Akash Chopra
Sociology 125
Daryl Hughes
Roles according to the Bell
Sliding into class at the last moment, Zack Morris still has a laid back sense to him, a smile on his face, and slapping high fives with his buddies. Zack from saved by the bell represents the true vision of what a typical male role is in our society. His girlfriend, Kelly, is traditional, obedient, caring, and kind, exactly what we would expect from Zack's girlfriend. In today's society gender roles account for the people we are, the way we act, and the way we live our lives. Whether you look at the traditional or androgynous relationship you will find that the roles in today's society are changing for better or worse.
Zack and Kelly from Saved by the Bell are a perfect example of today's traditional relationships. Zack is a popular kid in the high school who believes in protecting his girlfriend and in a way he believes that maybe he is better then her and tells her what to do in many episodes.
The cast of Saved by the Bell, clockwise from left...
Saved by the Bell
slater's mill pawtucketKelly is the cheerleader girlfriend of Zack and is seemingly obedient and supportive of Zack. She is the perfect example of a traditional female in the relationship and seems to have no problem with it. In studying gender, one of the things that scholars have assumed is that society is constructed in such a way that the male dominates the female and this definitely holds true in their relationship. Personally, socially, and even financially society is set up so that women are basically forced to be submissive towards males.
Another model that seems to apply to their relationship is the bipolar gender model in which the male and female traits are split according to societies views. Zack's straits are seemingly what they should be...