Modern Family And The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air
In TV shows the production context of a TV show affects the way social groups are represented, this is evident in shows from 1970s to the 2000s and can act as a timeline on how much our culture has evolved and the way we perceive certain social groups. Sitcoms have been a part of the TV culture for a long time and have represented social groups in many different ways and this representation has changed drastically over the last 2 decades. The sitcoms Modern Family, 2010, USA, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, 1990, USA, are the examples I chose to compare and contrast the change in social groups as each show is around two decades apart and they are both aired within the USA. In this essay I will be discussing how these sitcoms represent age
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and culture, and how these views have changed over the years.
The sitcoms, Modern Family and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air were both aired at very different times one in the 90s and the other in 2010s, this gap meant the way age and culture were represented are completely different from one another. The social group of age especially shows a big difference between the two shows, and clearly shows how the way different aged people have developed and evolved over time. In the show Modern Family teens are represented as independent children that want to grow up as fast as possible, “Were not men”, even at the age of 14 Luke is wanting to be a man and take care of himself without the need of parents. In contrast to this The Fresh Prince of Bell Air depicts teens as needy and lazy, “you mean I am going to have to get my own breakfast too”, this quote is a clear example of laziness as Ashley, the daughter in the show, complains about having to get something that only benefits her. This depiction of teens in the 1990’s represents them as wanting to be babysat through life and never have to grow up, quite the opposite to that of Luke from Modern Family. In Modern Family the teens and adults are happy with having a gay couple in their family but the older generation is ashamed of that fact, this is seen when his sons boyfriend says hi to Jay and his buddies and jay introduces him as, “my sons friend”, this shows that Jay doesn’t want his friends to know that his son is gay as he doesn’t approve. However in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, no gay people are even mentioned, as it was not the social norm back in the 90s, although nowadays as seen in Modern Family it is coming to be embraced by the younger generation.
Culture is another social group presented in very differently in the sitcoms, Modern Family and The Fresh Prince of Bell Air, the fact that these shows were aired 2 decades apart is a major reason why these two shows represent very different cultures.
Modern Family is a show about one big family, each part of the family has a different culture, there are the gay couple, the generic family and the rich older guy with the younger wife. On the contrary The Fresh Prince of Bell Air depict a rich family with the twist of them being African American, and the mixed culture of a ghetto teen called Will Smith living with the posh family. In Modern Family the Dunphy family culture is a medium to high income with the stay at home mum doing all the cooking and cleaning. In the quote “you’re right I guess, the power cord will do” Luke is discussing with his parents about getting a new belt this is a clear representation of how Luke is used to the lifestyle of not being bought many things as he answers his own question without needing a response. In stark contrast to this the Banks family is a very high-income family where both parents are always busy and they hire a butler to do the cooking and cleaning. This culture breaks the stereotype of African Americans back in the 90s where they were perceived to be poor and criminalized. An example of this is in the quote, “some people will do anything for money… why don’t they just ask their father”, this is said by Ashley when people were seen …show more content…
trying to win money on who wants to be a millionaire, this quote shows that she has no other sense of lifestyle other than the rich luxurious one she lives. In Modern Family everyone is treated equally in race, religion or sexuality, this is evident in the fact that no one treats the gay couple any different from the rest of the family, and sees them as normal. However in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, racial discrimination is presented, an example of this is seen in the quote, “What are you on about?”, “they think we stole the benz” this shows that because two black guys were driving a Mercedes Benz the police believe it is stolen and take them back to the police station because normal high income black people were very rare and treated as out of the ordinary.
The year a TV shows is aired impacts greatly on the themes and ideas presented in the show, to be more specific the way social groups are presented. Modern Family is a show aired right now and depicts 3 different related families and how they interact with each other and the shenanigans that occur. Nowadays we are more accepting of gays, and this is why 1 of these 3 families is a gay couple, within the show they are treated like any other family member apart from of course the older generation who aren’t brought up to think this is the social norm. Another major impact the year this show is aired has is on the female figure, they are seen as more independent hard working women rather than cookers and cleaners who follow in a mans shadow all the time, although Claire Dunphy in the show is a stay at home mum we see her develop into a manager of a large company and start to represent what being a women in the 2000s means.
In the show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air the fact that it was aired in the 90s affects the way social groups were presented.
Back in the 90s African Americans were seen as criminals with low-income jobs, if any, and a bad attitude, but The Fresh Prince of Bel Air depicted a family that broke through this stereotype, as they were rich and African American. Nowadays we wouldn’t be so surprised that a black family was successful but back then it was something new and unheard of, this aided to the shows success. In the 90s women were just starting to break out of the usual housewife role and started to get jobs and earn a living, this was reflected in the fact that Vivian, the mother figure in the show was a dominant independent women who sometimes was even more influential then the
father.
