This document outlines an assignment with point values for various components, including a primary source analysis, annotated bibliography, secondary source integration, and analytical research paper. It provides a sample primary source analysis on the topic of body image stereotypes in women. The analysis examines a joke by Tina Fey and argues it promotes stereotypes about women's appearances. It discusses how the media, including toys, modeling, and celebrities, influence expectations of thin, white beauty ideals. The negative consequences are explored, such as unhealthy dieting in girls and low self-esteem in larger women. Potential research questions are presented on methods to eliminate or inhibit these stereotypes, particularly through more balanced media portrayals.

1. 400 points
PSA – 50 points
Primary Source Analysis – a critical analysis of your chosen
primary
source
[revision, research]
Annotated Bibliography – 50 points
Secondary sources you’ve found to help you expand upon your
claims in
the PSA
[revision, reading, quoting]
SSI – 100 points
Secondary Source Integration – weaving some of your
secondary
sources into your PSA
[revision, adding intro and conclusion, adding more sources]
ARP (draft) – bundled into final ARP grade
Analytical Research Paper (draft) – your PSA now with 4-5
integrated

2. secondary sources + an introduction/thesis + a conclusion
[revision]
ARP Final – 200 points
PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS
Tina Fey’s joke about how women should change their bodies is
a stereotype about women’s body image. All women are
expected to have specific body images. The color of their eyes
should be blue while their skin should be hairless just like the
Asian skin. In order to qualify to be beautiful, other attributes
such as having the Swiss legs have also been included. Tina Fey
mentioned all these attributes in her joke, which seemed to be a
mere stereotype to women.
These attributes which people have placed on women are merely
mental stereotypes. Women are already pre-judged and required
to look in a particular way or have some attributes or body
image. Every woman should be left to live just the way she is
(Barlett et al, 2018). Comparing body or forcing women to look
like a specific model or a popular artist is a way of stereotyping
them.
In her joke, Tina Fey fails to realize that explaining how far
women have come from while trying to change their bodies is
stereotypical. She says that women initially wanted to have a
body which looks like that of Jenifer Lopez. However, they
changed again and all wanted to be like Beyoncé, to be quite
slim but not thin (Grabe et al, 2017). She explains how having
the Swedish legs is desirable to all women. However, it should
not be this way. All these would make women want to change
their physical appearances, and those who fail to have such
attributes are seen as exceptional.

3. This stereotype of body image has now been deep-rooted in the
society. This is because even young girls grow up believing in
these stereotypes which are against themselves. The stereotype
of body image begins when young girls are given Barbie dolls.
These dolls are often made to mimic the body of a slim white
woman (Grabe et al, 2017). Young girls, therefore, grow up
admiring to have bodies like these Barbie dolls. These dolls
enhance the stereotype that all women should have the same
physical appearance such as being slim and white.
Little girls even start dieting and wearing make up in order to
have a similar body image to the models. This brings about
retarded growth and unhealthy bodies since the kids do not eat
as they should do. Stereotype on body image is also enhanced
by the models. All the models who win awards are always thin
and blonde (Grabe et al, 2017). The fat women never attempt
modeling. Even if they model, they always work out in order to
get that ‘perfect' body of a slim woman.
Physical attractiveness should not be based on the body image
of a woman. This is because it causes many women to compare
their bodies with those of the models often pictured in
magazines. The society believes that women should be slim in
order for them to look good. Clearly, this is a way of telling the
huge women that they are not good looking (Polce-Lynch et al,
2011). Since the slim women are given full attention while the
fat ones are ignored, the fat women often experience low self-
esteem.
The stereotype of body image in women also enhances racism.
This is because according to Tina Fey's joke, women want to
have Indian hair. This also means that the hair of people from
other races is unwanted (Stice et al, 2014). This causes people
to have a bad image of having dreadlocks. When one has them,
he/she might be seen as a bad person who smokes weed.
Associating some people with some behaviors due to their
hairstyle is stereotypical.
The research question chosen is “What is the most appropriate
method which can be used to eliminate body image

