Image of Masculinity through TV Program Such as Two and a Half Men - Research Paper Example

Image of Masculinity through TV Program Such as Two and a Half Men I. Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is a popular sitcom that has been on air since 2003. It has been premiered on CBS which starred Charlie Chaplin (as Charlie), Jon Cryer (as Alan) and Angus T. Jones (as Jake). The sitcom was about the main character Charlie Francis Harper, Alan Harper and his son who portrayed various images of masculinity in the sitcom. Charlie typified the hedonistic, free-wheeling and responsibility-averse bachelor while Alan, his brother was portrayed as his opposite. Allan life was complicated and often short of money due to the alimony he has to pay to his wife after their divorce. He is also charged with the raising of his son Jake. The interaction between the three makes an interesting study on how each character portrayed images of masculinity that ranges from the hedonistic Charlie to the effeminate Alan to the learning Jake. II. Main protagonists of the TV program Two and a Half Men a. Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper (season 1–8)- the archetype of hedonistic bachelor to the mould of Hugh Hefner of Playboy. In the sitcom, Charlie works as jingle/children songwriter and makes more money than his brother Alan who is always in dire straits due to the alimony that he has to pay to his wife Judith. Charlie is the dominant male figure in the sitcom. b. Jon Cryer as Alan Harper – Alan’s character articulates soft version of masculinity although it was portrayed as subordinate to the hedonistic type of masculinity with Charlie’s inordinate sarcasm and banter with Alan. Alan’s situation is complicated. He is chiropractor by profession yet his finances are always in dire straits due to the alimony he has to pay from divorcing his ex-wife Judith. c. Angus T. Jones as Jake Harper – Jake portrays the underachieving son of Alan and Judith. Although Jake is Alan’s son, Jake mirrors the behavior of his uncle Charlie more than his father Alan. The character of Jake provides the subtle approval of Charlie’s hedonistic behavior in the sitcom. III. Their respective images of masculinity in the TV program Masculinity has always been associated with a powerful social position that is based on class, race, and sexuality, wage structure and other parameters of manhood that spells dominance. This is reinforced through gender order within societies where men are usually ranked as more powerful and more prestigious than others. Although most of this stereotyping is structured through men’s dominance over women or the latter’s dependence on men, it can also be the case of male dominance over other males with other males also dependent to the dominant male. This structure is also present in the animal kingdom with the presence of the Alpha Male. The three characters in the television sitcom Two and a Half Men makes an interesting case about images of masculinity in contemporary American society. Each of the characters performs their role and acts them out in accordance with how such character relates to the world and how it perceives the world. Often, the expression of Two and a Half Men characters acts on how it is become a man in today’s society depending on each stereotype. The sitcom is a cultural articulation of the modern version of masculinity such as the “new man” or “soft man” (Hatfield 528) and also on how the role of man has transformed since the 1950s (Miller). Although media representation of men such as sitcoms Two and a Half Men generally illustrate myths about men that do not really exist in the real world (Hanke 191) they nevertheless mirror the changes in reality; of how family structures have evolved away from the traditional nuclear families that have already discarded some traditional behaviors and values. The sitcom also depicts the new stereotype about soft and effeminate men as played by Alan although the character was portrayed as less than the ideal because it is being subordinated to the hedonistic type of masculinity. a. Image of Charlie Francis Harper in Two and a Half Men  In the sitcom Two and a Half Men, Charlie Harper is depicted as the idealized male archetype. For one, he is the most dominant figure in the Harper household; he made the most money, has little or almost no domestic responsibility, sleeps with the most women and full of bravado. Charlie’s character is almost the same archetype of male that was introduced by Hugh Hefner of Playboy that is free from familial obligations and a superior position to women and other groups of men (Hatfield 528). Perhaps this idea of Hefner of the new man is just too seductive to resist that it served as the “an acceptable, alternative masculinity that reinterpreted the male patriarchal stereotype of the macho and the wimp, again situating alternative forms of masculinity” (Hatfield 528) as highlighted in the image of Charlie Harper in the sitcom Two and a Half Men. Charlie was also a bachelor and rejects the traditional values of masculinity and bears no responsibility in life. He is confident and successful compared to Alan who was weak, dependent and full of problem and this was stressed during the entire duration of the sitcom. This communicate to the viewer that the idealized masculinity of Alan is undesirable because it is weak and subordinate to the Charlie’s. Charlie’s character is very typical of the male role in patriarchal society where a male dominates over the others. He also exudes with male testosterone with his activities in the sitcom such as playing poker games and cigar smoking with his friends which is a traditional bonding and recreational activity among men. There was also an episode where Charlie was lifting weights while drinking alcohol to stress his masculinity in the sitcom. b. Image of Alan Harper in Two and a Half Men  The image of Alan Harper in two and a Half Men was stereotyped as effeminate male which has the characteristics that are assumed to be markers of a gay identity (Hatfield 533). As Carrigan