'Mixed-ish' Season 1 Episode 9 brings about a discussion on gender, beauty, and parenting mistakes
Gender norms and beauty pageants are still a contentious topic even with all the diverse discussions on the subjects in the 21st century. And so, when 'Mixed-ish' tries to include that discussion during the 80s, it's certain to miss a few steps and not roll off the way the writers wanted it to.
In this week's episode of 'Mixed-ish', Santamonica and Bow are asked to be a part of a pageant. Their father, Paul -- self-proclaimed feminist -- is dead set against it, but Aunt Deedee is all for it. She wants her nieces to have the beauty pageant experience and, Santy and Bow seem to enjoy themselves as well.
However, at one point, Paul exclaims that pageants cause body image issues and takes his daughters out of the pageant. But here's the thing: Paul's view still constructs a woman's experience to revolve around the male gaze. Santamonica and Bow wanted to do the pageant because they enjoyed it -- and sure, Paul has a point, but his action of prohibiting it completely just proves that he does not understand the concept of feminism.
Paul tries to change the girls' views on how they should carry themselves -- by punishing them when they don't agree with him. And it's Santamonica's puppet play that shows why this is wrong. Alicia adds to this saying that Paul should know better than to tell a woman how to be a woman.
It is only when they realize that Paul's discourse makes Bow think that she's not pretty that he stops to think. But this shouldn't be the norm either. Of course, beauty is a complicated debate and we are learning to accept people as we are, rejecting traditional beauty norms.
Meanwhile, Johan is accompanied to his karate class by his mother and grandfather. When Johan starts crying after failing to break a board, Alicia encourages him to cry, but grandpa Harrison tells Johan to hold it in -- today, men are encouraged to show their emotions openly, with the new movie, 'Frozen 2' even giving a whole ballad to Hans to sing about his feelings, which is being lauded by viewers.
But as Bow narrates at the end of the episode, their parents "let us be us", and yes, parenting is full of mistakes. And though 'Mixed-ish' is a comedy, treating such subjects could use more nuanced writing.