The Big Bang Theory and its Stereotypes

Do you recognize these faces? 

It's hard to find someone who has never heard of The Big Bang Theory, currently one of the most popular sitcoms in the world. 

The show has gained attention over the years for its humorous portrayal of the life of two roommates and physicists, Leonard and Sheldon, their equally socially awkward geek friends, Howard and Raj, and Penny, the blonde girl who lives next door.

Given the fact that TBBT is definitely one of my favorite comedy shows, I decided to make a brief analysis of how the show portrays gender, cultural, and racial stereotypes in its characters.

Penny

Since I'm a girl, I'm going to start with Penny, the only female main character of the show (such a biased way of ordering my analysis, but anyways...) Penny is a waitress from Omaha, Nebraska who seeks to be an artist, and strongly fulfills the pre-determined role of "dumb blonde". Attractive, relatively sexy, and unintelligent, she is presented by her sexual promiscuity rather than intellectual capability.  

Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali

Another strong stereotyped character in the show, is Raj, an Indian astrophysicists who displays several pre-determined characteristics associated with Indians living in America. Starting with his thick accent and social awkwardness, characteristics attributed to the fact that he's both a foreigner and a nerd. As a result of these characteristics, he has problems talking to girls unless he's drunk. And finally, he has overly protective parents who are always interfering in his personal life, reflecting Americans' typical perception of Indian parenting. 

Howard Wolowitz

Last, I'd like to analyze Howard, who's also a significantly stereotyped character in the show. Howard is a nerdy, tiny Jewish man, who lives at home with his overbearing, loud, and obnoxious mother. He is probably the least likable character in the show, and has difficulties when interacting with women as well, often ending up offending them or being totally awkward. Here, the stereotype is portrayed by several traits popularly believed to be associated with Jewish man.

Although stereotyped characters are vastly present in the show, I believe The Big Bang Theory clearly portrays such stereotypes in a humorous way, making them less likely to be seen in a negative way. 

Hope you guys liked this post, and please tell me what are your opinions about The Big Bang Theory and its stereotypes. Do you think it is acceptable? Why and why not?

See you next time,

Isa :)