et al elaborated on the role of Alan as an effeminate male “‘‘a subordinated masculinity can be produced collectively as a well-defined social group and a stable social identity. A now familiar case in point is the ‘making of the modern homosexual’ ’’ (591). The identity of effeminate masculinity was articulated in the sitcom through identity of Alan only that it was subordinated to the role of Charlie in Two and a Half Men. This was stressed through the mockery of Charlie which was concretely done through his banters. The structure of the banter may have been humorous but the language conveys the subtle message that the effeminate masculinity is not the desired type of masculinity. In almost every subtle conflict Alan has with Charlie, it is always Charlie who wins. Also, Alan’s character was worsened by the character of his ex-wife Judith of whom his character is also subordinated to. This was expressed in the sitcom with Alan’s distressing financial situation due to the alimony that he has to pay to Judith after their divorce. Alan’s soft male character in the sitcom can also be said to have been punished. It is because his soft character is being labeled as gay. The mockery to this type of masculinity went further when Alan’s character seemed to agree with the label especially in one of the scene of the sitcom where “Alan accidentally pierces the ‘‘gay’’ ear (Lorre & Aronson, 2008b) or a wedding occurs on the show. Alan immediately snaps into his wedding planner mode—bringing out his file folder, sitting cross-legged at the kitchen table and holding conferences with the bride. Not only does he act as a wedding planner, a role typically filled by women and gay men in mainstream media (see, e.g., the movies Father of the Bride, The Wedding Planner, or 27 Dresses), but he clearly enjoys it (Hatfield 533). c. Image of Jake Harper in Two and a Half Men  Jake was the son of Alan Harper and Judith and its role in the sitcom Two and a Half Men in terms of masculine stereotyping may have been to validate which image of masculinity as idealized by the two main protagonists, Charlie and Alan Harper is more desirable. Jake may have been the son of Alan but Jake mirrors more the behavior of Charlie in the sitcom. This is a subconscious validation of what the sitcom conveys about the more desirable masculine image. Jake’s preference towards the masculine type of behavior of Charlie was evident he was faced with a social dilemma just like any teenager has. But instead of turning to his father as any son normally does, Jake instead turned to Charlie of advice and Alan’s advice was either ignored or unsolicited. In season three, this was very obvious in their dialogue in the dinner table when Jake was dumped by his girlfriend which went as; Alan: Want some advice? Jake: Yeah (pause). What do I do, Uncle Charlie? Alan: I meant from me. Jake: Oh, no thank you. Jake may also represent the new generation of males in the sitcom which articulates that the new generation prefers the masculine archetypes of Charlie. IV. Conclusion The sitcom Two and a Half Men indeed projected men performing various image of masculinity as played by the three main characters, Charlie, Alan and Jake. Indeed the film depicted the myth of the idealized male in contemporary society while putting down the other type of masculinity that does not fit the idea of Charlie’s masculinity. It would have liberating for the sitcom to articulate the new type of masculinity which is soft and seeks egalitarian relationship with people around him. Only that in the sitcom, it was downplayed and projected with contempt, with the character of Charlie always putting down the character of Alan either by banter or sarcasm. The sitcom degrades this type of masculinity and refused to“legitimize effeminate heterosexuality as an appropriate form of masculinity” (Hatfield 545). This very bothering and can be troublesome because it purports a non-accepting culture which punishes masculinity which does not fit its stereotype. The sitcom, entertaining as it may be to watch, but it is actually a bane to the women who are seeking equality with men because it promotes a misogynistic attitude towards women typified by the following dialogue in the sitcom; Charlie: Rose, do you think I’m a misogynist? Rose: Oh, wow, yeah (laughs). Why, did somebody say you weren’t? Charlie: How could I be a misogynist? My whole life is a testimony to my love for women. Rose: Oh, it’s sweet that you think that. But what you call love is really just an obsession to control and dominate based on mistrust and dishonesty Charlie: Yeah, so? (Lorre & Aronson, 2008a qtd. in Hatfield 536) The above dialogue is bothering because it portrayed Charlie being oblivious towards his transgression towards women which may be picked up by its viewers as an acceptable behavior towards the other gender. The response of Rose to Charlie’s oblivion on his misogynistic treatment to women is also troublesome because the viewers, especially those who are impressionable might pick it up as something acceptable. Moreso when Rose exhibited that he seemed to find Charlie’s misogynistic behavior to be desirable. This just sends the wrong signal to the audience and cultivates a perception that is not healthy to sense of self of both men and women. Finally, the humor of the sitcom may have been witty and fun to watch only that its image of masculinity it purports is bothersome. Works Cited Carrigan, T., Connell, B., & Lee, J.. Toward a new sociology of masculinity. Theory and Society, 14 (1985): 551–604. Hanke, R. (1992). Redesigning men: Hegemonic masculinity in transition. In S. Craig (Ed.), Men, Masculinity, and the Media. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Hatfield, Elizabeth Fish. ‘What it Means to Be a Man’’: Examining Hegemonic Masculinity in Two and a Half Men. Communication, Culture & Critique, 3 (2010) 526–548 Miller, Diana. MASCULINITY IN POPULAR SITCOMS, 1955-1960 AND 2000-2005. Culture, Society and Masculinities. http://readperiodicals.com/201110/2493441941.html [accessed April 27, 2004] Read More