to fix it.
November 18, 2010 at 8:40 PM
leeraloo
Exactly. I feel like I can’t stop watching because I enjoy it when it’s good, and I can see the show it COULD be, and I don’t want to give up on it yet. It has potential. But seeing them wreck that potential is like watching a car crash, which is just another reason I can’t look away. It’s hard to explain to people, though, “Yes, I’m a fan of ‘Glee,’ but with some caveats.”
November 19, 2010 at 9:14 PM
Jeniffer Caetano
I’ve loved the text, but I love this post even more. It’s exactly how I feel about the series and it’s very hard to explain this feeling to my friends who enjoy it. It really bugs me to see all this potential been wasted with some terrible storylines. On the same time, I’m not able to stop watching. Insane much? Anyway, thanks, for putting into words everything that I feel. =D
November 18, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Kendra
You’re fabulous. I love glee and this is exactly how I’ve been feeling since duets. Thank you
November 18, 2010 at 9:03 AM
Lauren
This made so much sense. I agree with every word you said. Thank you!
November 18, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Millie
This. All of this. Especially #5.
November 18, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Sara
just so you know the Glee female fandom is behind you 100 percent. this blog is all over tumblr. great job. this sums up my thoughts about the show perfectly.
November 18, 2010 at 8:39 PM
leeraloo
I’m pretty excited. I’m not really a part of fandom, but it’s awesome to see this kind of response. I wasn’t expecting much, quite honestly. Last time I got this kind of response, it was from a bunch of sexist pigs who go to my university, so it’s nice to see the flip-side.
November 18, 2010 at 1:29 PM
Lai
Hi there!
People at Tumblr started posting a link to this blog entry so I went on and read it.
You have good points. I made an entry myself answering some of your statements. I think I agreed with you more than disagreed 🙂 Honestly, I like how Glee is turning into something socially relevant beneath its sugar coating. It’s got people thinking, just a proof that we’re not an audience that just accepts everything Hollywood or showbiz feeds us 🙂
Good job 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 2:39 PM
Ivana
A great article! I mainly liked the point about Rachel and Quinn and Sam relationship. That is so true and it really pisses me off!
November 18, 2010 at 4:02 PM
KC
Spot on! This is EXACTLY what I have been saying since the start of Season 2.
November 18, 2010 at 4:04 PM
angelofmusic27
Sometimes I feel I’m alone in analyzing the issues with Glee especially after people gushed over this latest episode. It’s nice to know someone else sees there’s severe issues especially with how females are portrayed. A lot of this could be fixed with more consistency as well. I think all of the great writing is focused directly on Kurt’s storyline. I don’t want to see the Kurt show. I want to see a balanced show that hits all angles focusing in on all characters, and I really miss Rachel a lot. I think she’s taken a back seat to her wants and desires in a lot of ways because she wants to fit in with these people who are just plain mean to her. Plus, she wants to be the perfect girlfriend to Finn which again is sad that he’s all she has. We don’t get her dads. We don’t get a friend for her. We get her focusing all her attention on Finn. As for that that Mercedes storyline, it was awful. I’m still upset about it.
November 18, 2010 at 4:21 PM
Sam
Thank you for writing this! Everything here is absolutely (and unfortunately) true. I love the gay guys/gay girls bit…I adore Kurt as much as the next person, and think he’s an amazing character, but seriously…there’s no need to ignore the obvious relationship between Brittany and Santana. Why not go there? It would only make things better.
It’s all over the place that Glee is slipping fast, so hopefully RM and crew can turn things around.
Love the post!!
November 18, 2010 at 4:33 PM
Kimberly
I agree with all of your comments. The only place we differ is with Rachel. I also LOVED her at the beginning of the show but then they made her actually change everything she was. She was always confident in who she was and didn’t care what anyone said. Even tho she got slushied every day she knew that HS was not the end and she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. But then Season 2 starts and Rachel is an unbearable shrew who seems to have lost all her confidence and is now one of those girls who is only happy cuz she has a boyfriend. I think that’s what people disliked and I don’t think they pulled back from her character because viewers didn’t like her. I think maybe the producers realized that it doesn’t need to be the Rachel show all the time and the show works better as an ensemble.
