Modern Family - Cultural Analysis of "Truth Be Told"

On Modern Family, Season 1 and Episode 17, “Truth Be Told,” there are three main storylines: Phil’s girlfriend from high school comes to visit, Jay kills Manny’s pet turtle and Mitchell quits his job. The primary theme of this episode was lying, hence the title. Phil’s old girlfriend, Denise, comes to visit him at his home after communicating via Facebook for over a year. Claire thinks Denise has a thing for Phil, and she ends up being right. Then, Jay kills Manny’s pet turtle and lies to him about it. Manny does some research and doesn’t believe Jay’s story. Jay eventually tells the truth, but Manny has to force him to do so. Finally, Mitchell begins to feel left out of Lilly’s life because he has been devoting so much time to work. He feels as though he is missing out on too much of her life; and after his boss asks him to come in on a Sunday, Mitchell becomes fed up and decides to quit after his boss gives him the ultimatum that he can either “Come in tomorrow, or don’t come in at all!” Mitchell then goes home to tell Cameron has quit his job, he feels liberated for a moment, but quickly changes his mood when reality sets in. Since Mitchell is the only source of income, they begin to worry about having to make changes and adjustments to their lifestyle because they now have a family to support.

Mitchell and Cameron are a very dynamic couple – they are both sensitive, sweet but also a little bit rough around the edges. They are both fashion-forward individuals who drink nice wine and have a home that could have been designed by someone on HGTV. Stereotypes prevalent in Cameron are that he is nicely dressed, flamboyant, talks with a slightly feminine voice, acts like the mom in the relationship, likes to be pampered and taken care of, loves musicals and being cultured. Mitchell also dressed nicely, but in more toned down, neutral colors, is also feminine but not as openly gay as Cameron seems to be. One of my favorite character traits is that Mitchell’s dad, Jay, is the typical “guys guy.” He played football in college and loves watching sports on TV. Jay is not completely comfortable with the fact that Mitchell is gay, and whenever he comes to their house he knocks on the door loudly and announces himself, for fear of finding them kissing – or worse! However, Jay deeply cares about his family and is still close with Mitchell despite his somewhat obvious fear of homosexuals. I love that Jay is not completely comfortable with Mitchell’s sexual orientation because this shows that their family is genuine and flawed.

There are two bits of conversation between Jay and Gloria that really drove home the point of stereotyping. After killing Manny’s turtle, Jay was talking to Gloria about a pet bird Mitchell owned, and it’s name was Flyza Minelli. Then he shook his head and said “How did I not know that kid was gay?”At the end of the show, Jay gives Mitchell a painting. Mitchell looked upset and reminded his dad that he already tried to give him the painting when his pet snake, Zsa Zsa Gabella died. Again, Gloria asks, “You really didn’t know he was gay?” This interaction between Jay and Gloria proves the assumption that gay men like fashion.

GLBT individuals:
Increasingly more television shows have included gay characters in the cast. I feel in the past, this group of individuals has not been prominent in the media as often because those working in the media industry have been afraid to “cross the line.” But I feel that by excluding a specific group of people crosses the line more than not including them and taking a risk. Shows like Glee and Modern Family have regular characters that are on the show every episode. In Glee, Kurt (Chris Colfer), is portrayed as the stereotypical gay male. Chris Colfer is gay in real life, so I feel as though some of the emotions and issues he has in the show (feeling like he has to change his identity in order for his dad to want to spend time with him) he may be able to relate to himself. However, in Modern Family, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) is portrayed as the working male who is a lawyer and supports his family and though he is sensitive his character is not supposed to be extremely flamboyant. In real life, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is openly gay. Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) on the other hand, is the stay-at-home “mom” and loves being the homemaker who is not afraid to show his true colors. Eric Stonestreet is actually straight in real life, even though his character is the stereotype of a gay male on the show. What all of these characters have in common is that they have all struggled to overcome stereotypes. This characteristic gives them a humanistic quality and makes them more likeable.

Some typical stereotypes of gay men are dressing and acting feminine, having a great sense of style, talking with an extremely high-pitched voice, pursuing “feminine” careers – like a hair dresser or fashion designer, being quick-witted and weak. These traits are undesirable in a “real” man and thus create the stereotype that a gay man, other than sexual orientation, is somehow much more feminine than a straight man. Lesbians are believed to be divided in two categories: butch or lipstick, being a tomboy, pursuing “manly careers,” like going into the army or being a truck driver, hating men and being a strong believer in feminism. For either gender, if a gay couple has children it is looked down upon, even though it seems crazy to me, some people do believe that being gay is a choice or a ‘phase.’ Most of these stereotypes are negative and I feel how the media has/does portray those who are gay has influenced how most people view gays and lesbians.

There are some commonalities between the stereotypes within the show and the suggestions I had for typical stereotypes of gays and lesbians. For example, in Modern Family, homosexuality is slightly challenged. Mitchell and Cameron have a normal relationship and have adopted a baby. This is something that can be looked down upon by the public because of the way the media has portrayed gay relationships to be not fulfilling enough for this child because there is the absence of one parent.

In every Modern Family episode, color and lighting are important aspects of the show. Even within couples, the types of clothing and colors they wear are a reflection of their personalities. Mitchell usually wears neutral colors and his office is filled with black and white coffee mugs, mahogany cabinets with pretty bland lighting and everyone in the office is wearing black and white suits. Cameron is always wearing bright, stylish clothing and their home is very nicely decorated. There is always bright light streaming through windows or lights in the house turned on. I think this is to illuminate the fact that this show is supposed to be light-hearted and humorous.