Black kids aren’t the only ones who sit together at the lunch table

In the movie I selected, the house bunny, there were many stereotypes that deal with gender or social things.  Due to differences in how men and women learn to use language certain class style formats allow some groups advantages over others. The most common format used is the debate like style. This style favors men over women giving men the upper hand more often than not. Deborah Tannen wrote that “yet speaking in a classroom is more congenial to boys’ language experience than to girls’, since it entails putting oneself forward in front of a large group of people, many of whom are strangers and at least one of whom is sure to judge speakers’ knowledge and intelligence by their verbal display”.  Women often end up taking a back seat to men in class room discussions due to the style. Deborah Tannen also mentioned that women tend to be more expressive when the class is split into smaller sections. There are a few exceptions to this however, I myself speak out on a more frequent basis when the class is split into smaller sections, Kristen who sits next to me however  does very well in larger debate like style settings, we are both opposite to the general rule that Deborah Tannen claims.

Midway through the movie there was a scene after shelly went on a date. She was sad because it didn’t go well and was having a conversation about it with the zeta’s. shelly is portrayed as an “attractive dumb blonde”. her usual way of doing things is to just be flirty and laugh at everything and let her looks do the rest. The man she was on a date with was more interested in her personality so it didn’t really work. When she asked why her it didn’t go well, Natalie, one of the girls said, maybe he’s one of those guys that like to know a girl first? Shelly’s response was to immediately yell HE’S GAY? Later in the scene shelly borrows Natalie’s glasses and dresses completely different from how she usually dresses. Shelly goes over the top in trying to impress Oliver trying to be something she is not. She tries to speak in a more educated manner compared to her usual manner of speaking. Oliver her date can she is acting strange and asks if she is ok. Shelly ends up tripping because she is wearing glasses that aren’t meant for her, she makes a huge mess tripping and embarrassing herself. There were actually 2 stereotypes in this scene. The obvious one was the “attractive dumb blonde”, the second one is less noticeable, this second stereotype is that all men are superficial and only care about getting laid. Neither of these stereotypes are true yet they are always used in movies and these movies continue to do well at the box office. What does it say about us as a whole if we go to the movies to see movies filled with stereotypes, do we believe them? Are they like tall tales which hold a little grain of truth or are they just completely false?