Is “Chowder” Sexist?

[The Huntsman]

TrueChild, a website that aims to combat negative stereotypes that children encounter, recently reviewed some television programs in order to determine which shows presented both genders in a respectable fashion. They gave out grades in accordance with such, and as it turned out, “Chowder” got an F. Here’s what they had to say.

When we first met Chowder, we really wanted to love the show because it is charming and uses really cool animation. However, we quickly learned that the show is sorely lacking female characters and, for those that do show up, the stereotypes are abundant.

Chowder and Mung Daal are funny and the kids really love them. Sadly, though, our two minor female characters, Truffles, is a cranky old woman who is constantly trying to take control of her husband's business and comes across as overbearing and unpleasant. Chowder's other female role, Panini, is the classic googly-eyed girl who cares about nothing but trying to get Chowder to like her. She provides no depth or range of character and reinforces the message that girls will do whatever necessary to get a boy including change her behavior or ignore his rejection and persevere at all costs.

Chowder has the makings of a really sweet and funny show based on a character that actually breaks stereotypes - a little round boy who wants to be a chef's apprentice. But, without some more balance to the character roster and less reliance on overused stereotypes, this show will continue to receive failing marks with us.

For the record, you can see their reviews of preschool shows here and their reviews of school-age shows here. The only other Cartoon Network shows that they reviewed were “6teen” and “Total Drama Island”, which got a D+ and a C respectively, both better than what “Chowder” got. So, is “Chowder” sexist? Is its poor presentation of females affecting children in any way, shape or form? Do you believe that the series would have been better if Endive, Panini and Truffles weren’t as flawed as they are?

I thought that this might be interesting food for thought. I’m hoping that some discussion can come from this.

[Racattack!Force]

What? No! How the characters of Truffles and Panini are represented are just to be taken for laughs. I beileve that that the series wouldn't be as good if the characters weren't as flawed as they are. Heck, it's not just the females: all of the characters are majorly flawed in a way.

[chdr]

Absolutely not. There is no set way for a female character to act, and there shouldn't. So what if all the female characters in the show are stereotypes? All the males are too (eager but dimwitted kid, "ladies' man", geek who lives with his mother). If there was no derogatory intent involved, it shouldn't be called "sexism".

[Jiya]

Yeah, these reviews are coming from adults. I wouldn't think that kids who watches Chowder think of "Sexist", they just see a funny cartoon as oppose what an adult viewer sees.

[Mini Garbonzo]

God no. The women in Chowder may seem a tad bit crazy, but really most if not all of the characters aren't exactly level headed.

[PC!]

That website apparently strives on finding stereotypes in children's entertainment. I wouldn't pay it much mind.

[Antiyonder]

I took a look at the grades on the other shows and feel the need to restate my old question.

Why are kid targeted sitcoms allowed to sterotype, but if a cartoon does it, it's deemed unacceptable?

[Mini Garbonzo]

I took a look at the grades on the other shows and feel the need to restate my old question.

Why are kid targeted sitcoms allowed to sterotype, but if a cartoon does it, it's deemed unacceptable?

Possibly because most of America's parents still have the whole "Cartoons are always for kids" viewpoint. Or maybe it's just a conspiracy against animation.

[Tomato Surprise]

Saying that Chowder's sexist is like saying that The Cosby Show is racist. Just because a show has females or other minorities does not mean that it is offending toward that groups.

Thoughts?
Tomato

[Antiyonder]

Possibly because most of America's parents still have the whole "Cartoons are always for kids" viewpoint. Or maybe it's just a conspiracy against animation.

I'm actually talking about the sitcoms that are for Kids (Most of the graded ones being on the Disney Channel and a few that are on Nick).

Anyways, my point is, that since the sitcoms are pretty much for the same age group that watches Chowder, you'd think that the sitcom sterotypes would cause parents to wave the red flag.

And I do enjoy some of the Nickcom for the record.

[Silverstar]

When female characters are portrayed as flawless paragons of perfection with no quirks or idiosyncrasies of any kind, they're deemed annoying add-on characters who exist solely for the purpose of pleasing the female demographic.


When female characters are portrayed as flawed, quirky or idiosyncratic in any way, they're deemed sexist.


