The Blonde Bimbo Theory
“Two guys walk into a chemists’ bar. The first one orders H2O, and the other orders H2O, too. The second guy dies.”
If you understood this joke, then congratulations! You are officially almost as smart as an average sophomore. However, don’t worry if you didn’t. As the writers of “The Big Bang Theory” would have it, your intelligence level is the same as that of most women on the planet.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of feminism. Often it is just an excuse to get the men to bring home the bacon, cook and serve it, too. To me it does make sense that most main fictional characters, especially the superheroes, are men. Women, after all, are the weaker sex. Thus the ‘damsel in distress’ role is perfectly explanatory. Yet, I cannot understand why intellectually-oriented sitcoms, such as “The Big Bang Theory”, maintain a large extent of chauvinism. Don’t get me wrong, I love the series. Every week I tune in to hear about Sheldon’s shenanigans and Leonard’s loneliness. Nevertheless, I can’t help but be annoyed by the way this show portrays its one and only main female character.
To begin with the most superficial level, discrimination in the sitcom is shown in terms of numbers. Out of five main characters, only one is a woman. Out of five main characters, only one hasn’t finished university. Out of five main characters, only one lacks a stable job. But what irks me the most is that out of the five main characters, we don’t know the last name of that same one. Penny’s arrival marks the beginning of the series. Hence, it seems totally absurd that she lacks a full name. In a world filled with the words ‘Doctor Sheldon Cooper’ and ‘Doctor Leonard Hofstadter’, mere ‘Penny’ seems an outcast. But, let’s set this all aside. Perhaps having a surname is not all that important. (Madonna, Cher and the Pope are doing quite fine.) Looking at the analysis of the characters is much more significant. The sitcom is basically centered on Penny’s silliness. Sure, it is portrayed as a likable and appealing trait, but it remains that the only recurring female is more or less dumb. A full episode was focused on Sheldon teaching Penny the basic concepts of Physics. She understood absolutely nothing. Not to undermine the subject or Newton himself, but how hard is it to get that when you push an object it pushes back? Comic relief is constantly provided by Penny’s failures to grasp the “scientific” humor. Had they been jokes on the level of molecular biochemical parasitological engineering, it would have been understandable. However, a character that falls short of comprehending the nerd’s equivalent to ‘two plus two’ literally brings shame to her family and her entire gender.
A slight attempt to redeem their image by the writers was made with the addition of Amy Farah Fowler and Bernadette. Though, much like Penny’s acting career, they failed. Amy could be taken as the smartest female on the show, yet she is awfully inferior to her male counterpart. Their level of insanity is approximately equal, but the same cannot be said about their intellect. Not once has Sheldon proven to know far more than his ‘female friend’ (and, truthfully, far more than humanely possible). With Bernadette it’s a completely different story. Even though, when brains are considered, hers and Howard’s are of about the same quality, the audience is not directed at this. In their relationship, the focal point is her transformation into her mother-in-law. What the show managed to do is take a smart independent female and modify her to become a large, loud and bothersome wife. Seeing her yell “Howard” is quite amusing, but undermines her intelligence. A powerful female would not resort to frightening her spineless husband as a method to get what she wants, despite its obvious effectiveness. In a way, regardless of his total lack of any guts, Howard dominates the relationship because he ultimately is the one finishing the jobs his wife asks of him.
Today’s world is one where the one thing males and females are equal in is brain power. Females might be repetitively asked to return to the kitchen, but even while making sandwiches they remain as smart as any man. A popular sitcom of the twenty-first century cannot be allowed to discriminate its only main female character in such a way. Placing one female dropout in contrast to four male scientists portrays a distinctly chauvinistic image of the weaker sex. Truthfully, having several “women in the kitchen” or “women have no rights” jokes per episode would have been far more acceptable than creating the epitome of blonde foolishness in a surname-less character. If Sheldon really did cry because people are stupid, then watching this show would have proven once and for all that he is a Homo sapiens sapiens and not some extraterrestrial life form.
