Revisiting Glee: Game-Changer or Problematic?
By Sakshi Kale
When Glee, an American musical drama series, aired from 2009 to 2015, it was deemed ahead of its time in its inclusivity and representation. Capturing the upper middle and high schoolers, the show emphasised teenage struggles with identity, and had a significant impact locally, and globally.
In India, the show was telecast on Star World. Growing up, my sister, Shreya, and I would watch it religiously every night. So when I decided to write this article, I knew I had to interview her. When asked about the general impact the show had on her when she first encountered it, Shreya said that she was “completely amazed by how diverse the world actually was”. Her view of the world, until the show, had always existed in binaries— living in Mumbai, India, she had a limited perspective of gender, sexuality, and race. She says that in her school when any individuals of the same sex were too close to each other, they were mocked with queer slurs and jokes and that she hadn’t been hesitant to take part in the same. However, Glee made her more aware and accepting of people of all natures and desires. When asked about the musical influence in Glee, my sister said that Glee was so much more than just music. There was a storyline for every single person who watched the show and the fact that it was supported by brilliant music only made it more appealing. It made Shreya more appreciative of the music of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and suddenly, John Lennon and Beck blared through our house a lot more.
However, when I reflect on the show from my present perspective, I relize that there were significant flaws in terms of the language and narrative of the show, particularly when it came to members of the queer community. In an episode of the show, Kurt, played by Chris Coffler, claims that bisexuals as “just gay men who are confused and don’t want to admit that they are gay”, when Blaine, played by Darren Criss, stated that he might be bisexual. Although Glee did contradict this statement when they introduced Brittany (Heather Moriss) as a bisexual woman, they never let her refer to herself as “bisexual”, instead, calling her “bicurious”. Furthermore, they portrayed her as the most sexually confused character of the show. This representation in Glee was extremely upsetting to me and even sparked outrage on many discussion forums, with users claiming that “Santana's blaming the break-up of her and Brittany's relationship on her being bi, despite that having nothing to do with it, and acting as if two lesbians dating is something inherently different and more serious than a lesbian and a bi girl”, (from Reddit).
Moreover, Lea Michele and other the white characters occupied most of the storylines. Characters of other ethnicities were often stereotyped and used as tokens of representation. Mercedes, played by the dynamic Amber Riley, was a strong black woman and a singer as good as, if not better than Lea Michele’s Rachel Berry. However, Mercedes was always on the back burner of every storyline. Santana, played by Naya Rivera, was also highly stereotyped as the loud and aggressive Latina. Out of all the parents and grandparents of kids in the LGBTQIA+ community, her grandma seemed to be the only one who had an issue — a classic case of people stereotyping anyone not white as unprogressive. It is also important to mention that the only two Asians on the show were portrayed as awkward, and quiet. Not only were they both depicted as nerds but also had the same surname, ‘Chang’, despite having no relation.
However, it is important to note that these problematic storylines are only visible to us in hindsight due to our broadened perspective. Despite Glee brimming with stereotypes and bias, we can’t deny that it had a significant impact on its Indian audience. The show challenged their understanding and world view. It introduced them to a wide spectrum of gender, sexuality, and class. I initially watched the show when I was nine years old, and felt as though I was exposed to a whole new world. Recently, I was scrolling through Netflix and decided to rewatch Glee; and boy, oh boy, was I not let down.
Glee helped me accept myself in more ways that one can imagine. Being bullied never leaves you or allows you to feel completely confident in your skin. However, watching Kurt and David’s storyline, I was able to feel a lot better about myself, realising I had done nothing wrong and it wasn’t my fault. Moreover, seeing the majority of parents on the show being accepting of their childrens’ sexuality and desires, helped me come out to my parents. Thus, despite its imperfections, I recommend that all teenagers struggling with any kind of high school problems, watch this show.