Why the portrayal of gay men on screen is unrealistically positive
ThE portrayal of gay men in modern films and TV shows is based on unrealistic ‘positive’ stereotypes, researchers claim.
Impossibly glamorous, witty and fashionable gay characters risk leaving real-life gay men lacking self-confidence.
The study suggests that stereotypes portrayed on screen may amount to ‘positive prejudice’ which could damage the wellbeing of gay men.
Researchers warned against painting gay characters – who often appear on screen as the best friend of a female lead – as ‘one-dimensional figures’.
The psychologists, from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, cited a series of movies and TV programmes they say may have left some gay viewers depressed.
Shows such as Sex and the City and Will and Grace, as well as the film My Best Friend’s Wedding starring Rupert Everett and Julia Roberts, all promoted an assumption that gay men must be upbeat, clever and witty, the study said. US sitcom Will and Grace, for example, starred Eric McCormack and Debra Messing as gay lawyer Will Truman and his best friend Grace Adler. Will was portrayed as smart, funny and caring to a fault.
Yet the Anglia Ruskin report suggested that such ‘seemingly positive stereotypes have the potential to be damaging as they paint gay men as one- dimensional figures and prevent people from seeing someone’s true personality’.
The team hope to conduct further research to find out whether this overtly positive portrayal of gay men in hollywood could be harming viewers’ self-esteem.
Researcher Ashley Brooks said: ‘We commonly see the gay best friend being played out in popular media, and this is also becoming increasingly prevalent in real life interactions between heterosexuals and gay men. Because these attitudes appear positive on the face of it, they gain widespread acceptance and remain unchallenged despite their potential to cause long-term damage.’
The academics are now appealing for 1,000 participants to discuss the impact of media attitudes which ‘may transmit stereotypical or negative messages’. Project leader Dr Daragh McDermott said that it was important to understand the changing nature of attitudes towards minority groups.
‘On the face of it, stereotypes associated with gay men, such as being fashionable or witty, appear positive and may even hold some truth to them,’ he said. But he added that such assumptions can lead to unrealistic expectations of how real men behave.
‘Unrealistic expectations’