How Gender is Portrayed in The Simpsons

            Throughout its hundreds of episodes, Lisa and Marge have always been prominent characters in The Simpsons. These women both provide the show with strong female characters who have morals and are dedicated to their beliefs. There are other characters of both genders, however, which provide a contrast to these people. The actions, occupations, and thoughts of these people provide the show with multiple views on various issues, but they also give insight to how the program portrays the issue of gender. Through analyzing both Lisa and Marge by themselves, as well as the general depiction of men and women in the show, one can determine that although women may be empowered in The Simpsons, their power is undermined by the presence of male characters.

            Lisa and Marge often manage to break traditional gender roles in The Simpsons. Many episodes involve Lisa engaging in activities which support her love of learning. One such case is in “The PTA Disbands,” where she becomes so bored in school that she decides to build a perpetual motion machine. She once led her Little League baseball team to the championship using statistics. Lisa even used geometry to help Bart improve at playing mini golf. When benches fall on her in one episode, Principal Skinner even exclaimed, “She’s been crushed… so have the hopes of our mathematics team.” Lisa’s yearning for knowledge extends to fields which are dominated by men. In one episode from season twenty-seven, Lisa decides to take a class on computer coding. When she does this, she finds herself to be the only female in a class of thirty students. She eventually manages to become a successful coder, however, eventually developing an app with the help of other female coders. 

This proves that although Lisa may be challenged by gender roles, she still manages to do well in her fields of study. Producer Al Jean even once said of Lisa, “I am so proud that she has become a symbol for those of like mind,” proving he admires her for how she inspires girls to enter the fields of math and science. Marge, similarly, performs tasks which are not typically done by women. Most of these cases involve having a job instead of staying at home and cleaning the house. In season twenty-seven, for example, she works for the Springfield Police Department cleaning up crime scenes. In season thirty, she sells “Tubberware” containers at numerous parties around town. 

When Homer finds out about her ambition to be a salesman, he simply says, “‘No wife of mine will ever have to work,’ is what men used to say for some insane reason. You have my blessing.” Through the actions of Lisa and Marge, it is clear that women have the ability to get jobs and fulfill their ambitions in The Simpsons.

            Despite female characters being able to pursue their dreams in this show, male characters still manage to overpower them. While some important jobs, such as teacher and investigative reporter, are held by female characters, most of the jobs which are highly respected belong to men. These include the being the mayor of Springfield, a religious leader, a doctor, a pilot, and a scientist. 

None of these positions are held by a single female character. Instead of holding down prestigious jobs, most of the women in the show have low-paying jobs or do not work. Maude Flanders, for example, is a housewife, while Patty and Selma Bouvier work for the Department of Motor Vehicles. Although there are some male characters with insignificant jobs, men overall have a better chance of gaining a noteworthy career. In addition, female characters in this show are called by their pet names more often than male characters. According to Anna-Karin Mattsson, half of the female names in the show are short forms for longer names, such as Lisa and Marge being short for Elizabeth and Margaret. In contrast, only one third of all the male characters have shortened names. Some male characters, such as Montgomery Burns, even keep their full name despite how long it is. 

This makes men appear to be more important than the women in the show, given how they are not called by a shorter variation of their name. The men, however, are highly dependent upon women for their lives to function. The females in the show usually feed other characters, while men eat what is served. Women are also expected to act as faithful people who care for their families. This allows the men in the show, such as Homer, to live recklessly, push limits, and have an easygoing nature. Men are also permitted to use violence and aggression against others, while women are expected to be calm and collected when dealing with a conflict. Although Homer may strangle Bart for a prank he did, Marge must be diplomatic when addressing Homer over an issue which upset her. Through men’s dominance in the workforce, conversation, and the household, the power of the women in The Simpsons become suppressed.

            Although The Simpsons may not be recognized by many for its empowering message to women, this significant idea is displayed throughout the series. Lisa constantly strives to excel in the sciences despite some of her fields of interest being dominated by men. Similarly, Marge obtains various jobs throughout the show instead of staying in the house and cleaning. The heavy presence of men, however, prevents these female characters from shining. The males tend to have more prestigious jobs, call women by lesser names, and engage in reckless behavior. This leads to most of the female characters working low-paying jobs, having a lower standing, and tending to have stereotypical feminine traits, such as being faithful and loving. Despite its strong feminist message in some episodes, The Simpsons will continue to fall short of inspiring women until the female characters have the same opportunities as the men in Springfield.

Sources:

Algar, Jessie. "What the Simpsons can teach us about tech and sexism: Twenty-seven years of couch gags makes for the right time to discuss the feminist heavy topic of women’s place in coding." Medium, 21 Jul. 2016. https://medium.com/enspiral-dev-academy/what-the-simpsons-can-teach-us-about-tech-and-sexism-86ba917a6a62

Highfield, Roger. "The Maths Behind the Simpsons' Women." Newsweek, 13 Sep. 2014. https://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/19/maths-behind-simpsons-women-269904.html

Mattsson, Anna-Karin. "Gender in The Simpsons" Bachelor thesis. Luleå University of Technology, 2009, DiVA (URN urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-54726)

The Simpsons: Season Thirty. Created by Matt Groening, Twentieth Century Fox, 2018-2019.

