Beauty and the Patriarchal Beast: Gender Role Portrayals in Sitcoms Featuring Mismatched Couples

Abstract

A number of recent situation comedies on U. S. television depict smart, witty, and attractive women who are married to inept, overweight, and immature men. This textual analysis examines two examples of this type of show, The King of Queens (1998-2007) and According to Jim (2001-07), and compares them to older sitcoms. These shows discursively maintain patriarchy by consistently employing two contradictory story lines: the first positions women as physically and intellectually superior to their husbands, and the second restrains feminist ideals while reaffirming male dominance. The study demonstrates how contradictions within the narrative elements of plot, characterization, and setting sustain a repressive gender constellation. This textual structure, the humor of the show, and the popular myth of beauty and the beast work together to encourage viewers to accept patriarchy as a "natural" male trait and trivialize sexism as a laughing matter.

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