Media+Paper+Marisa

  The Motherly Instinct Consisting of cartoons and shows to make one laugh and that teach valuable lessons, Nickelodeon is a television channel that is aimed towards children and young teens. Nickelodeon is a channel that airs in the daytime while Nick at Night airs at night because children tend to watch television in the day while their parents watch television at night. There is a tendency for females to watch Nickelodeon over males because of the program’s content. Many of the commercials consisted of household and female products such Tide, Hughes Diapers, Charmin Toilet Paper, Olay, and Vagisi are im plied to adult female audience. Nickelodeon’s commercials also featured dolls and other girly toys and accessories such as Lalalopsy dolls, Skinkie dolls, and Zhuzhu Babies. Over a few days of observation, it was clear to me that the [] leading female character of the shows, not necessarily the protagonist, portrayed a common stereotype of females. The leading female character of Nickelodeon shows possesses a motherly instinct that depicts them as nurturing and sympathetic young ladies. The stereotype for females to be nurturing is commonly showed in //iCarly// and //Big Time Rush//. One way the leading female character of iCarly and Big Time Rush demonstrate their motherly instinct is when they act as the mediator between their friends. A mother is like a mediator. She knows her right from wrong and her good from bad. She is the balancer of life. Without her, things would not run smoothly. Problems would not be solved and tasks would not be completed. Carly, who is the protagonist of //iCarly//, has two best friends, Sam and Freddie. While Sam and Freddie do not get along very well, Carly steps in as the mediator between the two. When Sam announces on their live webcam show that Freddie has never kissed a girl before, Freddie becomes embarrassed and hides in his apartment for days. The fixer of all problems, Carly makes Sam apologize to Freddie. After a child does something wrong, like all mothers, Carly makes Sam feel guilty for what she has done. Sam, on their next webcam show, says that it is not a big deal that Freddie has never kissed a girl before and she even admits that she has never kissed a guy before to take away the humiliation from Freddie. Freddie is shocked when Sam does this because it is a big secret to admit to a nationwide audience. He accepts her apology and appreciates the effort Sam makes to undo her mistake. As the mediator between Sam and Freddie, Carly is able to bring the two together even through their troubles and differences. Like a mother always mediating arguments between her two kids, Carly helps Sam and Freddie get along maturely. The motherly instinct that Carly possesses shows how caring and sweet she is. When Sam is denied by a guy she likes, Carly is there to pick her up. Who best to turn to then your own mother for sympathy? Sam turns to Carly for a shoulder to cry on. When Freddie is feeling depressed after Sam announces to the nation that he has never kissed a girl before, Carly is there to console him and she encourages him to come out of his apartment. Carly not only nurtures her friends, but she also nurtures her older brother, whom is her legal guardian, because her parents are away at sea. Although Carly’s brother Spencer is in his twenties, she still needs to take care of him. It is not that Spencer is incapable of living on his own, it is just that sometimes he can act childishly. Carly cooks for him and sometimes has to lay down the law for him. In one episode of //iCarly//, Spencer has to finish an art piece for a buyer in twenty-four hours, however he is constantly distracted by his new pac-man game, so Carly, like a mother, orders him to stop playing the pac-man game until he has finished his work. Carly’s thoughtfulness and concern for others portrays herself as mother figure to her friends and family. Unlike, Carly, Kelly is not the protagonist of the show, however she is plays the leading female role in //Big Time Rush//. Kelly plays the role as the mediator between the boys and their hot-tempered and crazy producer Gustavo. Every little thing the boys do, Gustavo goes crazy at them. When one of the boys, Carlos, breaks the espresso machine in the studio, Gustavo becomes extremely furious and yells at the boys for messing up. Kelly steps in to calm Gustavo down. Like a mother, she solves the problem by calling cleaners to clean the room up and orders a new and even more advanced espresso machine to make Gustavo happy. People always turn to their mother for the last resort if they need help, no matter how old they may be. Kelly not only solves the problems for Gustavo and the boys, she also helps the boys and Gustavo get along. When the boys ask to go to the Palm Woods School with the other actors and actresses, Gustavo says no and hires them their own tutor because he wants them to concentrate on their music. Kelly feels bad for the boys because they work hard and never have any fun or are never rewarded, so she argues with Gustavo and finally compromises with him to let the boys attend Palm Wood School. Kelly cares about the boys’ happiness. Although Kelly is nowhere near the age of the boys’ actual mothers, she is like their mother. Her main priority is the boys’ happiness. She tries to keep them in line, even though they sometimes get out of hand, but they are teenage boys who just want to have fun. It’s hard, but somehow, she always finds a way. Kelly’s sympathy and care for the boys show her nurturing quality that a mother would have. Carly and Kelly represent the stereotype that females are caring and nurturing on Nickelodeon. Their problem solving ability and their concern for the people around them show their motherly characteristics. The message that the leading female characters of the Nickelodeon shows are depicting is a stereotype that society has created. As these girls grow older, they will realize that television channels influence people to think and act a certain way. Sometimes these channels may not be such a positive influence like Nickelodeon is. []
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