All of this just goes back to the point of your article. Which is the girls on this show are only defined through the men and aren’t looked at as stand alone strong characters.
I wonder if this is because there is no female present on the writing staff. The men who right this show are obviously writing from a certain point of view and I think they think that viewers want to see this.
Just the simple fact that there are girls out there who swoon over the character of Puck makes me cringe. Its upsetting to see young girls watching these show and loving that character and thinking he’s some kind of romantic hero. Really makes me question what is going on in the world where girls/woman see him as a “good guy.” He’s not the bad boy with a heart of gold as they see him. He’s just another guy who puts his needs first and doesn’t care about the feelings of the woman he is involved with. And we all know that the show will probably find a way to reunite Quinn and Puck even when they’ve had Quinn say and show that she certainly doesn’t consider Puck “a catch.”
I’m not sure if younger viewers see how the show has become extremely misogynistic. I think really the only way to fix it is to hire more writers, especially female writers and allow these characters to become more well rounded and not the one note caricatures they have really all become
November 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM
leeraloo
If there’s one thing that can be said about Quinn, it’s that she sees through Puck’s bull, for the most part. I will be LIVID if they put them back together, but it’s probably only a matter of time. Also, I would agree that it’s not that everyone constantly bags on Rachel for being awful and shrewish, because sometimes they’re right. It’s that she’s being written that way, when initially that’s not how I saw her character at all. She went from being the single, confident awesome girl to the show punching bag.
November 18, 2010 at 9:19 PM
Kimberly
@leeraloo
That’s one of the biggest problems with Glee in the Quinn instance. They will have her be strong and see through Puck and know that he’s not really worth wasting time on….and the writers will actually have the words come out of her mouth but them 3 eps later we will see a 180 on that. Its so annoying that no character is written with any consistency and I think that the writers read blogs and what the fans have to say and they take too much of that and put it into the show. They need to have their own plan and not try to appease every single fan base of this show because every time they do that is when we have all the inconsistencies with the characters. They need to decide once and for all who these characters are and what their path is going to be and then they need to write that. Stop trying to mix things up week to week to appease all the shippers. I honestly think that’s something they do and it affects the show negatively.
And yes, the whole Rachel thing. Totally agree. The snide comments towards Rachel were humorous in the beginning bc lets face it she gave as good as she got. She’s just as mean with her comments and overbearing, self centered behavior with the rest of the club. But she is now being written in a completely different way. She needs to go back to being the girl who believe in her talent and was chasing her dream. Not the girl who does everything just to chase the boy. Finn was more of a side project for her in the 1st season and now its like he’s more her main focus and that’s not Rachel at all
November 18, 2010 at 4:49 PM
Emma
Epic. You totally pinpointed everything I was thinking about the show recently.
Honestly, they need to hire a female writer. Who’s not afraid of making girls kiss and keeping some of them single, for goodness sake.
Well done!
November 18, 2010 at 8:34 PM
leeraloo
To “Glee’s” credit, though, most every show on network television would benefit from having more female writers (or just one female writer, period). Of course, not every show banks on being accepting and diverse, like “Glee” does, so it sticks out a bit more when they fail.
November 18, 2010 at 5:22 PM
Kathi Rose
I cannot even express how right you are about all of this. Mercedes’ story insulted me so much and I cannot begin to explain how irritated I am by Glee’s portrayal of Kurt. I don’t care how much you fancy Blaine, you do not consistently blow off your friends, especially when they arranged their time around you in the first place.
November 18, 2010 at 6:09 PM
Nancy
All excellent and totally valid points! The stereotypes and attitudes have been around for years but it sure would be nice for Glee to take on at least a few, if not all of them.
Please send your thoughts to Ryan Murphy.
November 18, 2010 at 8:32 PM
leeraloo
I keep saying that if they’d just let me on that show, I could fix it. I’m serious, and I’m willing. So if Ryan Murphy happens to read this, GIVE ME A JOB!
November 18, 2010 at 6:16 PM
margitte
Glee is so fracking problematic that it’s getting to the point where I don’t know if I can watch it much longer. It’s sexist, racist, ableist, sizeist, and all sorts of other -ists. And you’re totally right about Rachel–when she had more screen time, they were able to make her much more nuanced and likable. I loved season 1 Rachel.
Sigh.
