I chose to analyze the Fox television series New Girl, specifically Season 1, Episode. 2 titled Kryptonite

 

Gender representations:

 

  • In the very beginning, Schmidt with a suit on, asks the one of the two female characters where he looks best in his room then later takes his shirt off in the living area to “flex his base”.
  • The main character Jess asks one of her 3 male roommates if he has a tank top, then Schmidt proceeds to tell her that he has a box of old items that were left behind by women after they “fornicate”.
  • In one scene, Jess is bounced a basketball in the living space where she begins to bounce the ball and attempt a pass which leads to the TV being shattered by the bad toss. I think this scene makes it seem as though women don’t know how to dribble a ball or even seem athletic whereas one of the roommates, who is male, played professionally overseas in Latvia.
  • Jess is angry at her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her, so one roommate Nick decides to rally her emotions and holds up a pillow telling her to picture his face. When she throws a seemingly weak punch Nick says, “punch it like a man”. This implies that women aren’t typically strong and to punch it in a tough and brawny manner.
  • Lastly, traveling in the car to retrieve Jess’ personal belonging from her ex-boyfriend, Schmidt and another roommate Winston are fighting over being “top dog” in the house and when Cece (the second female in the episode) gives her thoughts she is told “men are working”. This implies that females do not have much so or executive authority and that women cannot partake.

 

The Bechdel Test: Does not pass

 

  1. The episode does have women in it that are named
  2. They do talk to each other but not an in-depth conversation
  3. They do not talk about anything other than men.

Shared by: Alonzo Torres
Image Credit: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70276484?trackId=14170287&tctx=20e8c27b41-ce27-4b37-bd4d-d56676e5d394-313522361d878069f-3e26-4652-8a28-c968d7d58e6c_45551786X3XX1631729442076