When Modern Family, a 'mockumentary' about three different American families first came out in 2009 it was applauded for being diverse and inclusive as it featured a LGBTQ+ couple and Latin cast members including Gloria and her son Manny. However, as the show has gone on: the audience is left to wonder if the representation is solely enough considering the amount of stereotypes that are embedded within the show and its dark humor.
Just an example of some of the dialogues/stereotypes in the show, if you are not already familiar:
2) Gloria is often called a "coal digger" (gold) because it is primarily believed that she has married Jay (an older man) because he is rich
3) Gloria's thick accent which is made fun of by Jay who says that he can often not understand her (e.g. Gloria saying "old tomato" instead of "ultimatum")
4) Jay continuously stereotyping Columbian people and their traditions. For instance, when Gloria insists on making a pig dish for thanksgiving, he says "Why can't we just have normal people food?" / another instance is when their neighbors dog is stolen, Jay tells Gloria that just because people commit crime in Columbia does not mean they can do the same here.
5) Sexualizing the female body, most particularly Glora who exemplifies what a stereotypical "latin" woman is supposed to like (We see throughout the show how Phil, and other men often pine after her and her fitted clothing e.g. "Is it just me or is she moving in slow motion?")
6) Gloria being portrayed as a "hot head" who is too loud, a bad driver, has a short temper and often relies on violence (e.g. owning a pistol and often referring to the crimes that she committed in Columbia).
However, while these stereotypes do exist: I also think it's important to see how the show itself can be viewed as a satire that actually aims to make fun of the stereotypes that they so boldly present. To exemplify, in an episode when a black family moves in the house next to Jay when he coincidentally is stalling security cameras at the same time -- Jay is petrified, not wanting his neighbors to think that he is racist as he tells Gloria "you'll never understand the stereotypes old white men face." Now, clearly this line is used as satire to portray Jay's ignorance but how can we decipher the ones I have mentioned above?
Similar to South Park in the "choosing stereotypes" reading by Rebecca Mallet - Modern family also repackages and subverts stereotypes geared towards specific communities by making those impacted speak on the stereotypes themselves in satirical ways to claim power over their representation. For instance, when Jay annoys Gloria, she says "You're too funny! I'm going to share that with my next husband when we're spending all your money", Thereby, she is using the stereotype that she is a golddigger to her advantage to put Jay in his place.
In another instance, she confidently defends herself by saying "I know that I have an accent. Do you even know how smart I am in Spanish? Ofcourse you don't. For once, it would be nice to speak to someone in my own home."
Thereby, do you agree that in Modern Family, they "get hold of the few “simple, vivid, memorable, easily grasped and widely recognised” characteristics about a person, reduce everything about the person to those traits, exaggerate and simplify them, and fix them"? Does Gloria challenge stereotypes about latinas? What other stereotypes do you notice, including Mitch and Cam?
I remember once seeing a Latina actress make a youtube video about how Sofia Vegara's character in modern family was so impactful, that now, when filmmakers want to cast a Latina character, half the time they're looking for someone who can imitate Vegara's accent and voice. As a result, I feel as though Modern Family set some very strong stereotypes about Colombian characters, especially women.
To give the writers credit, the show does at times address the fact that people make a mockery of Gloria's accent. I appreciate the inclusion of the scene that you mentioned. I feel as though this is a good wakeup call for the viewers as well. Self awareness in a TV show is incredibly important…
This idea of stereotypes continually being reinforced, to the point of becoming a very key characteristic of comedic mockumentaries is also evident in this one Airport scene in modern family, whereby Manny (Gloria's son) and Gloria herself are held at an airport checkpoint since Manny's name resembles a name on the no-fly list. When taken for questioning, Gloria's knowledge around smuggling weapons on airports is immediately humorized, with her cheekily stating that that she knows a lot about it because "I'm from Colombia", which reinforces the stereotype that associates Mexican Americans as well as Latin countries with criminality and as being more inclined to participate in "dangerous", or illegal activity. Apart from that, both Gloria (and the actress who plays…
Regarding Mitch and Cam, they come off as the token gay couple in the series who are in the process of expanding their family. We see Cam as a quintessential gay character with his exaggerated movements and feminine tendencies while Mitch is a successful lawyer who is shown to be confused in the portrayal of his gay identity which is seen by his aversity to PDA and disapproval of the way Cam acts in public. So we do see an exaggeration and simplification of the characters
While, these characters have an outwardly typical representation they also do defy some of the conventions that surround the queer identity. Cam is a southern boy and we see facets of this throughout the…
Modern Family is literally my comfort show, but it still has a lot of problematic aspects that we can't ignore. I'd like to add a few more instances that were also very problematic in the show in regard to the representation of homosexuality.
It was refreshing to see homosexual representation in a show, but while watching it, one might wonder if it is actually represented properly. Mitchell and Cameron are shown to be in love during the show, but as we'd normally see in an American sitcom where a couple is madly in love, we'd come across a lot of intimate scenes, but that was not the case with Mitchell and Cameron, but their representation as a gay couple was…
If it were produced in 2022, Modern Family would definitely go easier on Gloria's character and the number of stereotypes perpetuated with the Latina identity. I particularly remember an episode where there was a yard sale and Luke & Manny found a treasure box and they immediately came up with an elaborate story with how it could be drugs. Although they were kids, they weren't told how what they said was wrong. in other episodes, her family background surrounding drugs and cartels was always taken as a joke and never seriously addressed. Another stereotype in the show was the contrast between Hailey and Alex. Hailey was the ultimate party girl and wild child who broke all the rules, dated multiple…