By Sophia Trozzi
Schitt’s creek is a show about a family that was previously overwhelmingly wealthy that ended up losing everything due to selling the family business “Rose Video.” The show illustrates this transition of socioeconomic status and the new life they now are living compared to their previous more wealthy life. The show takes place in Schitts Creek (where the Rose family now lives) and more specifically in the local motel that the Rose family stays in for free.
As the show goes on you are introduced to the different characters in the Rose family. There is John Rose, Moira Rose, David Rose, and Alexis Rose. John is characterized as the businessman who owned Rose Video and now is in charge of getting the family out of their current situation. Moria is played as a bigger than life yet exhausting character who often is selfish and is not yet aquantined with their new lifestyle. David is their son who also likes his superficial things and owns a shop in town with his boyfriend Patrick. Alexis is the Rose family’s daughter who is always in a love triangle and also is played as a very selfish character.
These protrails of the women within the show as being selfish and almost leeches if you will play into the stereotypical and dominant view that women are not the breadwinners within a family, but often are the ones spending money. The show constantly had the female characters spending money that the family did not have. This is specifically shown through Moria’s character as she is always wearing the most expensive clothes, has a lengthy wig collection, and is always having to be released back in by Mr. Rose when it comes to financials. Alexis is also shown as a dependent character to the boys in the family when she gets a job at Ted’s (her boyfriends) veterinarian office and she constantly is asking David if she could take his car to work. Again reinforcing that the women are dependent on the men financially.
Both men in the family are put to work in the families new place of residence as Mr. Rose works at the motel and David owns his own store. The show shows these men in these positions of work almost every episode, however, Alexis’ job as a PR firm is only highlighted in one episode for a ”singles week” then barely talked about again. She also worked at a veterinarian shop as a secretary, but only because her boyfriend owned the shop and she was often shown as incapable and oblivious to the job’s responsibilities. Moria also is shown doing a show in Bosnia, but for one episode then is not mentioned again. The show she is a part of in Bosnia is also shown as a low quality and low paid project where she is playing a bird. These constant positions of weakness that the women in this show put in plays into the dominant view that women are weaker and dependent on men financially.