Soc. 3251W Race, Class, and Gender

The movie Little Miss Sunshine displays the dysfunction of a white middle-class family in New Mexico. At first, the family is depicted without any characteristics of togetherness and without any common bonds among its members. But when the daughter of the family, Olive, gets entered into the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, the entire family begins a journey to California which would lead them to become as close as ever. Throughout the film, there are several instances in which issues of sexuality, class, and gender are confronted and dealt with by the family.
At the beginning of the movie, Sheryl, the mother, is seen driving to pick up her brother from a mental hospital. Frank was admitted when he attempted to kill himself after discovering that his male partner was no longer interested in him. This discussion arises at the dinner table later, when Olive asks Frank what was wrong with his wrists. Frank tells the story of how his partner didn’t love him anymore, and Olive’s only response was that Frank was silly for loving another man. Even though Olive is a child, she still demonstrates anti-homosexual beliefs, which she probably obtained through her parents.
During the movie, Richard, the father, is portrayed as a failed father who is jobless and trying desperately to promote his self-help book and plan. Ironically, Richard himself represents the working class struggle to uncover opportunity in the workplace. Technically, Richard does not have a career himself, but is a motivational speaker for an audience that almost never shows up. His unpopularity with his self-help concepts leaves the family high and dry when he fails to get his book published.
The issue of gender is also tackled in Little Miss Sunshine when Olive arrives at the pageant. At the hotel where the pageant is being held, there are numerous girls of all ages, wearing make-up and expensive dresses that characterize them as young ladies. Olive, on the other hand, has a plain outfit, no make-up, and large rimmed glasses. The other girls, and even their mothers, gawk at Olive’s less than outstanding appearance. In the film, Olive and her mother show that feminine beauty is not dependent upon sparkling gowns, perfect smiles, and mounds of make-up, but it is dependent upon personality and character.