November 18, 2010 at 8:24 PM
Zane
While I don’t agree on every point, I like this article and it had to be made. This is one of those topics, where glee doesn’t manage the whole “how to be serious and funny” at the same time thing. I see the discussion has been going all around LJ and places, there is just one thing I feel like shouting about.
RACHEL. She was (is) such a strong, complex, kind of mature, interesting character, and sure, she is bitchy and bossy and the others don’t like that, but she has redeeming qualities she couldn’t shop because of ALL THE HATE she has been getting during her whole highschool experience. But she was confident, strong witted, even if she had that silly infatuation that every highschooler has that “you need to have a boyfriend”. Because yes, this theme was up with Rachel during the whole first season, but her character was strong without it, too. What I hate is how the glee clubbers don’t seem to be starting to accept her. I know she is crazy, but at times she opens up and I don’t feel like she ever gets that back, and now it’s simply used for comedic purposes. And while I kind of loved Finn/Rachel is season 1, I absolutely hate the way everytime Finn talks about her it’s “well yes she is all kinds of horrible but I love her”. Uhm, no? If you really loved her you’d maybe list her good qualities? Yes, it’s a wonderful thing to love someone despite their flaws, but only being able to talk about them? Not so.
I totally agree about how it’s really sad that there seems to be the message of “you need to have a boyfriend to be happy”. I think it’s not wrong that this is on the show, it’s wrong how they approach it. Because most of the teenage girls really do think like that. So of course it shows up on TV. But if they don’t have a storyline about how girls can be entirely happy being single and strong I’ll really don’t know what to do with this series.
I’m kind of torn on the Kurtcedes thing, though, I wouldn’t jump the guns yet and decide on how it played out, because Kurt is obviously out of his mind smitten and overloaded with a lot of things, maybe he will come around. As for overweight girls eating because they are unhappy… well, it’s true that this happens a lot of times. Stereotyping this was still not okay, especially with a supposedly strong character like Mercedes.
Oh, I could rant about this for ages, too, probably less coherently. All in all, glee really does have some issues with sexism, and while I can look it over when they play it for comedy, it’s getting too much and the series is really-really in need of a strong female character standing up for herself. I know highschool is all about teenage romance for many people, but for others it isn’t, and just the way they want to show that “being gay is okay”, they should also show how “not getting into a relationship just to have one” is okay, too.
November 18, 2010 at 8:31 PM
leeraloo
Very good points about Rachel, and I’d agree on all fronts. I hate the reception she continues to get from her fellow glee clubbers and it makes me sad that they constantly preach acceptance while not accepting her within their group. And I do think the Kurt and Mercedes thing can be saved, and yeah, he is smitten right now. I get that. But the whole exchange between them was so infuriating and “off” for Mercedes not to stand up for herself and speak her mind. Hopefully they’ll redeem their friendship and give her a legitimately good storyline soon.
November 18, 2010 at 8:37 PM
Kirsten
THIS IS WONDERFUL. Thank you for being so articulate. I completely agree with everything you said. I think Glee has a lot of issues with how they portray people, especially women, such as bisexuality (which you spoke about, obviously), eating disorders (Rachel, Sam, Mercedes…) and then in “The Substitute” they made fun of Lindsay Lohan for going to rehab multiple times. So many negative messages are being sent to young viewers and I’m tired of everyone thinking it’s such a revolutionary show just because of how well Kurt is treated.
November 18, 2010 at 8:50 PM
leeraloo
Let’s not forget how completely off they were about bipolar people. Yes, of course bipolar people have imaginary friends and want to kill their babies. Or how about not. It’s as if they think they get a free pass to make offensive jokes because they go hand-in-hand with stories about gay bullying. And I too am sick of Lindsay Lohan being a target in the media. She has legitimate problems. Just leave her alone for a while, people, and maybe she’ll get better!
November 18, 2010 at 9:32 PM
miranda
I am kinda intrigued and a little irritated (just a little) by your article. there were some really good points about the who slut/prude thing. I personaly think that the “Brittana” thing was not ment to be a whole ‘hey here’s a bi relationship about girls wait they don’t matter look boys’ statement.
And Rachel is starting to become more and more annoying, but it shows more when she gets any character development.
