Among the modern hall of comedic hits, New Girl definitely does not hold a candle. The show, while having a witty script and hilarious cast, is bogged down by rom-com cliches and at times overly exaggerated awkwardness. But what the show may lack in other areas, it makes up for in its ongoing mission to redefine toxic masculinity.
The show follows new girl Jessica “Jess” Day (Zooey Deschanel) as she steps out of her comfort zone to share an L.A. loft with four men. Though her status in the loft quickly shifts from a girl to hit on to the residential den-mother, contrasts between Jess and the men of the loft’s behaviors are noted throughout the show, often in order to mock the latter’s. Throughout the show, Jess repeatedly points out the men’s efforts to remain emotionally unavailable to their girlfriends, pointing out how silly and ultimately single such efforts make them. This is especially shown in the increasingly frequent “girl talks” of the show, wherein Jess–often at wits end–confronts the men to abandon their egos, embrace emotional vulnerability, and let love do the rest.
As the show progresses, evidence of Jess’s wise female presence becomes increasingly obvious, and masculinity in New Girl begins being redefined in a million different ways. One of the loft-mates, Schmidt (Max Greenfield), is portrayed to be both a flirtatious lady’s man and a hair-product loving husband who works in an office dominated by women. Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), perhaps the most stereotypically masculine of all the loft-mates, begins his character arc as a sport-obsessed bachelor and ends it moving across the country in order to be with the woman he loves.
But perhaps the redefined masculinity in New Girl is best portrayed in the eighth episode of the fourth season, “Teachers.” When Jess is out for the night at a teaching convention, Schmidt, Winston and Nick plan their very own “guys’ night,” stocking up on beer and meat to celebrate in Jess’s absence. By the end of the night, however, guys’ night becomes much more about emotional bonding and the breaking down of gendered stereotypes. Schmidt learns how to do laundry, Nick learns how to love, and the three of them discuss their deepest insecurities over 1980s love songs and a bottle of wine. Definitely not your stereotypical guys’ night.
New Girl easily could have just been about a girl in a loft of guys, with sexual tension being the only gender commentary made throughout show. Instead, it digs deep. Its mocking of toxic masculinity and efforts to redefine it only make New Girl more nuanced, emotional, and, of course, unceasingly funny.
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