4. stereotypes.” Another research question would be “What are the
most efficient measures which can be put in place to ensure that
the media is used to inhibit body image stereotype rather than
enhancing the stereotype.”
REFERENCES
Barlett et al (2018). Meta-analyses of the effects of media
images on men's body-image concerns. Journal of Social and
Clinical Psychology, 27(3), 279-310.
Grabe et al (2017). The role of the media in body image
concerns among women: a meta-analysis of experimental and
correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460.
Polce-Lynch et al (2011). Adolescent self-esteem and gender:
Exploring relations to sexual harassment, body image, media
influence, and emotional expression. Journal of Youth and
Adolescence, 30(2), 225-244
Stice et al (2014). Relation of media exposure to eating disorder
symptomatology: an examination of mediating
mechanisms. Journal of abnormal psychology, 103(4), 836.
Surname 9
ARP Rough Draft: The Media Creates and Fuels, but can also
Inhibit Women Body Stereotypes
Introduction
Humankind may be lucky to have come out of the cave of ugly
customs and actions such as racism and slavery, which form
crucial parts of its past. However, it still lingers trapped in
stereotypes and its weights. There is no aspect of life where
stereotypes do not exist today. Politically, for a case in point,
some races and tribes consider themselves to be superior; hence,
should lead the others. Economically, there are some groups of
people that are believed to be good in some businesses and not
others. For example, contemporarily, Chinese contractors are
perceived as the best in the world in building and construction.
Lastly, socially, there are some groups of individuals that are

5. believed to be friendly while others unfriendly or moral and
others immoral. For instance, Ugandan ladies are thought to be
so respectful with regard to their custom of greeting people
while bowing to them or while going down with one of their
knee.
Without ruling out the possibility that they may be beneficial,
stereotypes, generally, hurt the society. First, they limit people
to certain obligations by bringing them up as specifically
designed for a particular gender or group of people. They also
play a vital role in eliminating individuals’ personal choices in
some matters of interest. In addition, stereotypes cause a lot of
damage to people as most of the expectations attached to them
are usually unrealistic. Nevertheless, whereas they affect both
men and women, it is the later who are associated with the
majority of them and who suffer the most from their effects
according to Harper (112). There are so many things about
women that are stereotyped, for example, their place and role in
the society. However, the most trending subject of their
stereotypes today is their body image and the general physical
appearance (Wykes et al. 100). Because of the universal efforts
towards their acceptance in the society, women’s body image
suffers from a lot of stereotypes and according to many scholars
and authors, the media is one of the main sources and
facilitators of most stereotypes regarding women’s body image.
While these claims are true, just to know that the media causes
or facilitates the stereotypes and their consequences is not
helpful in any way, but how it can be used to stop them.
Therefore, one of the main concerns about women’s body image
stereotypes in relation to the media today is how the media can
be used to inhibit the stereotypes rather than enhancing them.
There is no doubt that the media creates and fuels most of the
women body image stereotypes, however, the same can also be
used to inhibit and eradicate them.
How the Media has Influenced Women Body Image Stereotypes
Throughout ages, and especially in the 21st century, the media
has propelled the conviction that slim women are more

6. attractive as compared to the fat ones. In addition, according to
Stice et al., the media has usually ranked the “light skinned
women high in terms of beauty above the dark-skinned ones”
(60). Among the ways through, which the media has been able
to force these myths into the minds and hearts of the women and
the general society is the roles it gives the slim and light
skinned women and the fat and dark ones. In the press or mass
media, for example, while most adverts and programs feature
the slim and light skinned women, there is no role for their
rivals, the fat and dark skinned. Even today, you are most likely
to meet, for instance, slim and light skinned women in adverts
of cosmetics such as perfumes and lotions while you may not
bother to search for the fat and dark skinned ones as you are
almost sure that they do not feature n those roles. Similarly,
whereas the majority of the female news anchors and journalists
with good voices are slim and light skinned, the fat and dark
skinned ones are rare to find.
Another way through, which the media is fuelling women body
image stereotypes is by what it displays in its platforms such as
music shows, songs, and films as well as on social media
(Harper, 145). In the majority of these mediums, the female
characters are blonde with light skins. Look at the main actors
in films and music artists such as Jennifer Lopez, for a case in
point. Since they are superstars with the characteristics of being
slim and light-skinned, they influence the belief of other women
and the entire society of what is attractive as they associate the
features not just with attractiveness but also with being
celebrities.
The same case applies to modeling shows and affairs. According
to Wykes et al., “99.9% of these dealings that have been shown
on TVs and exists on online media platforms features and have
been won by the slim and light skinned ladies” (187). From this
case, you get an impression that fat and dark skinned women
cannot model or make up good models.
Consequences of the Media Influenced Stereotypes on Women
Body Image

