Personal Study Essay

The document discusses how the 1999 film American Beauty portrayed gender roles in families and how representation has changed since. It analyzes the characters of Carolyn, the wife and mother, and Lester, the father and breadwinner, finding that while they outwardly conform to stereotypes of the time, symbols and their unhappiness suggest the roles trap them. It also discusses how modern shows like Modern Family portray a wider variety of family types and changing gender roles, with men now able to stay home and women to be breadwinners. Overall, while American Beauty was limited by its time, comparing it to Modern Family shows the progress made in representations of gender and families over 20 years.