How accurately does television reflect real life? Is TV's portrayal of
women and girls expansive or narrow? What conclusions might one make about
gender, race, sex, violence and social issues in the United States after
watching the six major networks? 
As we put together this report, certain
myths emerged from our research and field work. The following are the top
ten myths that TV promotes. Are they true or false outside "the box"?
TV Reality #1: Men Run the U.S. and the World.
Women may be capable of
doing anything, but ultimately they answer to a male authority. TRUE,
SADLY. On television, as in the real world, men are the heads of
government (24, Spin City, The West Wing), the military (JAG),
investigative agencies (The Agency, Alias, The X-Files), police departments
(The District, The Job, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit, NYPD Blue), crime labs (Crossing Jordan, CSI), law offices
(Ally McBeal, Girlfriends, The Guardian, The Practice), hospitals (ER,
Scrubs), movie studios (Yes, Dear), radio stations (Frasier, Once & Again),
magazines (Just Shoot Me), schools (Boston Public, The Simpsons), factories
(George Lopez), department stores (The Drew Carey Show) and space
exploration (Enterprise). The rare exceptions to this include: The
Education of Max Bickford (CBS-canceled), Family Law (CBS-canceled),
Judging Amy (CBS) and Law & Order (NBC).
#2 The Jennifer Aniston Rule. The majority of women in the U.S. are young,
thin, white and fall within a narrow standard of "beauty." FALSE. We all
know that women come in many shapes, sizes, ages and colors. In an
extremely informal count, however, we found 140 women on TV who were
model-thin and conventionally beautiful, versus just 31 women who appeared
to wear a size 10 or larger. The actresses who could (and do, sometimes)
double as models are everywhere, so we really don't need to list them. The
few exceptions include: Lesley Boone (Molly) on Ed, Tyne Daly (Maxine) on
Judging Amy, Loretta Devine (Marla) on Boston Public, Camryn Manheim
(Ellenor) on The Practice, Melissa McCarthy (Sookie) on Gilmore Girls,
Della Reese (Tess) on Touched By an Angel, and Countess Vaughn (Kim) and
Mo'Nique (Nikki) on The Parkers.
#3 Opposites Attract. Attractive women often couple with less attractive
"average Joe" men and older men, placing value on personality over
appearance. MOSTLY FALSE. While this male fantasy does happen in real
life, it sure seems the standard on TV. For instance: Cheryl and Jim on
According to Jim, Kate and Drew on The Drew Carey Show, Andrea and Max on
The Education of Max Bickford, Claudia and Sean on Grounded for Life,
Carrie and Doug on King of Queens, Connie and Andy on NYPD Blue, and even
Marge and Homer on The Simpsons! The trend continues on new shows like
Still Standing, and with a twist on the creepy Bram & Alice. Meanwhile,
finding a handsome man with an older, more average-looking woman on TV is a
futile task.
#4 Young and Sexy Saves the Day. Strong, brave, kick-butt women are
almost always very young, thin and use their sex appeal to great advantage.
Evidence: Alias, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, CSI, Dark
Angel, Fear Factor, JAG, NYPD Blue, UC: Undercover, WWE Smackdown! FALSE.
Even on TV,
a number of older, "everyday" women on reality shows like
Survivor and Amazing Race make our case.
#5 Black and White and Divided. People of color make up a very small part
of the U.S. population and rarely interact with white people outside of the
workplace. FALSE. The number of people of color in the U.S. has grown
dramatically over the last ten years, to 30.9% of the population. However,
aside from the handful of shows centered around African-American families,
racial and ethnic diversity in primetime is minimal. With the introduction
of just one show, George Lopez, the Latina/o population on TV increased
dramatically. Asian American women may be the most under-represented
people on television. Last season only four Asian American actresses (out
of 277 total female actors) filled substantial roles: Linda Park on
Enterprise, Ming-Na on ER, Lauren Thom supplying three characters' voices
on Futurama and King of the Hill, and Keiki Agena on Gilmore Girls. No
regular characters played by Native American or Middle Eastern women could
be found.