To conclude The Fresh of Bel Air depicted 2 social aspects of age, especially teens, and the culture of the broken stereotype of African Americans, as the banks family is rich and successful whereas back then African Americans were seen otherwise, this was compared to that of the show Modern Family and their presentation of age and culture. These social aspects are very different in each show as they are influenced by the year in which the shows were aired, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air being aired in the 90s and Modern Family being aired from 2010 till this day. The shows were successful because they depicted a lifestyle that audiences can relate to during the time of air.
and culture, and how these views have changed over the years.
The sitcoms, Modern Family and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air were both aired at very different times one in the 90s and the other in 2010s, this gap meant the way age and culture were represented are completely different from one another. The social group of age especially shows a big difference between the two shows, and clearly shows how the way different aged people have developed and evolved over time. In the show Modern Family teens are represented as independent children that want to grow up as fast as possible, “Were not men”, even at the age of 14 Luke is wanting to be a man and take care of himself without the need of parents. In contrast to this The Fresh Prince of Bell Air depicts teens as needy and lazy, “you mean I am going to have to get my own breakfast too”, this quote is a clear example of laziness as Ashley, the daughter in the show, complains about having to get something that only benefits her. This depiction of teens in the 1990’s represents them as wanting to be babysat through life and never have to grow up, quite the opposite to that of Luke from Modern Family. In Modern Family the teens and adults are happy with having a gay couple in their family but the older generation is ashamed of that fact, this is seen when his sons boyfriend says hi to Jay and his buddies and jay introduces him as, “my sons friend”, this shows that Jay doesn’t want his friends to know that his son is gay as he doesn’t approve. However in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, no gay people are even mentioned, as it was not the social norm back in the 90s, although nowadays as seen in Modern Family it is coming to be embraced by the younger generation.
Culture is another social group presented in very differently in the sitcoms, Modern Family and The Fresh Prince of Bell Air, the fact that these shows were aired 2 decades apart is a major reason why these two shows represent very different cultures.
Modern Family is a show about one big family, each part of the family has a different culture, there are the gay couple, the generic family and the rich older guy with the younger wife. On the contrary The Fresh Prince of Bell Air depict a rich family with the twist of them being African American, and the mixed culture of a ghetto teen called Will Smith living with the posh family. In Modern Family the Dunphy family culture is a medium to high income with the stay at home mum doing all the cooking and cleaning. In the quote “you’re right I guess, the power cord will do” Luke is discussing with his parents about getting a new belt this is a clear representation of how Luke is used to the lifestyle of not being bought many things as he answers his own question without needing a response. In stark contrast to this the Banks family is a very high-income family where both parents are always busy and they hire a butler to do the cooking and cleaning. This culture breaks the stereotype of African Americans back in the 90s where they were perceived to be poor and criminalized. An example of this is in the quote, “some people will do anything for money… why don’t they just ask their father”, this is said by Ashley when people were seen …show more content…
trying to win money on who wants to be a millionaire, this quote shows that she has no other sense of lifestyle other than the rich luxurious one she lives. In Modern Family everyone is treated equally in race, religion or sexuality, this is evident in the fact that no one treats the gay couple any different from the rest of the family, and sees them as normal. However in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, racial discrimination is presented, an example of this is seen in the quote, “What are you on about?”, “they think we stole the benz” this shows that because two black guys were driving a Mercedes Benz the police believe it is stolen and take them back to the police station because normal high income black people were very rare and treated as out of the ordinary.
The year a TV shows is aired impacts greatly on the themes and ideas presented in the show, to be more specific the way social groups are presented. Modern Family is a show aired right now and depicts 3 different related families and how they interact with each other and the shenanigans that occur. Nowadays we are more accepting of gays, and this is why 1 of these 3 families is a gay couple, within the show they are treated like any other family member apart from of course the older generation who aren’t brought up to think this is the social norm. Another major impact the year this show is aired has is on the female figure, they are seen as more independent hard working women rather than cookers and cleaners who follow in a mans shadow all the time, although Claire Dunphy in the show is a stay at home mum we see her develop into a manager of a large company and start to represent what being a women in the 2000s means.
In the show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air the fact that it was aired in the 90s affects the way social groups were presented.
Back in the 90s African Americans were seen as criminals with low-income jobs, if any, and a bad attitude, but The Fresh Prince of Bel Air depicted a family that broke through this stereotype, as they were rich and African American. Nowadays we wouldn’t be so surprised that a black family was successful but back then it was something new and unheard of, this aided to the shows success. In the 90s women were just starting to break out of the usual housewife role and started to get jobs and earn a living, this was reflected in the fact that Vivian, the mother figure in the show was a dominant independent women who sometimes was even more influential then the
father.
To conclude The Fresh of Bel Air depicted 2 social aspects of age, especially teens, and the culture of the broken stereotype of African Americans, as the banks family is rich and successful whereas back then African Americans were seen otherwise, this was compared to that of the show Modern Family and their presentation of age and culture. These social aspects are very different in each show as they are influenced by the year in which the shows were aired, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air being aired in the 90s and Modern Family being aired from 2010 till this day. The shows were successful because they depicted a lifestyle that audiences can relate to during the time of air.