On The Construction Of Female Age Stereotype In Hot In Cleveland

Hot in Cleveland is an American situation comedy on TV Land created by Suzanne Martin,starring four single women between the ages of late 40 s and late 80 s.The show tells the story of three female friends who suffer from various setbacks in their hometown Los Angeles because they are old.They come to Cleveland by accident to start a new life.The uniqueness of the show is that the main characters are all female,and all of them are middle-aged or elderly women.In Los Angeles,they are seen as unattractive because of their age;while they think they are still “hot” in Cleveland.On the surface,Cleveland makes them regain self-confidence,but in fact,they are still deeply bound by age and the female gender.By analyzing the characters,plots,and dialogues on the show from the perspectives of stereotype and aging,this thesis explores how the elderly female characters are constructed as unattractive,asexual,and worthless stereotypes.It will be demonstrated from the following three aspects in the body.First,it all begins with aging.The first impression created by the show is that women’s attractiveness will gradually fade away with aging.Chapter one elaborates on the main characters’ fear of natural aging and their pursuit of successful aging.Their attempt to fight aging is exaggerated,catering to the stereotype that “aging equals unattractiveness”.Second,elderly women are often seen as asexual.It is particularly evident in this show.Chapter two reveals how they are portrayed as desperate “cougars” looking for unrealistic male partners,showing that their normal needs for sexual partnering are neglected.Finally,as elderly women,their already unequal social status and value are further diminished by aging.Chapter three analyzes their status and difficulties encountered in the family,work,and society,showing that the social roles assigned to them by patriarchal society are unequal.Based on the above analysis,the thesis concludes that the female image constructed on the show is a stereotype of elderly women,that is,they are unattractive,asexual,and worthless.