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Modern Family: a Media Literacy Analysis

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Submitted By lochte
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ABC's Modern Family is a renewed look on the standard American family. This is a large claim, one that can be looked at in full with different aspects of Media Literacy. Analyzing today’s media allows us to understand how different have an effect on the audience, and whether that effect can be positive or negative on society. Beside the creative and humorous story-lines, the family is constructed in a way that many people can relate to.

Media are constructions. Three individual families represent the complexity of "family" in today's modern world. The show aims to do this by including several mixed family situations. Jay Pritchett is divorced and remarried a much younger Colombian wife, Gloria. Gloria has son Manny Pritchett from a past marriage. From his first marriage, Jay has two children, Mitchell and Claire. Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker form a gay couple who adopt a Vietnamese baby. Claire married Phil Dunphy, and they have three children. Haley, the eldest daughter who dropped out of college, Alex, a bright middle daughter, and Luke, the goofy youngest son (Cast). Although Modern Family represents many modern tastes of what it is to be "family", the show still uses many stereotypes to build its humor. It becomes evident that without traditional aspects the construction of the "Modern Family" would fall apart. These stereotypes can create a negative sense of appeal to different demographics, including those they are trying to represent. This hasn't stopped the trail of success, Modern Family has received five consecutive Emmys for Best Comedy (Emmys).

The media contain and convey values and ideologies.
This hasn't stopped critics, as Modern Family has received much negative feedback for supporting gay stereotypes and unintelligent women figures. Claire is often seen as a dumb blonde, Gloria as the trophy wife, and Haley is

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