7. The result of the above media influences about the physical
appearance of women is that the media has changed the view of
women of beauty and attractiveness. Presently, Wykes et al.
argue that the majority of women “believe that being beautiful
and attractive is characterized by being slim and blonde and
light-skinned" as opposed to being dark skinned and fat (123).
They suppose that they would only grab the attention of the
contemporary men if they are slim and light skin.
As such, most of the world’s women that are dark and fat have
been forced into taking risky decisions and measures in their
bid of attaining beauty and attractiveness; hence, acceptance or
fitting in the society (Wykes et al. 156). One of the cases worth
mentioning in this connection is that most dark women have
been using various therapies and medication in order to attain
light skins. Somewhere else, fat women, including young girls
have been abandoning food and enrolling on risky programs like
the gym in their pursuit for slim bodies. In this regard, Polce-
Lynch et al. (2011) purport that the issue of dieting and use of
body make-ups and skin lightening chemicals has become one
of the trendiest practices, which influence the behavior of
women in the society today. On the other hand, Stice et al. have
proof that “the bulk of the women who join up gym programs
are pressed by the demand of the society to slim so as to be
established as beautiful” (66).
Being slim, skin lightening and make-ups have basically been
necessitated by the desire of the women to be like journalists,
news anchors, models and artists they encounter in the media
and television screens. From this fact, we understand why
cosmetic industries and gym programs have been booming
recently: there have been a lot of women believing in slim
bodies and light skins as beauty; hence, going for them. The
penetration of these myths into the hearts of women has been
pushed mainly via social media and electronic media. The ladies
are the most affected because of the fact that women have
always been considered to be items of popularity and media
display (Polce-Lynch 99). Usually, the fitness programs are

8. intermingled with dieting processes to attain the desired body.
The amount of efforts made by women in maintaining these
looks and displays is actually draining because of the time and
resources invested in while trying to achieve satisfactory levels.
As such, it is a clear indication that women body image
stereotypes are hurting to the society and particularly the
women as the majority of them struggle and suffer besides
wasting time and resources as they try to please the society.
According to Grabe, Ward, and Hyde, the spread of women
body stereotypes “has also contributed to the issue of violence
against the women” (89). The debate on the physical appearance
of women subjects the society to perceive that in some way,
men have control over the looks and dress of the females. As
such, the beliefs make women not only inferior to men but also
their subjects thereby denying them the ability to control their
thoughts and beliefs. Grabe, Ward, and Hyde assert that the
“most horrible violence that has been done to women has been
the recognition and acceptance of the beliefs and myths”; hence,
stereotypes about their bodies (101). According to this author,
to women, this form of violence is worse than even physical
assault such as beating or subjecting them to hard conditions.
Since the majority of the world’s women believe that they ought
to look like the models and superstars they encounter in the
media, fostering acceptance of the natural body and physical
appearance of women is not easy and therefore, the society has
a long way to go in suppressing and eradicating women’s body
image stereotypes. Luckily, there is where to start from and a
few ways to start with.
How the Media can be used to Inhibit Women Body Stereotypes
The first step toward solving a problem is to understand and
appreciate its source or root-cause as well as its mechanism and
repercussions. In this context, the media is the cause and
facilitator of women body image stereotypes. However, in
various ways, we can manipulate it to suppress and inhibit the
myths; hence, make it be the solution to the problem. The main
general idea entails striking the appropriate balance between the

