The role of gender that is portrayed in the media has had its fair share of influence on how I personally look at the role of men in society. From as far back as I can remember, I had always watched TV shows like Power Rangers and Dragon Ball Z where the main appeal was the action and fighting aspects, and I always percieved these things as cool. I distinctly remember watching Power Rangers and "fighting" the bad guys in front of the TV along with all of the characters. Plus, the fact that the show incorporated good vs. evil, impressive (at the time) special effects, and a bit of humor made it a show that I couldn't get enough of.
With these stated factors, Power Rangers was a show that taught me to associate masculinity to heroism, strength, crime
fighting, bravery, and basically physical violence, since every episode consisted of battling and destroying monsters. I think it is generally agreed upon that these traits are pretty stereotypical of the male persona by most people as well; I think that women are certainly capable of showing bravery, heroism, and everything else, but the typical person would probably first associate these qualities with a male figure.
Though I was very young when I watched Power Rangers, I think it was one of many factors in society that shaped my expectations of what a man should be. I quickly learned that it was acceptable and appropriate to try to be brave and have a heroic charisma, though in my youth there was never really an opportunity for any child to exibit these qualities in real life. So I suppose that these qualities were just underlying factors that I associated with men, and they served as building blocks and a foundation for other qualities that men should have. So in a way, the show Power Rangers was basically a small but intricate part of building my own understanding on how men should strive to be in society, and it led the way in accepting more broad stereotypes associated with men like being good at sports or the enjoyment of shooting guns.
I wish I had watched a few more episodes of Power Rangers as a child. I never really got into it, so I guess I was more of an animated cartoon guy.
ReplyDeleteI know enough of Power Rangers to see the gender role issues, but were there ever any showcases of sexuality? (Dating, girls, etc?)
Yeah now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure that Kimberly (the pink ranger) was always hanging around the red and green rangers, because they were the leaders of the group and probably the most masculine, attractive, etc. I actually forgot about that aspect of the show until now.
DeleteI never really watched Power Rangers either, with the exception of a stray episode here or there. But do you think that the inclusion of female Power Rangers had a effect on your understanding of what men can do and what women can do? For example, that men and women are equal, and can BOTH be heroes if they want to be?
ReplyDeleteYeah definitely, I never really held any prejudice against the capabilities of men and women, and this show probably further enforced that because the women were just as capable of showing heroism, bravery, and physical ability as the men. I just enjoyed trying to be like the male rangers more than the two females because I could associate with them better. Plus, I never have liked the colors yellow or pink...
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