Gender Stereotypes In The Big Bang Theory

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The Big Bang Theory uses things like ethnicity and stereotypes within the story to create comical situations. Some of the main characters in the show are of a different race and ethnicity. Raj is of an Indian decent and speaks with a heavy accent. Although he is not very religious, he is Hindu and we get to see some of his culture and heritage. Howard is Jewish and even though he does not seem religious, the show uses the religion for comical moments. Bernadette is Howard’s wife, and she is a nice quiet Catholic girl. The show uses the Catholic and Jewish religions to make jokes relating to the two. This show has unique gender roles. All of the men in the show are not very masculine. They do not fit into the typical male role as a strong macho …show more content…

They are very smart scientists and focus more on their careers than their femininity. Everyone’s sexual orientation on the show is heterosexual. The main stereotype that is used on the show is all the males fit into a nerd or geek category. In the first few seasons of The Big Bang Theory, Penny’s character fit into the slutty dumb blonde stereotype, until her character grew out of it. One trope that is used in the show is the comparison of Penny’s femininity to Leonard’s lack of masculinity. The beautiful blonde is being compared to the nerdy scientist. Leonard is very smart and rational compared to Penny who is very emotional at times. Leonard is a successful scientist and Penny is a waitress. These comparisons explain some of the tropes that the show uses to build their characters identities. One idea that the show uses frequently as a debate topic is string theory vs. loop quantum gravity. The show also uses fictional comic book characters as a topic of debate amongst the characters. Who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman, is an example of a topic of debate. These ideas and perspectives could represent a cultural