The only two genders represented are male and female. The main characters on the show are mostly male. I would consider Jessica, Louis, and Eddie the main characters. While the brothers are lower main characters.
The mom has to worry about fitting in with the neighborhood women. While Louis worries about making the restaurant successful, he tells Jessica that they need to project success.He thinks Jessica needs to fit in with the other women so their families will go to the restaurant.
Women seemed to be used as wives or girlfriends in the show rather than powerful in their positions. Jessica wishes to be friends with Honey, who is used as the typical trophy wife. She is looked down upon by the other women. Because Honey is looked down upon by the other women, Louis tells Jessica he can’t be friends with her. The majority of the women on the show are shown to be blonde carbon copies of each other. They are used as plot devices and do not have any purpose other than to be antagonists without much individual characterization. They are seen to be interested in stereotypical housewife activities, but Jessica is interested in horror novels. Part of the reason that Louis pushes Jessica so much away from Honey is because she is already seen as an outsider by the other women due to their race.
Eddie thinks the only way to fit in is to get an attractive girlfriend. He draws upon Old Dirty Bastard to learn that he needs a “hot woman on his arm” in order to fit in. He is shown objectifying women and going after Honey because he thinks she is what he needs to prove his status. Once again Eddie is an outsider because of his race and sees the only way to prove his masculinity is throw status symbols. At the end of the episode, Honey allows Eddie to use her to impress her friends by giving him a hug, during which he attempts to grab her ass, which she did not consent to, once again showing how the show objectifies women.
The one exception to the typical gender representation is Evan. He participates in activities that would be considered girly. He goes to the neighborhood party planning committee and gossips with the women there.
One factor to consider in the representation of gender in Fresh Off the Boat is the time period. The show is set in 1990s so gender roles were not quite as progressive as they are today. In addition, the show is set in the suburbs, which generally emphasized the typical house wife image.
Comments are closed.