#6 "Feminine" Qualities Are Undesirable. Accusing someone of acting like
a woman or acting gay is an automatic insult because women and gay men are
such tramps and/or wimps. FALSE. In the real world these attitudes are
slowly changing as we come to value all people equally. In the world of
television comedy, telling a male "you throw like a girl" or calling a
sensitive man by a woman’s name are real knee-slappers. Calling a woman (or
a man) a "bitch," a "slut" or a "whore" is also an acceptable cut-down in
primetime TV. Repeat offenders include: The Drew Carey Show, Everybody
Loves Raymond, Friends, The Job, Just Shoot Me, Scrubs and Spin City.
#7 A Straight Society. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are
virtually non-existent in the U.S. FALSE. Last season, only 17 LGBT
characters appeared in regular roles, representing 2.5% of the total
primetime characters—a paltry number compared with the estimated 10% in
real life. The visible lesbian/bisexual women on TV last season were:
Tara (killed off) and Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Original Cindy on
Dark Angel (canceled), Ellen on The Ellen Show (canceled), Kerry on ER,
Jessie and Katie on Once and Again (canceled), Sophia on That 80s Show
(canceled) and Amy on Titus. Only three of these characters are returning
to TV this season and there are no signs of "out" characters among the new
fall programs.
#8 A Violent Society. Violent crime and violence against women are
prevalent in the U.S. TRUE. According to the FBI, one violent crime
occurs every 22.1 seconds in the U.S., including one "forcible" rape every
5.8 minutes. Accordingly, primetime television's most-watched list is
saturated with violent crimes, particularly those involving the sexual
assault, abduction and exploitation of women (especially young, attractive
women and girls). Does the prevalence of actual violence in the U.S. fuel
media content? Absolutely. Does violence on TV in turn influence reality?
How could so many hours of violence not seep into our psyches? Witness
the long line of shows premised on violence: The Agency, Alias, America's
Most Wanted, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Cops, Crossing
Jordan, CSI, Dark Angel, The District, Glory Days, Law & Order, Law &
Order: CI, Law & Order: SVU, NYPD Blue, The Practice, Smallville, 24, UC:
Undercover, The X-Files, WWE Smackdown! And this list does not include the
six TV newsmagazines, which have become increasingly preoccupied with
murder mysteries—again, particularly those of murdered and missing women
and girls.
#9 Differently-Abled Means Magically-Gifted. In everyday life, you're
more likely to encounter a witch, an angel, a superhero or an alien than to
see a person with a disbility. FALSE, OBVIOUSLY. We found 20 women on TV
last season who possessed unreal magical/unearthly abilities, but only four
women living with real disabilities or mental illness. People with
physical and mental disbilities are the single largest minority group in
the U.S. (an estimated 15-20%), and women are more likely than men to
experience disability. The handful of characters on TV representing women
with disabilties are: Marla (mental disability) on Boston Public, Kerry
(mobility) on ER, Emily (stature) on Family Law, Karen (depression and
mobility) on Once and Again, two of whom won't be back due to cancelation.
More magical women have arrived with the new season, but at least one also
has a disability (on WB's Birds of Prey).
#10 Sorry, Dan Quayle. Single moms, while facing admittedly tough
obstacles, are combining work and child-rearing to good effect. And many
married moms are also working outside the home (either out of necessity or
for personal fulfillment) while maintaining healthy relationships with
their children. TRUE. Great examples of single moms on TV last season
include: Catherine on CSI, Lynn on Family Law, Roz on Frasier, Lorelei on
Gilmore Girls, Amy on Judging Amy, Kathleen on Philly, Ellenor on The
Practice, Joanie on Providence, Reba on Reba and Scully on The X-Files.
Shows with married moms working outside the home include: Malcolm in the
Middle, My Wife and Kids, Once and Again, The Practice, That '70s Show and
more. And TV moms have even gone back to school on shows like The Parkers
and Yes, Dear.
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