![]() ![]() This is a harmful paradox that draws on long-standing stereotypes. He is desexualized compared to his friends but hyper-sexualized like many other latino characters in popular media. This shows that Fez lacks the glib coolness of his white American friends, but he still always has sex on the brain and is constantly talking about it. He is portrayed as desexualized yet hyper sexualized and awkward around women-his first line in the pilot is “I may not be saying this right but she has tremendous breasts, yes?” and, of the few other lines he has, one is “At least you have a woman’s affection,” which he says to one of his white friends. Although he is certainly part of the show, he is considered a background character and his identity is found through his white friends.įez speaks in a somewhat high pitched voice and isn’t allowed the same masculinity that his white friends are. Fez only speaks few lines in the pilot, all of which position him as an outsider, as not understanding cultural norms, as being desexualized or feminine compared to his white friends. In their essay, Lichter and Amundson describe how “Latino characters remained largely supporting players or background figures” (69). The fact that he is virtually the only non-white person on screen and that he is constantly the butt of his white friend’s jokes positions his white male friends as the typical American teens while he is outside of the ordinary. ![]() In addition, Fez is blissfully ignorant to this fact the whole time which again highlights his inability to understand social norms. They don’t even call him by his name, they identify him as Fez, which can be interpreted as an acronym for “foreign exchange student.” He is simply reduced to the fact that he is an outsider and he never quite fits in to the group. In the beginning of the pilot episode the audience is introduced, only verbally and by a white male lead, to “the foreign kid Fez.” Kelso, a typical, heteronormative white male describes Fez as an outsider from the beginning. In the pilot he is not introduced until much later. I will examine how the show depicts white men as the norm and how Fez’s character fits into stereotypical representations of people of color on screen.įirstly, Fez is always wearing dorky clothes compared to his white friends, is always the butt of the jokes and isn’t part of the “main” friend group. Although That 70’s Show was definitely funny, it was not without its issues. From the first episode in 1998 to the last in 2006, viewers enjoyed the teen’s relatable antics from romance to parties to concerts class and everything in between. That 70s Show was extremely popular for its comedic portrayal of 1970s young Americans living within a traditional family setting and getting into shenanigans.
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