11 Overused Double Standards in Movies and TV Series That Make Us Yawn

In movies and TV series, there are a lot of double standards for men and women. Strict businesswomen are usually disliked by other characters, and powerful businessmen are respected. Unemployed men are judged, and unemployed women are not. And while some movie creators try to use fewer and fewer stereotypes, others keep disappointing viewers with them.

Strict businesswomen are harpies, and strict businessmen are great guys.

If there’s a businesswoman in a film, she’s most likely very unpleasant. She intimidates and even humiliates her employees. Nobody feels happy for her success because they are terrified of her. For example, remember Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada?

And powerful men, like Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, seem even more attractive because of how strong they are.

When a fiancé leaves a bride, he’s a bad guy, but when a bride leaves her fiancé, she’s doing the right thing.

If a fiancé leaves a bride at the altar, he’s going to be named a bad guy, and the hardships of the woman will be shown in detail. And even if at the end of the film she forgives him, viewers will never forget what he did. This is what happened to Mr. Big in Sex and the City. Viewers still can’t believe Carrie got back together with him.

But it’s different when a bride leaves a groom. She does it to become independent or find true love. This is what we saw in Runaway Bride. The grooms are not very deep characters, so the viewers don’t sympathize with them.

Couples in which the woman is more attractive than the man are normal, but the reverse is very rare.

In movies and series, we often see beautiful women dating less attractive men. And it’s not just our opinion, it’s what the scriptwriters are trying to convey. For example, Charlotte in Sex and the City wasn’t really interested in Harry because of his appearance, but she fell in love with him later on.

And “ordinary” women don’t typically charm handsome guys. A rare exception is the lead character in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Despite her insecurities, she was able to date 2 really handsome men.

When a guy is stalking a girl, it’s creepy, but when it’s vice versa, it’s cute.

In movies and TV shows, men that stalk the women they like are scary. And there’s a reason why: they don’t know when to stop and end up making huge mistakes, like, for example, the main character of You.

But if a girl starts stalking a guy, it’s funny. For example, Helga from Hey Arnold! made an altar for the boy she liked. And Elle Woods from Legally Blonde stalked her ex and even entered the same university as him to win him back.

If a father doesn’t pay enough attention to the child, we forgive him. If a mother does this, she will always be despised.

In movies, we frequently see parents that don’t pay enough attention to their kids. But bad fathers are often seen in comedic pieces, while bad mothers are mostly depicted in dramas. A comedy where a father keeps letting down his kid is the theme in Liar Liar. In the film, Jim Carrey’s character managed to miss his son’s birthday, but was able to change eventually.

But even when a mother who did something wrong is a character of a comedy and fixes everything in the end, viewers don’t always forgive her. Kate McCallister from Home Alone is still considered to be one of the worst mothers in movie history. Many people just ignore the fact that it was not just her, but also her husband that forgot about Kevin.

Unemployed women are housewives, and unemployed men are losers.

Women that don’t work and call themselves housewives are ordinary characters. We saw such characters in Desperate Housewives. They are not mocked, unlike unemployed men. And men themselves often don’t like their own position, which leads to conflict.

In The Intern, the husband of the main character decided to take care of their daughter, so the wife would be able to run her business. And their relationship got worse as a result.

Another example of this double standard could be seen on the hit sitcom, Friends, when Chandler lost his job. He complained that he didn’t know what to do, so his wife, Monica, had to help him find a job.

To make a guy like a girl, she needs to change. To make a girl like a guy, he needs to be himself and be persistent.

The female characters of romantic comedies often have to change their appearance to make guys like them more. Think about She’s All That. Until the girl turned into a “hot” woman, the guy she liked never noticed her. There are way fewer movies that feature male characters changing their appearance.

Guys in movies and TV shows use a different approach: they are persistent and patient. If the man is a decent guy, he is sure the girl is supposed to love him because he’s kind (and that’s what often happens). And these guys are usually not very handsome, but they choose very hot girls, like, for example, Ross in Friends.

If men play video games, it’s normal or even cool. When women do it, it’s weird or funny.

Most characters that play video games are guys. Female gamers are seen in movies and series not as often, and mostly in a comedic way.

For example, it turns out that a girl can play even better than a guy. Penny from The Big Bang Theory was very talented at games, and Sheldon couldn’t believe it. And several episodes later, she developed an addiction to gaming.

Male villains have a better chance of being forgiven than females.

Female villains don’t get to redeem themselves as often as male ones do. Female antagonists are either too violent, or they don’t get enough attention and a chance to become better.

This is what happened to Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. She appeared in just one film of the franchise and never got a second chance. The conflict between Thor and Loki lasted for several movies, and Thor always forgave his brother.

Kylo Ren from Star Wars was able to make amends. Some people agree that he did unforgivable things, but they found excuses for him because he was a pawn in the hands of the Sith.

Childish men are horrible, and childish women are cute.

Childish and immature men are often called big children and their behavior is often criticized. But for female characters, such behavior seems cute because it makes them more innocent.

Think about Zach Galifianakis’ character in The Hangover, and Sophie from Mamma Mia!

In action movies, male characters only get cooler, and female characters are sidelined.

Even if a female character in a movie is just as strong as a man, there’s a very good chance she will be sidelined. Or instead, she will choose a quiet family life instead of saving the world.

In Hancock, there were just 2 characters with superpowers: the main character and his wife. Hancock decided to protect the world, and his wife chose a simple life with her new husband and son.

What double standards in movies and TV series have you noticed?