Episode 4: The One With The Metaphorical Tunnel
In Season 3 Episode 4: “The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel” (Crane, 1997) episode is prime example of Friends main characters perpetuating gender stereotypes and binary definitions of gender. For example, in the episode, Ross’ ex-wife Carol and her partner, Susan, bring Ross’ son, Ben, over to his father’s house carrying a Barbie doll. And the dialogue goes something like this:
ROSS. There's my boy! Here's my boy! And here's his Barbie (Ben is holding a Barbie doll) What's ah, what's my boy doing with a Barbie?
CAROL. He picked it out of the toy store himself, he loves it.
SUSAN. He carries it everywhere, it's like a security blanket, but with ski boots and a kicky beret.
ROSS. Yeah, it's, it's, it's cute. Why, why, why does he have it, …show more content…
You know what it's fine. If you're okay with the Barbie thing, so am I.
(cut to later in the day)
ROSS. Give daddy the Barbie! Ben, give, give me the Barbie. Okay, how 'bout, don't you want to play with the monster truck? (makes a monster truck sound) No. Okay, oh, oh, how about a Dino-solider? (squawks like a dinosaur) Guess who's here. It's the toughest guy in toy land, Ben. (singing) 'A real American hero. I'm G.I. Joe!' Drop the Barbie, drop the Barbie.
Upon seeing the doll, Ross is challenged, and Carol responds to this by saying that they went to the toy store and Ben chose the doll for himself. The mothers had no problem with it, yet Ross spends the rest of the episode trying to encourage Ben to play with trucks and toy soldiers. This social construction of gender, where we encourage girls to “think pink” and embrace their caring, feminine side and tend to force masculine ideals on young boys was gender …show more content…
Joe doll, on his son. Even though Ben is only a small boy of age 3 or 4, his father is already trying to shape his personality to fit the
ROSS. There's my boy! Here's my boy! And here's his Barbie (Ben is holding a Barbie doll) What's ah, what's my boy doing with a Barbie?
CAROL. He picked it out of the toy store himself, he loves it.
SUSAN. He carries it everywhere, it's like a security blanket, but with ski boots and a kicky beret.
ROSS. Yeah, it's, it's, it's cute. Why, why, why does he have it, …show more content…
You know what it's fine. If you're okay with the Barbie thing, so am I.
(cut to later in the day)
ROSS. Give daddy the Barbie! Ben, give, give me the Barbie. Okay, how 'bout, don't you want to play with the monster truck? (makes a monster truck sound) No. Okay, oh, oh, how about a Dino-solider? (squawks like a dinosaur) Guess who's here. It's the toughest guy in toy land, Ben. (singing) 'A real American hero. I'm G.I. Joe!' Drop the Barbie, drop the Barbie.
Upon seeing the doll, Ross is challenged, and Carol responds to this by saying that they went to the toy store and Ben chose the doll for himself. The mothers had no problem with it, yet Ross spends the rest of the episode trying to encourage Ben to play with trucks and toy soldiers. This social construction of gender, where we encourage girls to “think pink” and embrace their caring, feminine side and tend to force masculine ideals on young boys was gender …show more content…
Joe doll, on his son. Even though Ben is only a small boy of age 3 or 4, his father is already trying to shape his personality to fit the