Sexism and the Use of Gender Roles in Dream of Jeannie

While gender roles are learned as people grow older, gender identity is something that is engrained in our brains from birth (Bakanic, 2009). It is such a common occurrence that most people rarely think about it. Although there are many who do not want to be defined by their gender, they may still avoid certain activities or thoughts because they are associated with the opposing gender (Bakanic, 2009). Women have been viewed as weaker than men and are were meant to stay at the home to raise the children. Men are viewed as stronger and meant to protect and provide for the family. While these roles have generally remained the same, more and more women are working the same jobs as men. Sexism and the use of Gender Roles in I Dream of Jeannie I Dream of Jeannie was a television sitcom that ran for five years between 1965 and 1970 (IMDB, 2018). The show was about an astronaut who crashes on an abandoned island and finds a genie in a bottle (IMDB, 2018).

The genie sneaks into Major Anthony Nelson's belongings and end up in his house. During the show, Major Nelson is constantly trying to hide Jeannie away, but she often tries to get noticed by others. Jeannie is a beautiful blonde genie who only want to please her master. She often tries to seduce him in attempts to please him (Sheldon, 1965). She wears clothes that would have been considered revealing in the 1960s. At times, Jeannie is rather ditzy and moody, while other times she is quick witted and intelligent (Sheldon, 1965). In the pilot episode, Jeannie calls herself a slave and says she only wishes to please her master. However, she often defies him, and causes a lot of trouble for him when she is upset (Sheldon, 1965). Now, I Dream of Jeannie would be considered an extremely sexist television show that demonstrates that many people believe that women should be subservient to men. However, during the 1960s, such behaviors were normal.

Women were just starting to gain more roles in society and were becoming more adventurous. They did not want to just let men run their lives, they wanted to take control. Although the characters are not very conscious of their gender roles, there are many parts of the show that depict a woman trying to serve her master yet be her own woman at the same time. However, they do make several jokes about getting women under control (Sheldon, 1965). Sexism and Gender Roles in the Present Gender identity has become more complicated in recent years. It has become more common to go against traditional gender roles, and act like someone of the opposite gender.

A study conducted in 2017 states that about 150,000 teens nationwide identify as transgender, meaning they feel as though they are outside the gender norms (Herman et al, 2017). There are now many new terms to describe gender. Waking up as a Man I would be very unhappy if I woke up as a man. I enjoy being a woman and have no desire to be anything else. Women may be considered the fairer sex, but we can work just as hard as men. However, I am quite the tomboy. I enjoy some activities that are generally viewed as male activities, such as wrestling with my kids, working on minor issues for my truck and may other types of activities. I do not think that my perspective would change because I understand both men and women very well. Although I am not strong like the stereotypical man, I still do my best to take care of things around the house.

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