Cool Dads, Motherly Fathers, and Typical Patriarchs

Abstract

The ongoing discussion surrounding the modernity of Modern Family focusses on intergender relationships, whereas my thesis will focus on the modernity in the portrayal of masculinity in the adult male characters of the TV-series Modern Family. In this thesis, the question is asked whether the depictions of masculinity in Modern Family’s characters Jay Pritchett, Phil Dunphy, Mitchell Pritchett, and Cameron Tucker are to be called ‘modern’, as the title of the series implies, when placed in the context of the American sitcom genre and its common features. This is important because of the lack of discussion of male gender roles in the pre-existing discussion surrounding Modern Family’s modernity. I will answer the question by analyzing the mise-en-scene of selected episodes with respect to wealth and sexuality, concluding that Modern Family is not ‘modern’ in this respect.