Jerry and Elaine in "The Deal"
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Elaine and Jerry making the deal
According to Worth, "She dates one loser after another, rarely keeping a boyfriend for more than one show. But she seems to have pretty high standards for keeping them....Perhaps they are too high" (32). Elaine is portrayed as not the typical woman or girlfriend, especially since she and Jerry dated, but remained friends, making her the "anti-girlfriend" and one that Jerry considers.
for example, "The Deal" is one of the most stereotypical kind of episodes where Jerry and Elaine decide to make a deal and just be friends with benefits, convincing themselves that they have to do it to save the friendship. Elaine helps make up some of the rules which forbid them from emotional attachment, just the physical. This episode is an example of Elaine being the "anti-girlfriend" and the non-stereotypical woman who would be portrayed as becoming emotionally attached and wanting more than just the physical. Later in the episode, we find that Elaine does want more, making this harder for them to keep up. Eventually, they end the deal and go back to their friendship. This episode showed Elaine as a non-stereotypical woman, yet highlighted the underlying stereotypes, and eventually the more noticeable ones, of women and relationships.
Even though Elaine can be seen as the anti, because she is a part of the idea of a friends-with-benefits anti-relationship, she still succumbs to the stereotype of women who get emotionally attached, making just physical relationships between men and women impossible.
Many of her relationships are dominated by her, meaning she is the one who determines the relationship, like with David Puddy, Puddy for short. For example, in the episode "The Voice," Elaine makes a bet with Jerry that she will not get back together with Puddy, yet it becomes more and more difficult. After convincing Jerry that they are not going to get back together, she finds a small reason to call Puddy. When she slowly starts getting back together with him, they talk about how they can, and would rather just hangout, but not get back together. When Puddy describes his relief for not having to get back together and actually put work into it, Elaine gets offended and demands Puddy to get back into her bed because they are going to cuddle and he will sleep over. Elaine holds up as a non-stereotypical woman until she demands what every stereotypical woman wants: a relationship, cuddling, and the whole big bang.
We don't see this side of Elaine much, since she is portrayed as just one of the boys, not super emotional or stereotypical. Elaine's character is mostly a self-absorbed woman who only looks out for herself, whether it is non-stereotypical or not. Elaine is not one or the other, yet she highlights feminism issues within our society by presenting them without blatantly showing them.
for example, "The Deal" is one of the most stereotypical kind of episodes where Jerry and Elaine decide to make a deal and just be friends with benefits, convincing themselves that they have to do it to save the friendship. Elaine helps make up some of the rules which forbid them from emotional attachment, just the physical. This episode is an example of Elaine being the "anti-girlfriend" and the non-stereotypical woman who would be portrayed as becoming emotionally attached and wanting more than just the physical. Later in the episode, we find that Elaine does want more, making this harder for them to keep up. Eventually, they end the deal and go back to their friendship. This episode showed Elaine as a non-stereotypical woman, yet highlighted the underlying stereotypes, and eventually the more noticeable ones, of women and relationships.
Even though Elaine can be seen as the anti, because she is a part of the idea of a friends-with-benefits anti-relationship, she still succumbs to the stereotype of women who get emotionally attached, making just physical relationships between men and women impossible.
Many of her relationships are dominated by her, meaning she is the one who determines the relationship, like with David Puddy, Puddy for short. For example, in the episode "The Voice," Elaine makes a bet with Jerry that she will not get back together with Puddy, yet it becomes more and more difficult. After convincing Jerry that they are not going to get back together, she finds a small reason to call Puddy. When she slowly starts getting back together with him, they talk about how they can, and would rather just hangout, but not get back together. When Puddy describes his relief for not having to get back together and actually put work into it, Elaine gets offended and demands Puddy to get back into her bed because they are going to cuddle and he will sleep over. Elaine holds up as a non-stereotypical woman until she demands what every stereotypical woman wants: a relationship, cuddling, and the whole big bang.
We don't see this side of Elaine much, since she is portrayed as just one of the boys, not super emotional or stereotypical. Elaine's character is mostly a self-absorbed woman who only looks out for herself, whether it is non-stereotypical or not. Elaine is not one or the other, yet she highlights feminism issues within our society by presenting them without blatantly showing them.