I must admit, I’ve been a big fan of adult cartoons from a young age.
Growing up, shows like South Park, Futurama, Family Guy, and American Dad were my go-to’s for entertainment. Now that I’m older, I find them more cringeworthy than humorous. It’s quite clear that as a woman, I am not the target audience of those shows.
They feature storylines almost exclusively dictated by male characters, with respectable female characters being few and far between. However, one show in particular has rejected these classic adult cartoon formats and sexist tropes. It has risen far above the rest in terms of feminism and family values - and that show is Bob’s Burgers.
Bob’s Burgers is an animated sitcom about the Belcher Family and their small beachside burger joint. Whenever I’ve tried to introduce the show to a friend, their first comment is on the ugly animation style.
Although I agree that the characters are unattractive, I actually find that to be a huge asset to the show. In Bob’s Burgers, characters shine through with their unique personalities - not their physical attractiveness. Most adult cartoons, such as Futurama, Family Guy, and American Dad frequently feature female characters with unrealistic body types and revealing outfits.
The sexuality of those female characters isn’t intended to be empowering for them, but rather it's meant to be degrading and dehumanizing. Even the badass, purple-haired cyclops Leela of Futurama was created to entice Fry, the male protagonist - not to inspire young girls.
If you're unfamiliar with Bob's Burgers and its cornucopia of kooky characters, I urge you to rush to Netflix and binge watch all available seasons. Every episode is jam-packed with original stories, hilarious jokes, and lots and lots of Bob's puns. However, as you enjoy the antics of The Belcher Family and their friends, you may notice a refreshing difference in how they treat one another.
1. Bob and Linda's partnership and co-parenting.
Bob and Linda are partners through and through, both in life and in business. In great contrast to the matriarch and patriarch in other family-based animated sitcoms, Bob seldom has much screen time without Linda. They spend almost every waking moment together, either at home or in the restaurant, and the couple is never antagonistic to one another. They respect each other, compromise, and communicate well - a drastically different dynamic than that of Peter and Lois Griffin, or even Francine and Stan Smith, who frequently argue and have extramarital affairs. What I admire most about Bob and Linda is their parenting style. Children as eccentric as Tina, Gene, and Louise could only have been brought up by great parents. More than half of the Bob’s Burgers tale is told through the perspective of the children, and it’s rightfully so. They are some of the best characters on television today.
2. Gene is allowed to explore his gender expression.
I think Gene’s personality in particular is the biggest testament of the Belcher’s parenting. Gene is a chubby boy who demonstrates several feminine qualities - such as a passion for writing musical theater, dressing in women’s costumes, and occasionally referring to himself with feminine pronouns. Both his physique and his femininity are traits that that Chris Griffin and Steve Smith have been ridiculed for on their respective shows. Although he has expressed interest in female characters, and briefly had girlfriend, there is speculation that Gene may actually be gay. It speaks volumes about Bob’s Burgers that Gene is feminine, but doesn’t use labels like gay or queer. Other shows create LGBT characters for the sole purpose of joking at the expense of queer culture - such as the token gay couple Greg and Terry from American Dad, or in Family Guy when Quagmire's father came out as transgender in the horribly offensive episode "Quagmire's Dad". Gene is just an eleven-year-old being himself. He isn’t pressured by his family to come out as gay, bi, or straight, or to lose weight. He is simply is who he is.
3. Tina is the most awkward girl in school - and is celebrated for it.
The most adored character of the show is probably Tina, who is perhaps most well-known on the internet for her infatuation with butts or her low-pitched, anxiety-induced groaning. She is the embodiment of pubescent awkwardness, reminding us all of the miseries of being thirteen. Her appearance is frumpy and slightly masculine - not so different than that of Meg Griffin. However, the incessant bullying and humiliation that Meg is subjected to on Family Guy is the furthest thing from Tina’s reality. Rather, Tina’s home is one of love, and her room is a safe haven for her equestrian collectables and “erotic friend-fiction.” As Louise aptly observed in one episode, Tina has a crush on almost every boy she knows. Her male friends are her romantic prospects, whereas conventionally, it would be the other way around. She is a fantastic television character because she shows viewers you don’t have to be sexy to be sexual.
4. Louise, the youngest daughter, will probably inherit the restaurant.
Louise is the youngest child at only nine years old, and is by far the most intelligent. A cunning, mischievous, and business-minded child, she ran a secret underground casino out of the basement in the episode “The Kids Run the Restaurant”. Her character is reminiscent of Megan from Drake and Josh, or even Stewie from Family Guy. However, the characters of Megan and Stewie are incomplete without their malice towards family members. What I find to be most revolutionary about Louise’s character is something that many Bob’s Burgers fans have likely overlooked. It’s implied that Louise will inherit the restaurant - not Gene. In the episode “Carpe Museum,” packed full of father-daughter bonding, Louise accidentally reveals to her dad that she imagines owning the restaurant one day. Although she was embarrassed to have admitted it, Bob beamed with pride at the thought of Louise continuing his legacy. If that were the case, Louise would be a fourth-generation restaurateur, but the first female restaurateur in the family.
5. Bob and Linda put their children's needs before their own.
Despite their constant state of financial crisis, Bob and Linda always make sacrifices for their children's happiness. For example, in the episode “Sheesh! Cab, Bob?”, Bob worked a second job as a taxi driver in order to pay for Tina’s perfect thirteenth birthday party. In “The Unnatural”, Linda attempted to pawn her beloved porcelain baby collection to pay for Gene’s baseball camp. When the porcelain babies didn't go for as much as she expected, Linda sold Bob's brand-new espresso machine - ultimately putting Gene's happiness before her husband's. Even though they are the only employees, Bob actually fired all three kids in the episode ''Bob Fires the Kids'', because he feared working in the restaurant was ruining their summer. Unlike shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers doesn’t joke about child abuse, parental neglect, and pedophilia. Bob’s Burgers is just as silly and raunchy in its own respect, but accomplishes the same goal without compromising the integrity of the Belcher Family.
