Essay - Sex and Gender Six Feet Under is Unique Among American...

Sex and Gender

Six Feet Under is unique among American television shows in its depiction of sex and gender. Because it is an HBO cable series, the writers are offered considerable leeway in the use of partial nudity ***** coarse language. Ironically, however, Alan Ball, ***** writer/executive producer/creator of Six Feet Under, keeps the show relatively free of gender bias or stereotypes. Moreover, depictions of sexuality in ***** series are realistic and tasteful, not nearly as sensationalized as they are often shown on network television. Episode 13, entitled "Knock, Knock" aired November 16, 2003. This episode is particularly revealing in demonstrating that ***** Ball's critically acclaimed show Six Feet Under quite accurately reflects the mores, folkways, and values in ***** culture, including those that have to do with ***** and gender. While most shows on network television do drive American culture by imparting a sense of consumer-b*****ed identity on m*****le and female viewers, Six Feet Under happens to be one show that mirrors reality in all its dysfunctional splen*****r.

***** ***** opening scene, a ***** executive is ***** on a golf course, the c*****sual business arena usu*****y reserved for men. Yet she berates and taunts one ***** her managers, thus taking on the role of the man both in her body language on ***** ***** and in her speech. She shouts, "Growth is the only thing that's acceptable!" ***** later belches, both gestures that in American culture are considered ***** be masculine. Unfortunately, a woman in power is shown not to exhibit positive character traits. Rat*****, she has taken on the negativity, *****sensitivity, and immorality of her typical male counterparts. Th***** scene is more a critique of corporate culture than it is of gender *****s, but it remains unique in that depicts a total ***** role reversal. ***** th***** is not a common phenomenon, we*****lthy, power-hungry females do exist and thus the show attempts to show that women in power can be as ruthless as men.

This is ***** only example of ***** gender ***** reversal in this *****; however, the character ***** Parker McKenna also ***** wo***** in a neg*****tive light. ***** is a "bad girl," a high school femme fatale. A classmate of Claire Fisher, Parker throws a huge p*****rty at her fat*****'s mansion while he is out of town. At t***** par*****y, Parker *****s promiscuous *****havior and assumes the dominant role in her relations ***** men. For example, when ***** walks in on ***** ***** ***** first man she is with, Parker is ***** top of him on the bed. Later, Parker flirts with a man on ***** couch, obviously in c*****trol of the situation as ***** runs her long fingernails down his tattooed arm. Parker's character reflects the very real desire in American teenage girls to think and act like adult women and ***** transform ***** stereotype ***** their ***** from being submissive to being dominant.

A minor character on the show, Tracy plays a larger part in this episode because ***** aunt died and she