Homosexual Portrayals in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

           

Curb Your Enthusiasm is a comedy series on HBO starring Larry David. The show is a comedic take on everyday situations, placing characters in awkward situations to achieve its comedic goal. The type of humor in the show relies on drawing on real life scenarios as they would occur in the real world. As i was watching some of these episodes, I noticed a few representations of homosexuality. I noticed that though these representations were few and far between, the portrayals adhered to stereotypical themes regarding homosexuality in both males and females.
            The first instance of homosexuality I encountered in the show involved Larry David deciding what birthday gift to get for the son of his friend. When he met the boy, the child exemplified the extreme stereotypes of homosexuality. The boy was dressed in ballet gear and greeted Larry David by skipping toward him humming show-tunes of one of his favorite musicals. The boy talked with an abnormally high voice and in a tone indicative of most girls his age. Larry very bluntly tells his friend, "Your son is most definitely gay." He decides to buy the boy a sewing machine for his birthday and upon giving him the gift, the boy screams in a high pitch squeal and skips back to his room and exclaims, "I'm going to make you something fabulous Larry!" This representation of homosexuality elicited the themes of  Gendered Relationships on Television: Portrayals of Same-Sex and Heterosexual Couples by Ivory, Ivory, and Gibson. Their research explored the way in which television portrayals of homosexual individuals reinforced gendered stereotypes. Specifically, male homosexual characters were given feminine qualities. Curb Your Enthusiasm forwards this idea in the representation of homosexuality in a little boy because he exhibits only feminine qualities. Even though this show is meant to be humorous and in some cases extreme, the show relies on situations people are likely to encounter in everyday life. Keeping this in mind, the portrayal of homosexuality embodied by the boy reinforces the idea that homosexuals must adhere to gendered stereotypes.
             Another episode of the show featured Rosie O'Donnel. The focus of the episode was on her identity as a lesbian in a battle with Larry for the love of a bisexual woman. The episode only showed O'Donnel represent masculine qualities and advance stereotypical lesbian qualities. For instance, the episode shows her playing softball, drinking beer, spitting, chewing tobacco, and dominating Larry David in physicality. This extreme portryal also reinforces the research of Ivory, Ivory, and Gibson in that it places homosexuality for females in a mold of masculine identity.
             Curb Your Enthusiasm is a fairly innocent comedy series. I do not think the show was trying to advance a disrespectful perspective on homosexuality and was simply trying to entertain people by playing on stereotypical views. However, the show reinforces these stereotypes. Adhering to extreme sterotypes of homosexuality creates a culture of misunderstanding. I think the show should incorporate more balanced portrayals of homosexuality because the show can still be humorous without being ignorant and could contribute to a more balanced, informed television culture.

Citations
Holz Ivory, A., Gibson, R., & Ivory, J. D. (2009). Gendered relationships on television: Portrayals of same-sex and heterosexual couples. Mass Communication and Society, 12(2), 170-192.

 David, L. (Writer). (2014, October 10). The Doll [Television series episode]. In Curb Your Enthusiasm. Los Angeles: HBO.

 David, L. (Writer). (2014, December 3). The Bisexual [Radio series episode]. In Curb Your Enthusiasm. Los Angeles: HBO.