9. use and the role of the slim and light skinned women and the fat
and dark ones in the media.
Using fat and dark-skinned women in adverts
Until today, most adverts whether in the press or online media
platforms with women roles features the slim and light-skinned
ones. As already seen, this is one of the reasons why the fat
girls are slimming in the gym and using dieting procedures
while the dark-skinned ones are "bleaching.” According to
Grabe, Ward, and Hyde, if the media changed this strategy and
“started using the fat and dark women in adverts,” the same way
they got the society admiring blonde and light skinned girls is
the way they will get them thinking that fat and dark are also
features of beauty and attractiveness (122). As such, a balance
would be created between these two groups of women and we
may see less of the dark ones “bleaching,” dieting or going in
the gyms or the slim ones eating well to get fat.
Giving the fat and dark-skinned women a role in news
anchoring and journalism
Similar to featuring the fat and dark women in adverts, giving
them roles in news anchoring and journalism will greatly help
to revert the myths about the superiority of the slim and light
skin women and the inferiority of the fat and dark ones in terms
of beauty (Wykes et al. 201). With these people in these roles,
women and the general society will also start appreciating their
physical appearance as beautiful and attractive; hence, will see
the majority of the women start sticking and maintaining their
natural body images as fewer fitness programs, make-ups, and
dieting procedures will be used.
Showing movies, music and other TV programs where the
protagonists, main characters or heroes are fat and dark women
Women love to attract the attention of people and particularly
men. While they would do anything and use any means to
ensure that the society concentrates on them whenever they
appear, they would not be comfortable and fail to act when
every movie, music and TV program is featuring people with
physical characteristics, which are opposite to them in the

10. prominent or prestigious roles (Grabe, Ward, and Hyde 134).
That is just how exactly most of the fat and dark women have
found themselves in gyms and “bleaching;” it is because all of
the movie, music and other TV programs’ celebs are slim and
white skinned. As such, to change this belief and make the fat
and dark skinned women accept their physical appearances as
attractive, the media has to introduce or at least feature these
affairs that associate the fat and dark women with fame or
heroics.
Featuring modeling shows with fat and dark women participants
and winner
It is understandable that such shows are rare or few to be
precise. However, they are not totally inexistent. The media, for
example, TVs can search in their libraries the few such
dealings, where fat and dark women participated and even won
(Wykes et al. 199). In doing this, the media will create a belief
that fat and dark people can also model or make good models;
hence, they are beautiful and attractive. The result will be that
most of the women will start accepting their physical
appearances being proud as also beautiful as their slim and light
skin counterparts.
Conclusion
Up to this far, it is conspicuously evident that the media does
not only create but also fuels women body image stereotypes.
By featuring programs and shows with participants such as
journalists, news broadcasters, singers, actors and models as
slim and light skin, the media has created a myth that being slim
and light skinned is what is beautiful and attractive. The belief
has not only “reduced” the personality and self-esteem of the fat
and dark-women but has also hugely hurt them as it has forced
them into time and resource wastage as they seek to achieve the
slim bodies and light skins through gym and dieting procedures
and skin “bleaching” respectively. However, while the media
creates and fuels these women body image stereotypes, it can
also solve it and the main idea entails also using the fat and
dark women in programs, which are today flocked by their slim

11. and white counterparts. With possibility, it is, therefore, safe to
argue that the media creates and fuels, but can also inhibit
women body stereotypes.
Work cited
Grabe, S, L.M Ward, and J.S Hyde. "The Role of the Media in
Body Image Concerns Among Women: a Meta-Analysis of
Experimental and Correlational Studies." Psychological
Bulletin. 134.3 (2008): 460-476. Print.
Harper, Kate. Girls' Sexualities and the Media. , 2014. Print.
Polce-Lynch, Mary. "Adolescent Self-Esteem and Gender:
Exploring Relations to Sexual Harassment, Body Image, Media
Influence, and Emotional Expression." Journal of Youth and
Adolescence. (2001): 225-244. Print.
Stice, E, E Schupak-Neuberg, HE Shaw, and RI Stein. "Relation
of Media Exposure to Eating Disorder Symptomatology: an
Examination of Mediating Mechanisms." Journal of Abnormal
Psychology. 103.4 (1994): 836-40. Print.
Wykes, Maggie, and Barrie Gunter. The Media and Body Image:
If Looks Could Kill. London: SAGE, 2010. Print.
This sketch, entitled The Glass Ceiling: A Game for Girls, is a
sketch made for Comedy Central’s website. The structure of the
sketch follows a faux commercial for a board game targeted
towards young women. The sketch features many tropes of
television advertisements marketed towards children, girls in
particular: cheery narrator, catchy upbeat song, abundance of
traditionally feminine colors, etc. The goal of the board game
is to move your character along the board, presumably by
rolling dice and picking up cards, to eventually have them climb
atop a “glass ceiling”. The surface level relevance of the board
game’s purpose is fairly clear. It mirrors the goal of women in
the workplace to climb to positions of management within
companies; something that is very difficult due to rampant