With the whole Kurt and Mercades thing I think he handled it wrong but mercades kinda just went along with it like ‘Hey you just called me fat and said I have emotional problems. I’m going to go talk to that guy you only set me up with because we are both black and I feel like a 3rd wheel’
Overall I LOVE glee and plan on watching it as long as it airs. Britt is my favorite character and has the best lines on the show.
November 18, 2010 at 10:00 PM
amp
I think most of your comments are founded, the show does not have many strong female characters, but I also think one of the points of the show is to amplify stereotypes and make them look as ridiculous as they really are. The male stereotypes they portray are jock, nerd, gay and bad boy. And the girl stereotypes are slutty, prudish, nerdy and over controlling. The entire show is about over coming stereotypes… with a bit of comic relief. And this show is bold enough to address the topics of bullying and the ever growing ridiculous fad of teen pregnancy. They can’t get everything right, and they might make some mistakes every once in a while, but the writers of the show have their hearts in the right place, and they are trying to use the media to teach us something important, since the media is the only source people today seem to listen to. If you have problems bring it up to the writers, I’m sure they’ll listen to what they’re fans have to say considering you keep them employed.
November 18, 2010 at 10:18 PM
Dara
Great article, thank you. And glad to know I wasn’t the only one side-eyeing the whole Mercedes/tater tots story line.
I think there are some positive things about Glee (I can’t fault a show that has a well-developed gay teenage character…as stereotypical as Kurt can be, he’s still one of the most well-developed characters on the show and Chris Colfer is wonderful), but it’s hard to ignore the way they’ve been portraying women.
This is circulating on Tumblr and has a bunch of notes on it, so hopefully lots of people will see this and at least think about it. 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 10:21 PM
Ali
I don’t know… I think all shows have issues, and that this one will eventually work it out. I get what you’re saying about all women being cast in a bad light but personally (and I’m a woman FWIW) I like Sue being a villan, she plays it so well (the same woman plays the cynical-to-a-fault shrink on Two & A Half Men). I do agree that they should develop Santana & Brittney because that is so obviously where it’s going, and that they should quit bashing on Rachel, but overall I’m kind of satisfied because the truth is, it’s very close to the truth of being in high school. Especially the ‘jab’ between Finn & blonde-guy. I am a virgin, and I dated a FB player in high school, and I know things were said in the locker room. I think it’s a bit on the unreasonable side to want shows to portray a fantasy world where everyone’s equal. It wouldn’t stay on the air. The reason this one is so successful is because it is accurately portraying your average unenlightened high school. And I wouldn’t have it any other way, personally.
November 18, 2010 at 10:24 PM
Sera
I just started watching Glee last Monday, with last weeks episode “Never Been Kissed” being my first episode, and I was impressed by the story and the music and how everything was handled, so I began watching the rest of season two. It didn’t take me long to notice something was wrong. Idk, what I would have called it, but either way, it’s been leaving me feeling like the show is seriously lacking.
Not to mention what you said about Mercedes and this week’s episode. It kind of boggled my mind that Kurt would turn 360 on her. I mean, I can totally understand wanting to hang out with someone who gets you – he’s probably feeling like he’s gotten the first breath of fresh air in YEARS – but almost completely dismissing Mercedes, his best friend, to do it was just wrong. Not to mention, the whole speech he gave her. It sounded horribly left field and completely random. And possibly a little insulting, but that could be me.
November 18, 2010 at 10:44 PM
karen
What about Tina? She didn’t stand for Artie’s chauvinism, and now seems to be in a relatively healthy relationship with Mike. She was also shown needing to cool herself down with mental images of Bieste in “Never Been Kissed,” but hasn’t really been labeled a slut (for getting turned on) or a prude (no one seems to know/care if she puts out?).
November 19, 2010 at 8:49 AM
leeraloo
I agree, and I should’ve mentioned Tina perhaps. She is a promising semi-healthy depiction of a young woman and a young woman’s sexuality. I’ll give them that. But it doesn’t even begin to erase the issues I have with the show, especially since little to no attention is paid to Tina.
April 2, 2011 at 5:39 PM
Marija
This.
November 18, 2010 at 11:16 PM
Natalie
I hope you were being sarcastic with the “Everyone knows that curvy girls can’t get love, duh. Clearly that’d be gross.” comment.
