Seventh Post

Implications of Gender in the TV program Rachel Ray.
Rachel Ray is one of my favorite cooking programs on TV. However, there are underlying implications about gender in some of her words and actions on the show. For example, the fact that a woman has a cooking show is very common and plays into the societal expectation that says women should be responsible for cooking in the household. This idea has been accepted by many generations preceeding us, and is also held by our generation even though we claim to be the generation of liberated women. Yet, some shows still portray women as domesticated housewives who should cook, clean, and take care of children. On the show, sometimes Rachel says things like "Ladies, just wait 'til you make this dish for your man when he comes home from work." In this instance, Rachel is reinforcing the role of women to cook meals for their men, who are assumed to be outside of the home working. Instead, she should try to say things like "Audience, just wait 'til you make this dish for your family or your significant other, they will really love it." This would send the message of gender neutrality, making it seem like both men and women have the capability to be great cooks/chefs, and should try to achieve excellence in their cuisine.