The Subtleties of Blatant Sexism

This essay examines The Man Show as a contemporary example of blatant sexism. A growing body of feminist criticism documents the emergence of subtle forms of sexism in popular culture. Such forms may be characterized as an accommodation or hegemonic negotiation in which dominant discourses must become flexible in the face of pressure from oppressed groups. Yet blatant sexism abounds in contemporary culture. I argue that The Man Show provides viewers with rhetorical resources to imagine their viewing practices as an act of protest against an imagined dominant female authority, and that those resources potentially allow viewers to accept the sexism of the program at face value.