November 19, 2010 at 8:47 AM
leeraloo
I clearly was. I’ve blogged about the dangers of fat shaming on here before, recently, in fact.
November 19, 2010 at 12:26 AM
N
Have you been living inside my brain!? I’ve been feeling the EXACT same way about the storylines for the girls in the show. I was petrified to watch The Substitute out of fear of botched female storylines. (Luckily it wasn’t as severe as previous weeks, Mercedes aside). I think Never Been Kissed is my LEAST favorite Glee episode ever, which upsets me because I was ecstatic that they addressed bullying. But it really is all about Kurt isn’t it? Kurt can be gay, have purses fall from his mouth and be gay gay gay, Sam’s sexuality can be questioned and yet Brittany and Santana are thrown out there to start a FANTASTIC storyline that got completely abandoned in the most upsetting fashion.
There was so much hurt and jealous and it was obvious that Santana does love Brittany god forbid Glee focus on a gay girl storyline. Hypocrites! Ryan Murphy has really upset me this season because the talent and the skill is there and this show could reach even more potential where the girls have strong powerful storylines and Quinn isn’t turned into some sex kitten asking Sam to “say her name.” Um she got knocked up last year; she shouldn’t even be making out. Yet again, another failed female storyline.
Please print this, email, tweet, drop it inside the latest issue of Vogue and make sure that the people over at Glee get the picture that the ladies need accurate storylines too. If they keep Brittany with the degrading and utterly annoying Artie, I will have lost all faith in this show and the writers.
November 19, 2010 at 2:03 AM
sheen
i have no plans of watching Season 2 either but accidentally after watching some scenes from Duets episode i got glued to Sam & Quinn..whatever it seems to be, girls`clamor for friendship & love is just too inevitable & it is an unending quest..anyway, some may dislike Glee but the truth is that a great number still embrace it..
November 19, 2010 at 3:38 AM
christine
Great post. I can’t stand Glee but haven’t read that much about it’s problems with women.
In your last section, you could have included Emma. Her boyfriend is somehow ‘making her better’ as Will said in the Rocky Horror episode.
November 19, 2010 at 3:40 AM
Raven
It’s strange…I find myself analyzing the show more now after the past few episodes. partially due to posts like this. And I agree with most of the things being said, and yet, there is almost always something in an episode that I like, even if it’s just the music. So now it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. lol.
I agree with everything said here – while I can see the comedic value in things like the Santana/Brittany dynamic, it’s also getting really old. I tend to chalk up some of the character’s actions to things like stupid hormones, but I also feel the writers are leaning on that concept too much to justify the character’s storylines.
A friend of my mentioned a few points I actually semi-disagreed with. She basically hates Will and how he always seems to know what’s right for everyone, and understands how they feel, when he acts even more childish regarding Emma (whom I miss as a female character with some substance!) than the kids do. On one hand I agree completely; his behaviour about Emma dating someone that actually appears to be good for her is ridiculous, but on the other hand, he seems to be emotionally damaged and stilted in regards to maturity because of his young marriage – I can see him acting kind of crazy once free of that. Not saying it’s a good excuse, but it’s not exactly implausible either.
My friend also mentioned the idea that Beiste, as a 40 year old woman, as not being able to find someone to have a relationship or sex with or even to be kissed by is ridiculous, but to an extent, I have to disagree. Not that even as a teen or a young adult, I wasn’t able to find a boy who was attracted to me, however, I also know that sometimes, having low-self esteem can enable someone to close themselves off, and just assume no one is interested. I also know, that I have my own tastes, and not every person, in fact, most people that are attracted to me, I’m not attracted to myself. So in a way, I can understand what might be behind Beiste’s character in “Never Been Kissed.” I still hated that Will kissed her, but I’m glad she saw it as a friendly thing, and joked about it afterward.
Anyhow, I’m glad people are saying things about what’s been becoming increasingly disappointing about Glee, and I really hope the writer’s start reading and taking note. Thanks for this!
November 19, 2010 at 8:46 AM
leeraloo
Those are great points, and I wanted to cover them, but Will makes me angry, and I couldn’t really bring myself out of my rage long enough to say anything about it. Hopefully I can make an edit to the article and talk about that a bit.
