CAPS #5: LeRoy Ford

There are stereotypes littered throughout all forms of popular culture mediums these days, such as TV. shows, magazines, etc. And unfortunately these stereotypes in the media are just enough to make people who may not identify with certain group think that those being stereotyped how they really are in reality.  A lot of people tend to think that what they see in the media is accurate, when in reality a lot of it isn’t. If someone from a different culture never interacted with someone they see on television then they will start to believe that however they are portrayed on television is really how they are.

I enjoy Modern Family just like the next person but I feel like this show is a great example of how stereotypes are portrayed in the media. Even though I feel this show was partially created to help fight stereotypes, but they stereotypes are still there. For example take Gloria played by Sofia Vergara. She is portrayed as the loud and very “out there” personality on the show, which in itself is a stereotype against Latina women. That’s one of the stereotypes that Latina women and even African American women have been plagued with for years. We can see this stereotype being fulfilled in plenty episodes where she rambles off into her loud and sometimes obnoxious rants.

A second stereotype that is played out in the show, although not consistently is one against Latino men. If you follow the show, you will know that Gloria was once divorced and remarried and older guy (Which is also a stereotype within itself that I’ll get to later) and she has a son from her former marriage. In one episode they visit her ex-husband who is Hispanic. Through his interactions with the other characters he is portrayed as unreliable, not keeping promises he makes to his son and other things. This is a stereotype of minority fathers, is that they aren’t there for their kids and make a bunch of false promises. This stereotype was clearly seen in this episode.

Also, as I eluded to previously, Gloria is married to a much older man. This can be interpreted as old men who get divorced and then eventually remarry and try to find a trophy wife. This is also seen very clearly in this show because many people would say that Sofia is so out of his league. And not only is she his trophy wife but she is considered “exotic” and young and sexy and a nice people of eye candy for an older man. This show is a wealth of stereotypes that are consistently shown throughout the episodes. Even the gay couple is seen as been the stereotypical flamboyant gay men. There’s just so much you can say about how this show is built. But it goes back to popular culture and its willingness to feed stereotypes and share them to the world!

Below is a trailer of Modern Family just in case you're not family with it. Enjoy!