12. sexism from those in positions of power who passively act to
hinder professional progress of women in the company. It is
well documented that there are unspoken barriers to women
when it comes to rising to managerial positions, and the
eventual futility of the little girls’ attempt at reaching the top of
the physical glass ceiling within the game reflects that fact.
But, while some may feel that the sketch is making a mockery
of isolated incidents of professional sexism, it actually makes a
much more profound commentary on the indoctrination of
young women into a prejudiced workplace culture.
The first time we hear the little girls speak, we hear them
articulate their professional dreams. They list off typical careers
that are viewed in high regard, such as engineer and lawyer.
One of the girls, Stacy, says she wants to be “the nation’s
number one investment banker”. This is met by the narrator
condescendingly asking her if she really thinks she can be
number one, as if the narrator knows that a woman could never
hold that title. This is the viewers first introduction to the
assumed inferiority of women that is prevalent but not often
communicated. The reason why women aren’t perceived to be
at the top of leadership positions in a given profession is hotly
debated. Controversial Wayne State University professor
Kingsley R Browne argues that this is due to the evolutionary
traits possessed by men and women. In an article written for
the Arizona Law Review, Professor Browne expresses that
women are inherently less effective leaders than men as a whole
due to their historical role as domesticated subordinates. He
goes on to criticize the concept of gender inequality in the
workplace as a whole, labeling it “white male anxiety”. This
seems to imply that any attempt to point out a difference in the
way men and women are treated in a professional setting is
simply virtue signaling with no real substance. The sketch
takes this idea and contests it by giving an active voice to
passive prejudice. In response to the previously referenced
comment by the narrator, Stacy responds, “why not?”. This
interaction presents a theme that shows to be prevalent

13. throughout the sketch: women slowly realizing that the deck is
stacked against them, both literally in the sketch and
metaphorically. Because the women in the sketch are so young,
they are not yet aware of how passive sexism is widely ignored,
and communicating it in such a blunt way makes it seem
ridiculous to them. This technique is commonly used in
feminist humor. In their 1980 book of essays entitled Pulling
our Own Strings, comedians Gloria Kaufmann and Mary Kay
Blakely describe the nature of feminist humor as didactic and
pessimist; saying, “Not by explicit statement but by implicit
posture, the expression of such humor attacks the unhealthy and
oppressing idea cultivated for thousands of years…” (Kaufmann
14) In the case of this sketch, it isn’t alone what the narrator is
saying, rather how dismissively she is saying it that is troubling
to the children. Compare this interaction with how the girls
react after getting cards that set them back in the board game
again and again. They eventually react with anger, culminating
with the girls chanting “break it” as one hits the ceiling game
piece with her shoe after getting a card that left her unemployed
after a sexual harassment scandal. This reflects how through a
series of many sexist roadblocks; women have their ambition
stripped away from them as they realize those in current
managerial positions are more likely to view male candidates as
serious contenders for positions. “None of these choices get
you above the glass ceiling.” Laments Stacy, to which the
narrator exclaims “Now you’re getting it!”.
The sketch also explores the ignorance of firms towards
their female employees’ struggles in relation to institutionalized
prejudices. This is evidenced by the choices that the girls are
given when drawing a card from the deck. When one of the
children draws a card from the deck describing a situation
wherein she is sexually harassed by her boss, she is left with
three options: go to HR, put up with it, or sleep with him. Two
of these choices are clearly intended to be viewed as the
incorrect way to put up with the situation, leading the viewer to
expect that going to HR would provide a helpful solution. This

