Traditional American Values

Traditional American values have changed over time. As seen on shows through out the decades, the values of sexuality, family, and freedom have been changing at a rapid pace from the 1950's to the 2000's.

Sexuality has changed since the days of I Love Lucy, In the 1950's, Lucy couldn't even say that she was pregnant. Also Lucy and Dezzy couldn't even sleep in two different beds, even though they were married in real life. By the 1990's in the show Friends, all the people would just come right out and say what they wanted to about sex. Another thing that has changed is that Lucy had to wear very long skirts and very non-revealing shirts and then in Friends the women would wear tight jeans and very tight shirts.

The value of family has also changed. In I Love Lucy, Lucy was the perfect wife at the time. She would have dinner ready when Dezzy came home and she would comfort him. But in the Jeff Foxworthy Show, the wife was the stronger person of the relationship. While Jeff was scared of the water, she wasn't scared at all. Also the wife was portrayed as the emotional provider of the family. Another example of the changing family was in Who's the Boss. In this show the man and the woman lived together but they weren't married. Also, the woman was the one with the career, while the guy was the one with the job of lesser value.

Finally freedom has taken a change in the America, especially the freedom of speech. In I Love Lucy, Lucy couldn't say anything that might offend anybody such as saying the word pregnant. Now, in Friends and The Jeff Foxworthy Show, they can say a lot more about sex, the government, controversial issues etc. This allows shows to show what really happens instead of the perfect situation.

In conclusion, values such as sexuality, family, and freedom have changed since the 1950's as seen through many popular TV shows through out the decades. While some of the changes are good and some are bad, this is what makes up our society today.