California, here we come: Sex and Gender in The O.C

When we discussed sex and gender in popular culture and the depictions of gender in prime-time television during lecture 11, I instantly thought of The O.C.

The O.C is an American teen drama series that was immensely popular in the early 2000's. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and portrays the life of a group of teenagers and their families in the affluent suburb Newport Beach in Orange County, California. Josh Schwartz is also the creator of two other immensely popular shows, Gossip Girl and Chuck.

The O.C is a perfect example of the gender roles and stereotypes that are recurrent in prime-time television. It focuses on the lives of four teenagers: Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, Summer Roberts and Seth Cohen. They each are stereotypical and archetypical representations of teenagers. Ryan Atwood is the troubled bad boy from an underprivileged poor neighbourhood who ends up living with the Cohen family after being thrown out by his alcoholic mother. Marissa Cooper is the beautiful girl next door who despite being a straight A-student and chair of the social committee at school, often struggles with the circumstances of her family life and is often presented as a damsel in distress. Summer Roberts is Marissa's best friend and the love interest of Seth Cohen. She is presented as a superficial and ditzy girl who gets by on her good looks and charm. Seth Cohen is a comic book geek and neurotic nerd that is very much the antithesis of Ryan Atwood.

The show follows the tumultuous relationships between Ryan and Marissa and Seth and Summer. It also focuses on the dynamics of the relationships of their families. Ryan, Marissa, Summer and Seth each embody specific gender stereotypes.

The depiction of Ryan reminded me of the depiction of male characters in Disney films that were identified and outlined by Mia Towbin and her colleagues. Towbin identified five themes that emerged in the portrayal of men in Disney films:

(1) men primarily use physical means to express their emotions or show no emotions,

(2) men are not in control of their sexuality,

(3) men are naturally strong and heroic,

(4) men have non-domestic jobs,

(5) overweight men have negative characteristics.

Ryan embodies the first three themes; he is depicted as having a bad temper, constantly getting into physical fights as a way of protecting his loved ones, and is depicted as having difficulty expressing his emotions. He is very much the strong and heroic male character in the series and he comes to Marissa's rescue time and time again. 

The portrayal of Marissa and Summer tie-in with the themes Towbin identified in the portrayal of female characters in Disney films. Three themes in particular come to mind:

(1) a woman's appearance is valued more than her intellect,

(2) women are helpless and in need of protection,

(3) women are domestic and likely to marry

 Both Marissa and Summer are depicted as beautiful girls who are desired by many. Summer is blatantly presented as a ditzy girl who isn't the best student. Summer places much value in her popular status at school and her good looks. Though Marissa is a straight A-student and chair of the social committee at school, she is portrayed as the damsel in distress who Ryan saves time and time again from others and most frequently from herself. She struggles with drug abuse and alcoholism. 

Much like The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon is depicted as highly intelligent and neurotic, Seth is portrayed as the antithesis of Ryan. He is a geeky, neurotic and skinny loner who pines for Summer. His lanky physique and sarcastic sense of humour are used as emphasis in establishing how he and Ryan are in many ways opposites. Ryan is the muscular, macho guy with a bad temper and Seth is the lanky, neurotic comic book nerd. Furthermore, Seth's wit is often used in contrast to Summer's ditziness.

Another element of The O.C that strikes me as very stereotypical is the portrayal of the dynamics in Ryan and Marissa's relationship. Ryan is constantly rescuing Marissa, whether it be from her own demons such as her alcohol abuse, or from the dangerous people she at times associates with. 

The dynamics of their relationship are laid out in their very first encounter. Ryan appears as the brooding James Dean-esque bad boy who draws Marissa in with his mysterious persona. Throughout the series Ryan truly takes on the "whoever you want me to be" role in Marissa's life. He is her lover, protector, and friend. Ryan's savior-complex is undeniable -- Marissa even dies in his arms after he pulls her out from a car-wreck after a fatal car accident on graduation night.

Taking into consideration the blatantly stereotypical portrayals of gender in shows like The O.C and the immense popularity of shows like The O.C, an important question comes to mind: what do these shows reflect about our culture?  

I think that though these portrayals of gender are stereotypical, each character serves as an archetype and that viewers identify with specific aspects of each character. Much like the ubiquitous line from John Hughes' The Breakfast Club, "you see us as you want to see us. In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal." -- each character in The O.C embodies particular traits that all viewers can identify with.

Though I do not necessarily condone the at times sexist portrayals, I think that the show effectively engages viewers with plot lines that attempt to deal with 'real life situations.'  When watching shows that use such strikingly archetypical representations of gender, it is important to remember that we need not always present particular traits, such as heroism, with particular genders. Just as women are just as strong and brave as men, female characters should be portrayed accordingly. It is important to show that particular traits are universal human traits and that gender does not necessarily equate one's strengths and weaknesses.