14. assumption is then flipped, when after the girl chooses to go to
HR, she ends up unemployed. Her game piece, which was once
a smiling cartoon women dressed up for work, now changes to a
cartoon woman lying down on the couch crying. This reflects
the theme of intra-company departments being totally unhelpful
when it comes to assisting victims in the workplace. Other
examples from the sketch also reflect how those in positions of
power or management abuse those positions in order to fit their
sexist feelings. When one of the children draws a card, they are
met with disappointment after finding out that their ivy league
education emasculates their boss, preventing them from getting
a promotion. Professor Browne asserts that incidents wherein
men assert their dominance towards others in a workplace are a
result of competitive drive, saying “Males also exhibit more
competitive behavior, and they respond more positively than
women to competitive situations. Competition significantly
increases the intrinsic motivation of men, while it does not do
so for women.” (Browne 1020). The problem with this
statement is that it fails to acknowledge that competition in the
workplace is not always a good thing. Browne paints this
picture of a competitive male worker being motivated,
determined, and hard working. While this may be true for
some, he fails to realize that extreme competitiveness also goes
hand in hand with overt aggression. That aggression manifests
itself in different ways towards men and towards women. The
sketch exposes this through the two previous card examples.
When a male boss takes out his competitive aggression on a
female employee, it does not result in yelling matches or one
up-manship as it might for a male employee. It commonly
manifests as sexual harassment, similar to the example
illustrated in the sketch. This relationship is extremely relevant
and can be illustrated by many current day issues, such as the
Roger Ailes allegations of sexual assault.
The narrator in this sketch acts as a vessel for the sexist
management that exists in the workplace. The narrator is
constantly condescending to the children, saying “typical

15. women” in a dismissive tone after one of the kids is confused
after having to deal with extremely adult themes. As previously
stated, she (the narrator) also questions one of girl’s abilities to
become the number one investment banker, presumably due to
her gender. It is also important to note that the narrator is a
female adult voice. This is presumably to allow her to act as a
sort of guidance for these young women, and teach them the
harsh realities of the real world. However, it is not explicitly
stated that she believes this reality is “harsh”. Her cheery
demeanor and seeming pleasure in crushing the dreams of these
kids shows that she is accepting of the double standards and
unfair treatment of women in the workplace. Her apathetic, and
almost supportive, views of sexism in the workplace paints her
as the ideal worker for the sexist culture that women have to
deal with. It is the narrator’s comedic delivery of the lines that
really drives the point of the sketch home. She over-normalizes
the prejudices that women deal with; which in turn brings light
to these problems, and highlights how ludicrous it is that so
little is said or done about these problems.
This normalization by the narrator allows for the isolated
incidents presented in the sketch to be flipped to cultural
commentary. It is not assumed that the narrator herself went
through these horrible incidents described in the cards, but it is
clear that she knows them. She knows them because she almost
expects them. This allows the narrator to an indoctrination
machine for these young motivated women to accept the harsh
realities of their dreams. And that is how the sketch is enabled
to make biting social commentary about young females in the
workforce.
Works Cited
Browne, Kingsley R. "Sex and Temperament in Modern Society:
A Darwinian View of the Glass
Ceiling and the Gender Gap." Arizona Law Review37.4 (1995):
971-1106.
Kaufman, Gloria J., and Mary Kay Blakely. Pulling Our Own
Strings: Feminist Humor & Satire.

16. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1980. Print.
This sketch, entitled The Glass Ceiling: A Game for Girls,
is a loose sketch made for Comedy Central’s website. The
structure of the sketch follows a faux infomercial for a board
game targeted towards young women. The sketch features many
tropes of infomercials marketed towards children, girls in
particular: cheery narrator, catchy upbeat song, abundance of
traditionally feminine colors, etc. The goal of the board game
is to move your character along the board, presumably by
rolling dice and picking up cards, to eventually have them climb
atop a “glass ceiling”. The surface level relevance of the board
game’s purpose is fairly clear. It mirrors the goal of women in
the workplace to climb to positions of management within
companies; something that is very difficult due to rampant
sexism from those in positions of power who passively act to
hinder professional progress of women in the company. It is
well documented that there are unspoken barriers to women
when it comes to rising to managerial positions, and the
eventual futility of the little girls’ attempt at reaching the top of
the physical glass ceiling within the game reflects that fact.
The first time we hear the little girls speak, we hear them
articulate their professional dreams. They list off typical careers
that are viewed in high regard, such as engineer and lawyer.
One of the girls, Stacy, says she wants to be “the nation’s
number one investment banker”. This is met by the narrator
condescendingly asking her if she really thinks she can be
number one, as if the narrator knows that a woman could never
hold that title. To this, Stacy responds, “why not?”. This
interaction presents a theme that proves prevalent throughout
the sketch: women slowly realizing that the deck is stacked
against them, both literally in the sketch and metaphorically.
Compare this interaction with how the girls react after getting
cards that set them back in the board game again and again.
They eventually react with anger, culminating with the girls

17. chanting “break it” as one hits the ceiling game piece with her
shoe after getting a card that left her unemployed after a sexual
harassment scandal. This reflects how women slowly, over
time, learn to temper the expectations of what they can get
accomplished in their respective professions. Through a series
of many sexist roadblocks, women have their excitement
stripped away from them as they realize those in current
managerial positions are more likely to view male candidates as
serious contenders for positions. “None of these choices get
you above the glass ceiling.” Laments Stacy, to which the
narrator exclaims “Now you’re getting it!”.
The sketch also explores the futility of firms to protect
their female employees from this institutionalized sexism that is
discussed. This is evidenced by the choices that the girls are
given when drawing a card from the deck. When one of the
children draws a card from the deck describing a situation
wherein she is sexually harassed by her boss, she is left with
three options: go to HR, put up with it, or sleep with him. Two
of these choices are clearly intended to be viewed as the
incorrect way to put up with the situation, leading the viewer to
expect that going to HR would provide a helpful solution. This
assumption is then flipped, when after the girl chooses to go to
HR, she ends up unemployed. Her game piece, which was once
a smiling cartoon women dressed up for work, now changes to a
cartoon woman lying down on the couch crying. This reflects
the theme of intra-company departments being totally unhelpful
when it comes to assisting victims in the workplace. Other
examples from the sketch also reflect how those in positions of
power or management abuse those positions in order to fit their
sexist feelings. When one of the children draws a card, they are
met with disappointment after finding out that their ivy league
education emasculates their boss, preventing them from getting
a promotion.
The narrator in this sketch acts as a vessel for the sexist
management that exists in the workplace. The narrator is
constantly condescending to the children, saying “typical

18. women” in a dismissive tone after one of the kids is confused
after having to deal with extremely adult themes. As previously
stated, she (the narrator) also questions one of girl’s abilities to
become the number one investment banker, presumably due to
her gender. It is also important to note that the narrator is a
female adult voice. This is presumably to allow her to act as a
sort of guidance for these young women, and teach them the
harsh realities of the real world. However, it is not explicitly
stated that she believes this reality is “harsh”. Her cheery
demeanor and seeming pleasure in crushing the dreams of these
kids shows that she is accepting of the double standards and
unfair treatment of women in the workplace. Her apathetic, and
almost supportive, views of sexism in the workplace paints her
as the ideal worker for the sexist powers that be. It is the
narrator’s comedic delivery of the lines that really drives the
point of the sketch home. She over-normalizes the prejudices
that women deal with; which in turn brings light to these
problems, and highlights how ludicrous it is that so little is said
or done about these problems.
After analyzing this sketch, I would like to research the
following questions: How do women fight the rampant sexist
workplace culture? How do children find out about the realities
of sexism? Do apathetic attitudes have an effect one way or
another on social issues? How are problems like these
normalized and accepted in society?