The Simpsons: Season Twenty-Seven. Created by Matt Groening, Twentieth Century Fox, 2015-2016.

            How Race is Portrayed in The Simpsons

          Since the release of its first episode in 1989, Matt Groening’s animated television show The Simpsons has captured the hearts of millions of viewers. Although it is now the longest-running animated show on television, it once was a new program which needed to catch the attention of initial viewers. To do this, Groening decided most of the characters would have yellow skin. This color would catch the eye of those skimming through channels, leading to a larger audience. Some characters in the series, such as Apu and Carl however, would have brown skin, setting them apart as members of different races than everyone else in the show. Although this, combined with the personalities of some of these characters, has led to controversy, in other cases it has been used to demonstrate racial equality.

            One of the largest arguments criticizing the issue of race in The Simpsons comes from the way Apu is portrayed. Although he is usually a kind person in the show, his character is often the subject of heated debate over how Indian Americans are stereotypically portrayed. This includes his thick accent and his job managing the Kwik-E-Mart, but it also extends to the fact he is voiced by Hank Azaria, a Caucasian. Many people find this portrayal of an Indian person to be highly offensive because it plays off of stereotypes while neglecting what life is truly like for these people. 

Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism could be used to justify the argument against Apu. According to Said, people report on the East using their own perspectives, which often makes the region appear to be uncivilized and exotic. At the same time, they condense these values to make them easier for people to understand. The result is a society in which people live believing the West is a place filled with uncivilized people who are different from the majority. This appears to be true in the series, where Apu's behavior, culture, and appearance sets him apart from the other characters. Herbert Marcuse’s belief of mass culture repressing people also comes into play here. According to Marcuse, society produces media with a series of meanings and values. People accept the rules and beliefs of these items when they experience mass culture. This leads to a population where political repression occurs through the influence of the media. As Apu continues to be portrayed as a stereotypical Indian American, some worry about how this will affect the treatment of these people in the United States. This provokes many people to rally together to get his character changed or removed from the beloved television show. 

          In light of the growing controversy regarding Apu, Matt Groening has addressed the matter in various ways. During an interview, he once stated, “I love Apu. I love the character, and it makes me feel bad that it makes other people feel bad.” Groening has even pointed out that given the nature of cartooning, stereotypes often make their ways into shows. An episode in the spring of 2018 even tried to address this, but people became upset when it shrugged off the issue and refused to offer any solutions to the problem.

 To noticeably deal with the polarizing issue, Groening has sidelined the controversial character for the past two years and only gave him an occasional appearance on the show. This would help defer tensions by making Apu’s presence less common. The creator even admitted this will continue unless a story comes along which allows Apu to make a decent presence in the show. Furthermore, Hank Azaria, the character’s voice actor, even offered to step down to let someone of South Asian descent play the role. As Apu’s presence continues to perturb some viewers, the production team for The Simpsons will continue to make adjustments so he can be better accepted.

            Although Apu currently may not be depicted in a respectable manner, Carl is a character in The Simpsons who is well-portrayed despite being a member of a minority. Despite being an African American, he is accepted by his peers and often spends time with them in the break room at work or at Moe’s Tavern.

He also has a job working with Lenny at the city’s power plant. This suggests that although Carl is not the same race as most of the other characters in the show, he has the ability to fit in. He is treated just as well as any other employee at the power plant, and there are no African American stereotypes used to define his character. Interestingly enough, a similar case could be made for Smithers in the third episode of the first season. In this episode Smithers’ skin is a brown color, even though in all other episodes he has yellow skin. 

He is still respected, however, when giving Bart’s class a tour of the power plant. Even though some characters may be poorly represented due to their race, others have the ability to thrive and fit in with society despite being a member of a minority.

            Although The Simpsons continues to be loved by millions of people, it still lies covered in controversy for how some of its characters are portrayed. One such individual is Apu, whose image as a stereotypical Indian American is upsetting to many. However, the program is making measures to make the show adequately cover the issues of diversity among all races. They have limited how much Apu is present in new episodes, publicly addressed concerns over how their characters are depicted, and have treated other minorities, such as African Americans, as well as other main characters. Although The Simpsons may not perfectly display racial equality, it is making strides to make their show more socially acceptable.

Sources:

Beeden, Alexandra, and Miezan Van Zyl. The Sociology Book. DK, Penguin Random House, 2015.

Bradley, Laura. "Simpsons Creator Proves, Again, That He Doesn’t Get the Problem with Apu". Vanity Fair, 18 Jul. 2018. www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/07/simpsons-apu-controversy-matt-groening-stereotypes-problem-with-apu

Lawler, Kelly. "Fox execs address Apu controversy and the future of 'The Simpsons'". USA Today,  3 Aug. 2018. www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/08/02/simpsons-fox-execs-address-shows-future-and-apu-controversy/890780002

The Simpsons: The Complete First Season. Created by Matt Groening, Twentieth Century Fox, 1989-1990.

Watchmojo.com. "Top 5 Simpsons Facts You Probably Didn't Know." YouTube, 12 Mar. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZGfGMR87IA.