Representation of gender in Men Behaving Badly and Absolutely Fabulous Essay

Compargon how the representation of gender is constructed by the way characters appearance and dialogue in your two chosen television programmesIn comparing Men Behaving sternly and Absolutely Fabulous I will settle both differences and similarities in gender construction. Absolutely Fabulous is heavily set towards extreme female stamps and the male characters are mainly weak, whereas in Men Behaving Badly the male characters are much dominant and their locations and relationships to the female characters is more obvious.In the Absolutely Fabulous episode Menopa engagement, there are many stereotypes regarding women. Through Edina we picture the woman struggling to be a mother, have a career and delay the ageing progress. Edina wears clothes inappropriate to her age and applies a lot of spirited coloured penning to try and make herself appear youthful and fashionable which she miserable fails to do. Edwinas language throughout the episode is far from the traditional stereotyp e of women being lady ilk and polite. Edina is much the resister, a really loud and flamboyant woman. This contributes much to her character as it emphasises her struggle to keep herself young and stylish. In this crabby episode we see Edinas PR company failing to strive alongside the rival company, and it shows the viewers Edinas desperate desire to become noneworthy and popular, which gives reason to her appearance. Edinas attitude of old age is revealed when kisser, her best friend and the person she is most close to, shows signs of age. Edina shrieks in horror at Patsys weak bones, and insists the menopause support group sit on bin bags. Although these actions are extreme, viewers who also fear the problems ageing brings may relate to her panic.The subroutine of Patsy is played even more raucous and brash thusly Edina. Patsys character wears much more sophisticated clothes then Edina, although her make up is not as vibrant it is still thickly implied. This implies perhap s Patsy is sound as scared of ageing as Edina, and her makeup is there to cover up tell-tale signs of ageing such as wrinkles and lines. In this episode Patsy appears in Edinas daughters daydream, and in this we see Patsy performing the opposite of how she usually does.Patsy decides to have a baby, constantly wears an apron and speaks much more polite and quietly then her normal self. Through this opposite view of Patsy we get an idea of what her characteristics are normally. Through her dialogue in this daydream we hear comments that imply Patsy has never had a motherly instinct before. In telling Edina of her decision to have a baby, Edina cries But you dont have ovaries to which Patsy calmly replies I do They shew them lodged up by my ribs were that silly Arab doctor put themPatsys dialogue conveys a lot of information about her character to the audience. The way Patsy reacts to her easily broken wrist shows her denial at the seriousness of her condition, and her reluctance to go to the doctor shows deep down she knows she is ageing.Patsy and Edinas lifestyle is not that of responsible middle age women, at the very beginning of this episode we see the two of them using drugs and in their confusion mistaking a telephony ringing for illogical things such as bees and shoes. The responsible character in the house is ironically Edinas daughter Saffron.Saffron is a young university disciple and this group would normally be stereotyped as being careless, rebellious and wild, though in a reverse stereotype Saffron is in circumstance very sensible and intelligent Saffron is dressed in smart trousers and a brown woolly pul go to bedr, has unruly hair and wears smart glasses. These clothes are not the sort of fashion for a girl her age, and it emphasises her reversal on the normal student stereotype. It is amusing to the audience as the mother and daughter bet to take on each others normal stereotypical characteristics. Edina hanging out with her best friend tak ing drugs, and Saffron attempting to control her.In comparison, the male characters of Men Behaving Badly lack responsibility and this relates to Edinas neglect of parental duty.Gary shows lack of responsibility in his relationship with Dorothy, as he brush offt bet to decide whether to kick out his best friend Tony or his girlfriend. As a thirty year old men it would seem obvious to choose Tony to leave, but the fact he debates over makes the scenario seem immature and amusing to the viewers.Gary is dressed smartly and although he runs a security company, he dresses his ageing employers in absurd security outfits which highlights his childish side.Gary talks in slang about Dorothy, referring to her as his bird which shows he perhaps doesnt obligingness her as a girlfriend quite as much as he should do at his age, as the term is more used with jr. men as references to their new and latest conquest. Gary seems to value his late night drinks with his mate Tony so much he actually c onsiders Dorothy second best to him, and the filter of their reactions causes him to have nightmares ending in tragedy over him, which is ironic since they both move out in the endTonys character is much more laddish then Gary as he seems much more lazy and careless. Tony has no job and spends the entire episode thinking of ways to get his female inhabit into bed, and then attempting to tattoo himself.His clothes are scruffy and look old and well worn and he doesnt seem to make much sudor with his appearance. Tony is being stereotyped as what some people would perceive as a normal man, though perhaps more exaggerated than normal.His love of beer and his mates make him fit the male pub crowd, his scruffy clothes and lack of interest in his appearance and his casual language and constant use of swearing is all seen as very manly. His attitude to Debs, his neighbour, is also a typical stereotype of men that only think about sex.Debs is a single, redheaded attractive woman upstairs from the other three characters, and is constantly lusted after by Tony. Debs clothes are fashionable and sophisticated and she acts very ladylike. Debs appearance shows she looks after herself and takes time with her makeup and clothes.Debs character contrasts with the characteristics of Dorothy, who simply rushes out of the door once she is dressed in her nurses uniform.Dorothy is dark haired and is in a relationship with Gary, Dorothy looks smart but doesnt seem to bother much with her appearance and make up, which shows her relaxed attitude around Gary. It highlights the idea that when women are single they make more effort with themselves, and it relates to Garys attitude to living with Dorothy.Living with your bird is a bit like living at home with your parents. You have to keep your room tidy and you cant put up the posters you wantDorothy uses sarcasm around Gary, and it seems she is just as bored of him as he is of her. Dorothy does not seem to show much affection to Gary, when she addresses him she uses a flat tone with not much emotion in her voice. Through Dorothys dialogue the viewers can pick up on faults in their relationship and her attitudes to Gary.