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A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television

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A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2009 Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television D. Renee Smith University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons Recommended Citation Smith, D. Renee, "Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2009. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/10 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by D. Renee Smith entitled "Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Communication and Information. Catherine A. Luther, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Michelle T. Violanti, Suzanne Kurth, Benjamin J. Bates Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Detta Renee Smith entitled “Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Images in Prime-Time Television.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Communication and Information. Catherine Luther, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Benjamin Bates Michelle Violanti Suzanne Kurth Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records) Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis of Heteronormative Female Images in Prime-Time Television A Dissertation Presented for the Doctorate of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Detta Renee Smith December 2009 Copyright © 2009 by D. Renee Smith All rights reserved. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To each and every person who gave me advice, offered encouragement, or provided some diversion along the way, I thank you. Your support has kept me moving forward, made me think, and helped me retain my sense of humor. I must thank my committee chair, Dr. Catherine Luther. From the first moment I sat in one of Dr. Luther’s classes, I saw the teaching and research missions of academia exemplified. Dr. Luther truly models intellectual reasoning and diversity of thought. She allows her students to grow and learn while navigating the sometimes-constrictive path of current media philosophies and technologies. I would like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Benjamin Bates, Dr. Michelle Violanti, and Dr. Suzanne Kurth. Dr. Bates graciously bailed me out each time I called on him. He provided an endless stream of resources and is incredibly generous with both his time and his knowledge. Dr. Violanti is simply wise. And she has graciously shared her wisdom with me. From the beginning of my graduate studies she has offered me nothing but good counsel and great encouragement. Plus she gets brownie points for being a Lady Vols basketball fan. Dr. Kurth expanded the boundaries of my work by illustrating a feminist approach in the classroom. This freedom allowed me to engage with the texts I studied in new and different ways. I am richer for having studied with her. To my friends--many of whom I have been friends with for more than thirty years now and whom have shared with me their abundant life experiences--you have guided me both intellectually and spiritually in this endeavor. I carry a little piece of each of you in me. You are my family. You make life deep and meaningful and fun. I love each one of you dearly. To Melissa and Michael I hope I have made you proud. I have attempted in some small way to carry your torches. I miss being able to see your faces and tap your collective intellects, but I still hear your voices. I hope you still hear mine. I am grateful to my parents who made me believe that education is the key and who worked diligently to provide me with an opportunity to follow my academic dreams. I thank you for giving me intelligence, and values, and a sense of responsibility. Those tools have served me well throughout my life. And finally I must thank Pam, my partner in all things. It is Pam who on occasion takes my hand, reminds me to breathe, and then jumps off a cliff with me. She challenges me, supports me, and makes me laugh. She has given so much of herself to be part of my life, and she so beautifully shares her life with me. For her I am thankful with all that I am. iii DEDICATION For Hailey and Jagger, my next generation of scholars. iv ABSTRACT This dissertation traces lesbian portrayals on network television from their earliest occurrences in the 1960s through the 1990s. A focus on episodic dramas and situation comedies reveals a concise representation of the mediated lesbian image. Building on existing research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender images on television, this work focuses exclusively on the lesbian image broadcast free of charge over the air during prime-time on commercial networks in the United States. Using a postmodern feminist framework, this textual analysis examines the images and texts portraying lesbian characters in episodic dramas and situation comedies. Furthermore, applying a semiotic lens to the analysis dissects the voice and actions of lesbian characters illustrating the ways production techniques and narrative scripting work together to represent a lesbian image on television. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page CHAPTER I........................................................................................................... 1 Setting the Stage .................................................................................................. 1 Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 Background ....................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER II.......................................................................................................... 9 Literature Review .................................................................................................. 9 The Players ..................................................................................................... 10 Killers, Crazies, and Closet Cases .............................................................. 10 Predators, Professionals, and Protesters .................................................... 17 Hotels, Heartbeats, and Hidden Desire ....................................................... 22 The Epiphany Season ................................................................................. 27 Kiss Me ........................................................................................................ 36 Butching It Up .............................................................................................. 39 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................ 42 Research Questions .................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER III....................................................................................................... 50 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 50 Textual Analysis .............................................................................................. 51 The Programs.................................................................................................. 57 NYPD Blue................................................................................................... 58 Mad about You ............................................................................................ 61 Video Analysis Software.................................................................................. 63 Transana...................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER IV....................................................................................................... 66 Analysis and Discussion ..................................................................................... 66 Wardrobe......................................................................................................... 68 Haircolor .......................................................................................................... 79 Reception and Respect ..................................................................................
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