When deciding on a show to use as an example of tropes I came across plenty of shows that include numerous tropes. One show that I find personally interesting and notice an obvious trope is That 70s Show. The comedy show which first aired August 23, 1998 describes six friends going through life in the 70s. Although each character is different in how they are depicted, one character that stands out to me is Jackie Burkhart.
Jackie entered the show as the youngest person in the group and in real life. Her age helped driver her character as the annoying rich girl in the show. She is depicted as the "Rich Bitch" trope meaning she is a wealthy young girl who views herself highly. Her superior attitude towards those around her affects how they view her. Jackie never fails to remind her friends how rich she is not only money wise but also socially. She uses her wealth to get what she wants and looks down on those who aren't of the same status as her. In the beginning of the show, the other characters continuously expressed how much they disliked her and never wanted her around. They persistently told her how rude she is and how she needs to change her personality in order for them or anyone to like her.
Her spoiled brat mentality affects her relationship with men because she constantly puts down guys who are not up to her standards and attempt to talk to her. In the show she is seen brutally tearing down these men and so many other characters. She feels as though her wealth will allow her to do whatever she wants with them and expects them to kneel at her feet. Jackie views her status as an excuse to be rude to men and use them in whichever way she wants.
The "Rich Bitch" trope embraces the cultural ideology that being rich also implies that you must be rude as well. It suggests that the wealth a person obtains requires them to use their power to not only get what they want but also put down others who are of lesser status than them. This trope also indicates that a rich woman is always meant to be mean and manipulative. Also that the woman is petty for no reason other than her own entertainment. It implies that by being rich, real friendships don't exist due to the amount of money you have.
I love that 70s show! I've seen every episode and that was a really good idea to use this show as it does have lots of notable tropes. The "Rich Bitch" trope is a really good one because Jackie Burkhart fits the trope so well. She is a stuckup entitled rich girl who has had everything handed to her so she thinks that everything should work out her way and when it doesn't she loses her mind. She fits the rich bitch trope especially well because she is also quite attractive adding to her entitled attitude. Another trope from that 70s show would be "The Beautiful Dumbass" played by Michael Kelso who happens to be Jackie's boyfriend for the first few seasons of the show. Kelso, played by Ashton Kutcher. Kelso is a goodlooking guy but he is a complete idiot, he supports the cultural ideology that models and goodlooking people are often shallow and dumb
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ReplyDeleteIt was cool seeing this because
ReplyDeletei also used the same trope and I never thought about using Jackie as an example. She is a really good choice because shes is this same personality from first episode to last where she expects the world to be kissing her feet. I chose White Chicks as an example and when comparing the two, the only difference is that Jackie didnt think she was too cool for normal people and she didnt have a poodle which kind of makes her a little more likable. I guess it makes her a bit more human in our eyes. Good choice.
Another trope you can find in this show is the “rebellious teen” and is shown through the character Steven Hyde. He always goes against “the system” aka the Government, never cares what people think about him, and goes against social norms like disco.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that the trope of "Rude Bitch" exists because there isn't a male-equivalent. Although correct me if I'm wrong, there definitely could be. But if there isn't, I feel like this speaks to how society views women on a very different scale than men. That if women do something snap-pish, they're immediately labelled a bitch. And for men? "Boys will be boys" exists.
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