November 19, 2010 at 5:17 PM
Aleeeee
I agree with what you’re saying, there are points in the show that are exactly what you have stated.
Buuut, we have to see that it’s from a highschool point of view. Teenagers.
I would know, I’m one myself in a public school. And the reason why I never really noticed this before is because it’s /everywhere/. Glee, right now, with everything being said and done, is /exactly/ like highschool.
I do think, that by making the statements that Glee makes, and saying it so out right and making them so obvious that it’s not right, is actually going to make things better.
I mean, look at this. You spotted the things that are wrong, and decided to educate others because of that.
I’m not saying that it’s a good or bad thing that’s going on with the show, but from the point of being relevant to the viewers… we all really do connect with it.
November 22, 2010 at 12:34 PM
Adam
I don’t see what was wrong with the Mercedes/tater tots hook. There are some people that eat their feelings, so to speak. And the only reason Mercedes and Kurt were great friends was because neither of them could find a date. Their relationship was disintegrating, Mercedes became anxious, she turned to food. Sounds realistic to me. I think your issue is that you see the characters as archetypes rather than as individuals. No, just because someone’s a little fat doesn’t mean they have emotional issues, but that’s not what the show is trying to say.
November 25, 2010 at 8:20 PM
Chris
Most of these were really good points, especially the Rachel thing. And I really love Rachel and the fact that she’s opinionated (because I am myself), but it’s TOTALLY understandable that she gets picked on and made fun of. Glee takes place in a high school. If you are in a high school setting and present your opinions in such a way that Rachel did/does, you are obviously going to get picked on. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with having opinions. But when you are abrasive and rude as she has been, you’re going to feel the consequences. The same can’t be said for Santana or Quinn because they’re popular, that’s just how high school works.
And I COMPLETELY agree on the ground that female sexuality is never portrayed as anything healthy or acceptable! It’s irritating how perfectly acceptable it is that Puck can go have sex with every girl in the school and be a badass, but Brittany and Santana are labelled as sluts. Or that Santana having sex is used as a villainy plotline and Finn is “the victim” EVEN THOUGH HE LIED TO RACHEL! The only in-between I think we’ve seen is Tina and Mike Chang.
But with points 4 and 5, like I said, that’s just how high school is. Many girls generally act that way in high school. Many, not all (or even most). And it’s sometimes not even their personalities, it’s just phases people go through. People change a LOT in high school, so I’m sure we will see these characters grow and develop further as time goes on. After all, they’ve changed a lot since season 1 already!
I also wish bisexuality (which Brittany and Santana MUST be) was portrayed as something more serious, rather than showed as promiscuity. As someone who IS bisexual, I’ve faced so much judgement and ignorance in hearing that I’m just a fake (or other things to that effect). I mean, I understand that a lot of stuff on Glee is meant in a comedic way. I can’t let it offend me because I love it so much and I can take a joke, even on such a personal and touchy subject. I’m sure the Brittana storyline will be revived and I hope they do get together, even for just a little while. As long as a relationship between two bisexual characters is portrayed positively, I’m all for it!
But one thing that truly annoys me to no end is Artie’s disgusting, blatantly sexist remarks. It is SO irritating and I feel like he gets away with it because he’s in a wheelchair. When he addresses Tina or whomever as “Woman” I just wanna punch him, honestly. From that locker room discussion about porn with Sam and Finn to what he said about Santana and her “ostrich eggs”, I really just cannot stand him any more. At this point, there’s no redemption for him in my eyes. I appreciated that he stood up for Kurt against Karofsky, but I really only have disdain for him at this point.
November 26, 2010 at 2:33 AM
Corey
*Eye Roll* I can list just as many radical fem positive perspectives in the show: A powerful portrayal of young mothers/single mothers that does not vilify or castigate; Sexual agency including, celibacy, bisexuality, polyamorous relationships, and a full spectrum of fluid roles that the women explore, define, and challenge; Many of the women are professionally dominant and unapologetic about their career choices and ambition; And just by sheer production quality and song choices the show favors the voices, styles, talents, and dance capabilities of it’s female stars… If you look for the bad you will always find it… But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Get over yourself!
November 27, 2010 at 10:30 PM
leeraloo
I’m pretty sure we’re not watching the same show. Maybe you didn’t even read this article. I said that I tried very hard not to look for the bad in this show, it just kept hitting me over the head with it every episode.
