It’s safe to say that many of us have seen the show The Office and have fallen in love with the kooky and sometimes relatable characters. The show manages to find humor in one of the most mundane settings possible, and it does so by playing off the tropes and stereotypes of the different characters. While I’m a big fan of the show myself, I can’t help but notice how the character choices portray certain understandings of women in the workplace. From crazy cat lady Angela, to #girlboss Jan, and of course perfectly witty and demure Pam, there is a lot to be said about the tropes of professional women in The Office.
Jan
As one of the few examples of an accomplished, successful woman in the show, Jan plays a large role. As the head of the head of the office, she enters as a very
strong-willed and almost bitchy character, devoid of emotion. She is extremely type-A, always perfectly done up and on top of her schedule. I think this notion that women in high-paying or esteemed positions must be harder in an emotional sense is a common trope in media as well as in real life. This can be particularly damaging as it signifies that women can only be successful if they abandon “feminine” traits such as kindness or softness.
Jan’s character goes on to highlight other sexist assumptions about women in positions of power when she engages in a relationship with Michael. She quickly becomes obsessive, which makes her character unravel, leaving her facing severe consequences in her professional life. To me, this is saying that “type-A”, or “high-strung” women are always on the brink of just falling apart. It’s also saying that strong-willed, professional women and relationships are not conducive.
These sentiments, along with the fact that she is one of the only examples of a conventionally attractive women in a leadership position, makes her character very problematic and reflective of sexist stereotypes about women in professional settings.
Phyllis and Angela
Phyllis and Angela are both important characters as they are both often the butt of the joke. This is the case because they both take on more “matronly” roles as well as the fact that they exhibit more strange or awkward behavior. Most importantly, however, is the fact that both are not viewed as attractive or desirable, physically in Phyllis’ case and due to religion in Angela’s.
Phyllis exhibits many behaviors that fall in line with the trope of workplace “mothers”. She often was there for other characters to provide emotional
support in a motherly way, without being given much attention to her own life and story. There were also many instances of Michael or other characters assuming that she was much older than she was, or outwardly expressing their unattraction to her. Oftentimes, women are given much less respect or are deemed as less valuable if they are not found to be attractive in the conventional sense, and to compensate they take on or have other roles forced upon them, such as that of a mother figure.
Angela, while she is also not viewed as an attractive figure, has
many other quirks about her that make her a more dynamic character. Namely, she fits the role of the crazy cat lady and the prude religious lady. Her interests in cats and her devotedness to religion is obviously amplified for a comedic effect, but her character still portrays the idea that older single women must turn to things like pets or religion to be happy, and how this makes them appear to be crazy.
Kelly
Kelly’s character might be one of the more annoying personalities on the show as she is extremely immature, talkative, and is written to be bothersome. She fits the role of the gossipy young woman who knows everything about everyone and causes
drama because of her loose lips. She has no filter and is chatty to the point where it annoys everyone, which makes her look extremely unprofessional and a little ditsy. Obviously, her chattiness in the show would not be appropriate in real life, but it reflects the idea that talkative, forward, or bubbly women are nothing but nuisances and cannot be professional. Furthermore, her hopeless obsession with Ryan is a prominent storyline that doesn’t sit well with me. She pines over Ryan despite his constant rejections and lack of reciprocity in a way that is almost demeaning. It reveals a sort of insecurity in her character that shows that she is not strong enough to get over her obsession and find someone w ho would treat her correctly. I think this is a common assumption about younger women, and I find it a little distasteful that she is the main example of a young, feminine presence.
Pam
Pam, as the main female character, reveals the most about female stereotypes in the show. She is the example of the ideal woman in the office; she is quiet, funny, and easygoing. This in itself is slightly problematic as it outlines what a
woman should be, and in this case, it is the trope of the “cool girl”. Pam doesn’t wear too much makeup, she drinks beer, jokes around with the guys, and typically doesn’t get along with the other girls in the office, rendering her the most attractive girl in the office. She also is a secretary which is a typical position that women are expected to have, and she doesn’t have many career ambitions besides a somewhat failing art career, which makes her love story with Jim her main storyline. To me, all these things made Pam extremely one-dimensional and lacking a personality with her own, which is very disheartening given she was the female lead.
Conclusion
To conclude, the female characters of The Office leave a lot to be desired. They tend to all lack complex personalities and reflect different sexist tropes that exist within and without the workplace. The show itself is mostly satire and it uses humor to make comments about sexism and similar topics, but the significance of the female characters themselves tell a different story, especially when compared to the arguably more complex male main characters. I still watch and enjoy the show as it is something I grew up watching and loving, but I can’t help but notices the sometimes glaringly sexist character choices as I watch from an older perspective now. I don’t think there is anything wrong with continuing to enjoy something we may find problems with; I think it just goes to show how pervasive and commonplace certain social inequalities may be.
