Representation (Modern Family)

 Modern Family Representation

   Modern Family is known and praised for its diverse characters and dynamics. However, underneath all the humor, the show reveals how the media world constructs characters using selection, stereotypes, and othering. This post will explore how the show constructs its cast. I will discuss two of my favorite characters, Cameron Tucker and Gloria Delgado, from the show. 

Gloria Delgado

   Gloria, as played by Sofia Vergara, is often built around the fiery Latina stereotype. Her loudness, passion and thick Colombian accent help paint her into the role of exotic "other" amidst her mostly white family. The show consistently uses methods of exoticizing her cultural attributes for comedic devices. Such selection amplifies aspects of her identity, like beauty and emotional intensity, for the sake of her being presented as a spectacle. Otherwise, this othering, concerning the more subdued nature of the Pritchett family, speaks to more recognizable racial and ethnic stereotypes. This narrow construction does get modified as the series develops, often de-centering Gloria and adding more depth through her character as a protective mother and businesswoman, offering a subtle counter-narrative.

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Cameron Tucker

   Another character whose identity is made up of stereotypes, this time of a gay man, is Cameron Tucker, played by Eric Stonestreet. Most often, Cameron is portrayed as the more flamboyant and theatrical partner in his relationship with Mitchell. His love of drama, being effusive and emotionally expressive, plays into familiar media stereotypes of gay men being over-the-top and feminine. This set of characteristics provides a humorous but narrow insight into LGBTQ+ identities, reinforcing some stereotypes that really are reductive. Like Gloria, however, Cameron is also afforded moments that break from these types, particularly in his role as an excellent father and committed partner, adding layers to his character beyond the exaggerated persona.

Representation Beyond Stereotypes

While Modern Family deploys these tropes more conventionally as a means of generating humor, it also permits occasional humanity by Gloria and Cameron to seep out beyond their initial constructions. Gloria's immigrant backstory, her fierce loyalty to her family, and Cameron's nurturing, fatherly qualities complicate initial stereotypes that audiences may expect. These represent the characters breaking through the exoticizing and othering patterns to show that identity is far more complex than the superficial traits that media often highlights. At the same time, however, the show still hasn't nailed the balance between relying on those stereotypes for humor and the deeper, wholesome representation fact that indeed can make this a progressive and problematic piece of media in how it handles race, gender, and sexuality.