So, I politely ask that you get over yourself.
November 27, 2010 at 12:14 AM
Teresa
I agree with a LOT of what you have to say. However, two things:
1) I disagree that the girls who have sex have it anywhere near as bad as the girls who don’t on this show. They’re not looked down upon for being whores, they’re rewarded. The moral of the story on Glee, for both girls AND guys is, if you have sex, you’re awesome. If you don’t, there’s something wrong with you. Even you were willing to be okay with “prudes” getting the worst of it because, well, that’s just how it is in TV land. The girls who have sex on this show face NO repercussions – they can be as slutty as they want to be. Who has a problem with it? It’s the “prudes” that get made fun of. On the one hand, I’m glad for a show where girls can have sex and it’s okay. On the other hand, I hate that guys and girls who don’t are made to feel less than. I agree, there’s no inbetween, but that’s not the most serious issue to me. The most serious issue to me is, it should be OKAY not to have sex. It shouldn’t be seen as a symptom of a problem.
2) I disagree entirely w/your assessment of Rachel. This is a girl with no redeeming qualities at all. How she’s in a relationship at all boggles my mind, as I see no reason why Finn or anyone else would put up with her neuroses. You seem to equate being confident and strong-willed with being self-centered, and that’s not the case. I think Mercedes is confident in her talent, and yet is caring enough to worry about her friends. Rachel ONLY sees how all of her relationships can benefit her. That’s a good role model for girls? Really? She says she loves Finn, but she doesn’t, she loves being part of a couple and getting to show it off. She loves having a boy tell her she’s pretty. She does NOTHING for him, and expects him to bend over backwards to make her happy. There’s a reason why fans react negatively to her, and it’s not because she’s a “strong woman”, it’s because she’s a weak, cloying woman who masks it with bravado. While it makes for an interesting character…I guess…make no mistake, she’s not, nor should she be likeable. She is selfish and horrible, and I hope she gets her comeuppance soon.
November 28, 2010 at 2:01 AM
Kate
I adore this post and agree with everything you said. As someone who was single and very happy throughout high school, it’s disappointing that Glee can’t have the female characters (other than Mercedes) go without boys for any extended period of time. I can’t even describe how angry I was when Kurt dismissed Mercedes’ completely understandable feelings with “get some dick, girl.” (I was already annoyed that they gave the heaviest girl yet another food related storyline, but like you said, that’s a different post.) And I’m waiting for the day when they have the “prudes” give it up, because no one can remain a virgin through high school and still have a happy relationship.
I think was frustrates me the most, though, is the treatment of Brittany and Santana’s relationship. Right now all Glee is doing is reinforcing the idea that gay males have real issues while gay women are there only for male enjoyment and always revert to heterosexual ways. Also, would it kill a tv show to deal with bisexual issues? Bisexuals have to deal with feeling like they fit in neither the gay or straight communities, with having people discredit their sexuality as a “phase” or experimentation, and with the idea that they are just slutty. I want to see those issues addressed, but I’m clearly hoping for too much. The complete disregarding of this relationship and storyline makes me want to stop watching the show even more than the inconsistent characterization and poor plotting.
November 28, 2010 at 5:57 AM
Teresa
I think you all are being way too hard on the Brittany/Santana storyline. It seems to be something they’re working up to. Right now, the story is very Kurt-centric, but they’ve been planting seeds that while the relationship is, for Santana, an experiment, it clearly means more to Brittany, who’s now dating Artie, but only because she can’t really have Santana. They’ve given Brittany all these asides about Santana, and you can see the way what Santana says hurts in her face. They can’t deal with every single issue right away. Let them finish off storylines before they move on to other ones, and let the stories happen organically. It’s not an “issue-of-the-week” show. Also, to whoever up above said that the writers pay too much attention to blogs and stuff as far as what they write, that’s not how television works. They’ve already shot these episodes, and they were in the can long before the season started.
Let the writers build their stories over the course of the season before you start complaining about what they’re not doing!
