Who's Your Daddy? Female Patriarchs in Fleabag

Research output: Contribution to conferenceOther

Traditionally, a nuclear family centers around a father as the patriarchal leader of the group. As of the 1990s, changing gender roles affected families enough to spark notice and even warrant national political attention. Between feminist movements, and subsequent evolution of gender norms, the idea of what constitutes a ‘family’ and how it is organized has evolved. Within Fleabag , a one-woman act turned television series by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the typical gender roles within Fleabag’s family are subverted, deconstructing misogynistic notions of femininity and male dominance within Western tradition, and representing families in a modern light. The female characters take on patriarchal characteristics in the family structure where the men fail to do so. This restructuring of the familial gender roles not only subverts but also reinvents the traditional family in a much more modern and complex depiction of family dynamics. This presentation will begin by establishing traditional gender roles in society and within a family structure, and continue by noting the way the characters in Fleabag take on non-traditional roles. This idea of reinvented family structure offers contemporary audiences a unique example of family dynamics. The complexity makes this a particular area of interest as though unusual family structures are reflections of reality, they are difficult to represent in media.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 22 Mar 2023
EventCAHB Postgraduate Conference 2023 - Main Arts Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
Duration: 22 Mar 2023 → …

Conference

ConferenceCAHB Postgraduate Conference 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityBangor
Period22/03/23 → …
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