If we go back to sitcoms from the 1950s such as "Leave it to Beaver," the traditional masculine role of breadwinner, and the traditional feminine role of homemaker are impossible to miss. There was no discussion of the career woman; let alone discussion of homosexuality, or the transgendered. If a television show had attempted to incorporate the ideas, the show, and most probably the network, would make been the recipients of extreme negative sanctioning from the populace. The popularity of these traditional, non-controversial shows in the 1950s is an example of the way society shows approval through positive sanctioning. If the same show where shown today, it is unlikely that the seemingly subservient feminine role portrayed would be positively sanctioned to the extent that it was sixty years ago; many would find it offensive. In short, television programing both mirrors and influences our society. .
The ever-popular Kardashian show had brought to light the long-suffering Bruce Jenner, now Caitlynn, as the quiet ex-husband of Kris Kardashian; mogul and manager of her daughters and their media empires. He has now admitted to having struggled with living an almost double life with this secret of wanting to transition to female for nearly close to forty-five years. Now, newly transitioned, he feels happier and more at peace than ever. Forty-five years ago, his newly anticipated show, having aired on television, not only would this have been pulled immediately from circulation, he would most certainly have been shunned from mainstream media, and by most likely his inner circle of friends and family as well as his business associates during this time period when it was nowhere near as accepted as it is in today's standard. One reason for this, as Carol Lynn Martin states, is that "the future outcomes for tomboys was more accepted" (Martin, p. 151) than that of "sissies" (Martin, p.
