Not So Giddy About Glee

This person looks almost as crazy as the women of "Glee."

Over Sunday brunch at Qdoba Mexican Grill, my roommates and I began discussing one of our favorite guilty pleasures: the TV show “Glee.” Though we love the show and play (and sing) the songs constantly around our house, we discovered something that made us uneasy today. Whether purposefully or not, the writers of “Glee” seem to be saying something malicious about women. The differences between the male and female characters make this clear.

The male characters are all attractive, reasonable men. Though they make some poor choices occasionally, they have their wits about them. Mr. Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, is a good-looking teacher who just wants to be happy and see his students succeed. Nearly all of the male students, such as Finn (Cory Monteith) and Artie (Kevin McHale), are portrayed as typical high school boys; they are confused and hormone-crazed, but mostly nice guys.

Then we have the women. Terri Schuester (Jessalynn Gilsig), Mr. Scheuster’s wife, pretends to be pregnant to keep him around, even offering to take a teenage mother’s baby. That teen is Quinn (Dianna Agron), who—despite being the president of the Celibacy Club—cheated on her boyfriend and got pregnant. The diva Rachel (Lea Michele) displays her craziness nearly every episode by driving everyone around her nuts. And Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) takes the cake with her vengeful antics and odd schemes, such as attempting to marry herself.

These vast discrepancies made my roommates and me wonder if the writers realize what terrible stereotypes they are perpetuating on this show. Certainly not all women are delusional enough to fake pregnancy—and not all men are angels, either. I hope the producers realize this and make the show a bit more realistic in the near future; that is, as realistic as a musical show can get.