November 29, 2010 at 3:03 AM
leeraloo
But the show hasn’t really set a precedence for “let’s just wait and see if they’ll get back to this storyline.” They rarely do. It’s more like, “let’s make all these various threads of story that we can explore if we want to, but maybe we’ll just forget them.” Ryan Murphy doesn’t seem concerned about genuinely exploring the the issues girls face (if he was, he’d hire someone who actually knew about those issues to write for his show, instead of three men), and he especially doesn’t seem concerned with the issues bisexual or gay girls face. I see no indication that this storyline will ever be explored again. I hope it is, and I’ll praise the show if it does, but I’m not counting my chickens yet.
November 30, 2010 at 5:00 AM
salserita
You are being ridiculous. As a woman who loves being a woman, and as a human who loves being just that, I don’t find this show insulting in any way whatsoever. IT IS A SHOW. If you (and anyone else) wants to talk about societal problems, look at the outside world. Show support for the girls, women, gays, handicapples, etc of the world by supporting their rights through government petitions and laws.Call your Senators and Reps and let them know you want to make sure women get equal pay and that marriage is made legal for all. Stop accusing Glee and all other shows for problems that they did not invent. If anything these shows are bringing to light what many choose to ignore by adding a flavor to it, and unfortunately some people only garner interest through those means. We cannot blame tv, movies and video games for problems that we as a society can barely tackle. Maybe once we stop placing the blame elsewhere, we can start making actual changes, in the world, and in ourselves.
November 30, 2010 at 6:38 AM
leeraloo
How do you know what I do in my personal, actual life to support women, gays, etc.? The media we consume is a terrific indicator of what is going on the world. Entertainment is what interests me, and as someone who one day wants to work in that industry, it’s a personal problem to me when women are poorly represented on television and in movies, both on screen and behind the scenes. I don’t agree AT ALL that shows that perpetuate sexist themes are doing so to “bring light” to an issue. They’re merely a product of our society. Perhaps if they portrayed these sexist themes and stories and characters in a negative light, I’d agree. But they don’t.
It takes all kinds to facilitate change. I realize that me critiquing the “Glee” for the messages it’s sending its audience (many of whom are young girls) may not be as important as protesting at the Washington Monument in favor of the Equal Pay Act or joining in a Gay Pride March, but I think it is something important that needs to be examined. And who says I can’t do both? And who says I don’t do both? Don’t belittle my thinking and writing about issues where I see fit.
December 5, 2010 at 2:27 AM
Eva
I agree with a lot of the points in this article. However, the point about Rachel is off. Firstly, Rachel is not the only self confident woman in the show. Mercedes is also pretty self confident, even if, like anybody, she has her not-so-great and I-feel-shitty moments (so does Rachel). However, she is not nearly as snarky as Rachel about her talent, nor as self-centered. Rachel is not a good example for young women and girls because she takes her self-confidence too far, and she hurts others with it.
Women are definitely portrayed poorly overall, though.
December 5, 2010 at 9:55 PM
leeraloo
I realize I’m in the minority, but I find that Mercedes can be just as cocky about her talent as Rachel. Plus, Mercedes is kind of a bully. I don’t think that good characters who are good role models, in general, are the ones who are perfect. Rachel has a LOT of flaws. But from the first episode, I saw a lot of potential for growth for her character. And it seemed like it was going that way for a while, with her learning that she can’t always be the center of attention, but then the next episode all that character growth will be erased. And it’s frustrating. She COULD be a good character, and a great opportunity to create a positive (yet flawed, because she should be relatable) role model for young women. But they constantly stomp on her potential, and THAT is what really bothers me about the treatment of her character.
December 19, 2010 at 12:01 PM
anonymous
who the fuck ever decided that high school girls having sex is healthy in the first place?
December 20, 2010 at 3:14 AM
leeraloo
Yeah, because denying that teenagers are sexual beings always ends well.
Not.
High school kids having unprotected sex willy-nilly may not be a positive thing, but high school kids having sex in general, especially if it’s protected, is as natural as the sun rising, as the sky being blue, as douchecanoes like you commenting on my blog.
December 26, 2010 at 3:13 PM
Mr. Bean
This about sums the Glee girls’ treatment.
December 27, 2010 at 3:40 AM
leeraloo
This was pretty awesome. Especially the “tater tots” bit at the end.
March 30, 2011 at 12:45 PM
My love affair with television is one for the ages. « Chick Litz
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