If you understood this joke, then congratulations! You are officially almost as smart as an average sophomore. However, don’t worry if you didn’t. As the writers of “The Big Bang Theory” would have it, your intelligence level is the same as that of most women on the planet.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of feminism. Often it is just an excuse to get the men to bring home the bacon, cook and serve it, too. To me it does make sense that most main fictional characters, especially the superheroes, are men. Women, after all, are the weaker sex. Thus the ‘damsel in distress’ role is perfectly explanatory. Yet, I cannot understand why intellectually-oriented sitcoms, such as “The Big Bang Theory”, maintain a large extent of chauvinism. Don’t get me wrong, I love the series. Every week I tune in to hear about Sheldon’s shenanigans and Leonard’s loneliness. Nevertheless, I can’t help but be annoyed by the way this show portrays its one and only main female character.
To begin with the most superficial level, discrimination in the sitcom is shown in terms of numbers. Out of five main characters, only one is a woman. Out of five main characters, only one hasn’t finished university. Out of five main characters, only one lacks a stable job. But what irks me the most is that out of the five main characters, we don’t know the last name of that same one. Penny’s arrival marks the beginning of the series. Hence, it seems totally absurd that she lacks a full name. In a world filled with the words ‘Doctor Sheldon Cooper’ and ‘Doctor Leonard Hofstadter’, mere ‘Penny’ seems an outcast. But, let’s set this all aside. Perhaps having a surname is not all that important. (Madonna, Cher and the Pope are doing quite fine.) Looking at the analysis of the characters is much more significant. The sitcom is basically centered on Penny’s silliness. Sure, it is portrayed as a likable and appealing trait, but it remains that the only recurring female is more or less dumb. A full episode was focused on Sheldon teaching Penny the basic concepts of Physics. She understood absolutely nothing. Not to undermine the subject or Newton himself, but how hard is it to get that when you push an object it pushes back? Comic relief is constantly provided by Penny’s failures to grasp the “scientific” humor. Had they been jokes on the level of molecular biochemical parasitological engineering, it would have been understandable. However, a character that falls short of comprehending the nerd’s equivalent to ‘two plus two’ literally brings shame to her family and her entire gender.
A slight attempt to redeem their image by the writers was made with the addition of Amy Farah Fowler and Bernadette. Though, much like Penny’s acting career, they failed. Amy could be taken as the smartest female on the show, yet she is awfully inferior to her male counterpart. Their level of insanity is approximately equal, but the same cannot be said about their intellect. Not once has Sheldon proven to know far more than his ‘female friend’ (and, truthfully, far more than humanely possible). With Bernadette it’s a completely different story. Even though, when brains are considered, hers and Howard’s are of about the same quality, the audience is not directed at this. In their relationship, the focal point is her transformation into her mother-in-law. What the show managed to do is take a smart independent female and modify her to become a large, loud and bothersome wife. Seeing her yell “Howard” is quite amusing, but undermines her intelligence. A powerful female would not resort to frightening her spineless husband as a method to get what she wants, despite its obvious effectiveness. In a way, regardless of his total lack of any guts, Howard dominates the relationship because he ultimately is the one finishing the jobs his wife asks of him.
Today’s world is one where the one thing males and females are equal in is brain power. Females might be repetitively asked to return to the kitchen, but even while making sandwiches they remain as smart as any man. A popular sitcom of the twenty-first century cannot be allowed to discriminate its only main female character in such a way. Placing one female dropout in contrast to four male scientists portrays a distinctly chauvinistic image of the weaker sex. Truthfully, having several “women in the kitchen” or “women have no rights” jokes per episode would have been far more acceptable than creating the epitome of blonde foolishness in a surname-less character. If Sheldon really did cry because people are stupid, then watching this show would have proven once and for all that he is a Homo sapiens sapiens and not some extraterrestrial life form.
Simona Sarafinoska