Bob Burger Stereotypes

Bobs Burgers is a cartoon series that really breaks away from the mainstream cartoons of the past. Although it breaks past the mainstream it still portrays numerous gender and racial stereotypes. While being Modern the show is still not ahead of its time to say the least.
The cartoon series “Bobs Burgers” tells a story about a guy named Bob who owns a Restaurant with his family. Bobs restaurant his dream put into reality as he has always wanted to own a restaurant from a young age. Bob in his restaurants serves creative burgers with catchy names to go along with them. Along with stress of owning a restaurant Bob must juggle his family life as well. Bob and his wife Linda have three kids (Gene, Tina and Louise). Raising younger

kids is not easy and the Belcher family live very crazy and unpredictable lives. To say the least there is not a dull moment in the Belcher family.
From the surface the biggest racial stereotypes in the show is the lack of ethnic diversity in the show. The main and background characters are mostly white. However, there is some culture represented in the show however they are often unpresented. There is only one Asian character in the whole series and is overly stereotyped. This Asian character is a dentist the family visits because it’s the only dentist that will take their insurance. Having only one Asian character means that they are showing a very one sided view of an ethnic group. Dr. Yap the dentist is overly stereotyped in the show. He defiantly portrays this stereotypical view as all Asians being smart. In one episode, the viewer finds out that he is a graduate from a university like Harvard. This reinforces that Dr. Yap embodies this stereotypical smart Asian. Being a dentist Dr. Yap is also reinforcing this stereotype of all Asian parents having high expectation wanting their children to be doctors. This under ethnic representation is a common thing throughout all 6 seasons of Bobs Burgers. There is no diversity and I feel there needs to be more diversely ethnic characters. Only have one character gives the viewer only one side of a very board ethnic group.
In terms of gender stereotypes there are very few in Bobs Burgers.

Bobs Burgers even from the first episode shows that the many of the main character break out of stereotypical gender images and roles. Bob the main character in the show is not your classic cartoon TV series dad and that makes him unique. Although he does put on a tough guise in some episode he is a very vulnerable character. The show does a good job at not making the character not flat but very complex. Although Bob at first glance seems like a classic everyday dad this image is soon shattered. Through the series and it many episodes the viewer get to many different sides of Bob. In the espied “late afternoon in the Garden of Bob and Louise” the Audience gets a chance to see bob in a different light. Along with loving to cook the audience in this episode finds out that bob loves to garden. This hobby is something that many would consider far from a masculine hobby. Through many episodes such as this one the viewer gets to see that Bobs does not fit into this masculine societal box. Even his family does not make a big deal about his joy and dream of owning a garden. It is through his family’s reaction that the audiences really catch on that this show is out of the box. It takes many of the stereotypical gender roles and breaks them down. Although, this show may seem ahead of its time in term of gender equality it is not with closer analysis. At the end of the day the shows cast is mostly voiced by

men. Besides Louise the other female characters in the show are voiced by men. Although the actors don’t do anything to create a sense of sexism in the show it still brings up other issues. Shows like Bobs Burgers show the struggles women still face in the business of comedy. The fact is the comedy business is still dominated by men and this has not changed for some time. Although the writers of the show do a good job at breaking the character out of these gender boxes they still are missing the point. As much as I love the show I still wish they would have included female comedians in the show.
There are gender stereotypes portrayed in the show but not toward the Male and female characters.

Surprisingly the characters in the show never seem to have or display negative opinions toward trans and transvestite characters. However, in episode “Sheesh! Cab Bob” there is another story told. This episode in season one at first glance may not seem to petrary transvestite in a negative light but it does. In this episode, Bobs decides to take on an extra job to afford to throw Tina a birthday party. The job he ends up getting into is driving a cab at night for someone he knows. However, as he soon finds out is that he will be having some interesting customers. Soon he runs across some very unusual consumers who are transvestite’s males who work as hookers. Bob does not judge them but how they are draw up and portrayed could be offensive to the LGBT community. Rigjt when bob meets them there is a direct focus of the camera on their male features. To many this depiction could be taken as offensive cause it is emphasis that they are not female. They also have crazy names as well which even more makes it hard for the audiences to take them seriously. On top of this they show the Transvestites as being hookers who abuse drugs and alcohol. This portrayal in this episode is quite negative and far from positive. This episode after re-watching it really does not paint a good picture of transvestites. All it provides the viewer is a negative view toward transvestites and

does not give them the proper treatment they deserve. The fact is not all transvestites are hookers and drug users but this is how they are chosen to be portrayed in the show. Although they get respect from the characters they are portrayed and drawn in a positive light. There is also another character in the show that is a trans person and it’s a background character known as Marshmallow. This background character is also painted in a negative light. Marshmallow voice is also very damaging image of a trans women. Her voice is exaggerated as being very low which really puts emphasis that she is not a woman. Ultimately it takes the respect away from this community and gives off a negative message. This episode really drives in the nail that society has made on this community. The idea that regardless of what a trans women or men do they will always be their biological gender.
Although being a carton this TV series I feel does capture reality quite well. The belcher family is not perfect and this is what makes them that much more lovable. All the characters in the show are relatable to a certain extent and make mistakes. That one things that drew me to this show was how raw it was. The show never seems forced and writers did a good job at creating a show that people would enjoy and that would also be relatable. Although some things in the show are far-fetched the writers do a good job at balancing the reality and fiction. The belchers are not this nuclear family and I feel this really play with the current times. Now a day it is no fun to see something that it predicable and recycled. Bobs burgers is a breath of fresh air that is tailored for a new audience. Although it is modern and has made some milestones with stereotypes it still has some ways to go. The biggest issue that I feel needs addressing in these new shows is the portrayal of the LGBT community. At the end of the day the media still struggles to include this community as equals. In the end, we are all people and the world needs more acceptance and less stereotyping.
However, the world is not this perfect like shows make it to be. While Bob make break out of this masculine box that society has created this is not the case for most shows. TV shows and movies as was seen in the film “Tough Guise” only show this one-sided view of men. Although this film is somewhat outdated it is sad that society hasn’t not grown much from this. Men in reality and on television constantly wear this mask. If they take of this tough front they are judged by societal standards. While characters in television like Bob are not afraid to be themselves countless men hide behinds these figurative masks. Bobs burgers just like reality show as was seen in “The Rise of Enlightened Sexism” by Susan Douglas distort reality. It gives the illusion just like a fun house that we have moved past this gender stereotyping. However once to step out of the fun house and analysis the situation this become more complicated. Bobs burgers is a good example of how even modern cartoon and television shows still have a long way to go.