Gender Roles in Jessica Jones
In the Netflix Original show “Jessica Jones” you see a superhero who beats almost all of the female stereotypes. I’ll start by explaining this show a bit, this show is about a woman named Jessica Jones who is a Private Investigator that happens to have super powers. Jessica’s powers consist of super strength and the ability to jump high enough that people think she’s flying. She has spent many years of her life hiding form a man named Kilgrave who has the powers to control your mind with just one command. I won’t go into any more detail because I don’t want to give any spoilers to this show. Jessica Jones is not your typical superhero; she drinks way too much, dresses in jeans and a tee shirt, and doesn’t try to save the world at all. Jessica Jones may not be the typical female, but the males in this show ooze manly stereotypes.
Let’s start with Luke Cage, Jessica’s friend that also happens to have super powers. Luke’s super power is that he is indestructible, he even puts a chain saw to his abs and there was not even a scratch. Luke is the typical badass guy, he’s tall, extremely fit, and tries his hardest to protect the people he loves. Oh, I also forgot to mention that he owns a bar, how manly is that? Throughout the show Luke doesn’t want to open up to anyone, if he’s hurting or angry he will run away and just stop talking to that person. One thing about Luke that isn’t a typical male stereotype is that when asked about his family he never truly opens up, in most other television show the males are extremely close to their family and will talk about them all the time. Luke is not the only male in this show with the typical male stereotypes, now we get to talk about my personal favorite, Kilgrave.
Kilgrave is a man obsessed with control and power, we see these kind of men on almost any television show we watch today. As I mentioned earlier Kilgrave is the person Jessica is hiding from, he is obsessed with Jessica and will do absolutely anything to get her back. Most men in the movies and television are so in love with the girl that they try anything and everything to win her back over, and Kilgrave is no exception. The only problem with Kilgrave according to the stereotypical male is that he is tall and skinny, throughout the entire show you never see him lay and hand on anyone to fight with. The producers gave him control powers because he was not the typical male and really had no control over anyone at all without his powers.
Overall, the show Jessica Jones has both stereotypical gender roles but there are a few characters that challenge that. Making the lead to the show a woman that is not feminine and not necessarily “beautiful” according to today’s standard, was a smart move. This show proves that no matter your gender, you can do and be what ever you want to be. These characters don’t let gender stereotypes rule them, they break free and become something entirely new in television.