Female characters just can't win.

[Dr.Pepper]

No way. The thought has never crossed my mind. The females are just as much of stereotypes as the males are.

[Blackstar]

Chowder isn't in the least bit sexist. True, the female characters on the show are flawed, but the male characters on Chowder are equally flawed. Chowder himself is a lovable dimwit with an out-of-control appetite. Shnitzel is a grump. Mung Dahl is a narcissistic wanna be Ladies' Man who thinks he's more talented than he is. Gespachio is incurable nerd and something of a Mama's Boy. Gorgonzola is an spiteful, obnoxious little creep. Chowder is a comedy, after all. It's the characters' imperfections that make them funny.

[Djm912]

So assuming the group that did this actually had an idea of what they wanted out of television instead of just looking for this to criticize, what would their example be of a good female character?

Oh, and just on my own, I've been under the impression that Chowder is of an age where girls are icky, so, his response to Panini seems perfectly normal.

[Comics_the_QB]

When female characters are portrayed as flawless paragons of perfection with no quirks or idiosyncrasies of any kind, they're deemed annoying add-on characters who exist solely for the purpose of pleasing the female demographic.


When female characters are portrayed as flawed, quirky or idiosyncratic in any way, they're deemed sexist.


Female characters just can't win.

Indeed. Although, I would prefer flawed, quirky or idiosyncratic. It's more fun that way.

Anyway, I do not see Chowder as sexist. Little kids who watch this show won't be judging the show to see if it portrays females in a stereotypical way...

[Mickialla]

Ridiculous. First off, it's a cartoon. The show is made to be funny and to give laughs. That's what the purpose of comedy cartoons is. Not to influence kids do respect or disrespect women. The only influence cartoons are meant to have on the way kids act is to make them more imaginative and creative. People like this, who thrive on injecting moral messages into cartoons are wasting their time and making a big fuss of naught.

I don't see any one complaining that Chowder lends to the stereotype of dumb kids or that Mung Daal encourages kids to be "ladies men". It's more than ridiculous, it's pointless. Why should characters like Truffles and Panini be perfect model citizens? So they can make the show bland and uninteresting. Nobody, man or woman, is perfect. Those who are are uninteresting. Take Ben's girlfriend, Julie. If that's the kind of female characters that people like this want to see in cartoons, then there'd be no interesting characters in any cartoons.

[pharmmajor]

For the love of Jhonen Vasquez... don't these nitpicking busybodies have anything better to do? It's a cartoon, it's supposed to be funny.

[judyindisguise]

So they give Phineas and Ferb and Danny Phantom lower grades than Fairly Oddparents (A C+, a C- and a B-, respectively) ? What the hey??? Candace on P and F is, IMO, a great character and a great example of how to handle a flawed female semi-antagonist; while she's certainly no Mary Sue, she's not bashed all the time either and has her moments of triumph. Plus it's clear her family loves her and the boy she's interested in is interested in her (no sadistic one-sided love affair here). As for Danny Phantom...they dump on DP's Jaz character? I'm not a huge fan of DP, but I thought Jaz and her relationship with her brother was one of the series' few bright spots. She's very supportive of him when she finds out his secret. Jeez, how many eps of these shows did these nitpickers watch? And are they at all aware of the controversy regarding the "Wanda's-a-nag" issue that FOP has engendered, online at least, among the show's viewers?

As for Chowder...everyone's a mess on that series. I don't think the bashing is gender-specific or based on stereotypes, although I admit I'm not crazy about any of the females on the show (or really, any of the males either. Guess I'm just not a fan of Chowder, period).

Anyway...feh. Since it's obvious that the people behind this study haven't done their homework, I'm giving them a grade:

F!

[Mala Loba]

I say they're looking into it too hard. Were this something else, they might have a valid point, but it's a cartoon for crying out loud- lighten up.

It's not like it's the end of the world if the only girl in a animated series is a shrew- just as many girls fall into stereotypes as the ones that don't.

[Gokou Ruri]

Yeah, it is (though considering the social conditional people go through, I'm not surprised most people don't realize it). Then again, most TV shows are sexist and favor males. Chowder doing it is nothing new.