Abstract

This thesis investigates the comedic representation of women in recent Disney sitcoms (2019"“2025), focusing on the framing devices, stereotypes, and situational contexts through which gendered humor is constructed and reinforced. Drawing from existing literature on comedic archetypes, the study identifies six historically dominant comedic frames and reveals eleven emergent subframes that complicate, reinforce, or expand these traditional portrayals. Through qualitative content analysis and systematic coding of selected Disney sitcoms, this study identifies consistent character traits and comedic techniques that span multiple frames and contexts, revealing how these patterns influence audience perceptions of femininity. The study situates these frames within three key contextual dimensions--interpersonal, institutional, and cultural--and demonstrates how narrative settings interact with comedic techniques to produce gendered humor. Notably, the research reveals how the emergence of nuanced subframes points to evolving comedic strategies that mirror shifting societal and generational attitudes toward femininity. This study contributes to media and gender studies by offering a refined taxonomy of comedic frames and techniques shaping female representation in children's media. While limited to Disney sitcoms within a specific cultural context, the research invites scholars and media creators to examine not only who gets to be funny, but how that humor is constructed, and what it reveals about contemporary understandings of gender, power, and identity.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Fine Arts and Communications; Communications

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-07-30

Document Type

Thesis

Keywords

comedy, women, Disney, framing theory, cultivation theory, qualitative

Language

english

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