Patriarchy, Sexism, and The Brady Bunch
Here’s the story of male patriarchy….
“The Brady Bunch” nostalgia is back for the 21st century. This time, we have HGTV to thank for the return of the Brady kids, as they enlist the help of the famous TV family to reconstruct and refurbish the iconic home of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Like many Gen X kids, I lived on Brady Bunch reruns after school. I loved the show, and I still have entire episodes memorized. Growing up, I found the show to be funny and comforting. It was the perfect brain candy after a long day at school.
Since I still have an abiding affection for the show, my family and I have been binge watching episodes as we watch the HGTV remodeling reboot. This time, instead of feeling comforted, I feel like the show heavily influenced sexist expectations for girls and women in the 1970s.
Was I Brady brainwashed to be a good girl for the rest of my life?
Conditioned to Conform, Brady-Style
That simple sitcom of my youth was really a complex study of the influence that traditional gender television tropes had on Gen X.
The first seasons of the show are very focused on the expected roles of “men/boys know best, and the women/girls take care of…