Fez on That 70s Show

He's very effeminate. Is there an inside joke about him that I'm missing? I don't get the whole character.

Thanks.

lol, thats just his character.
his name, FES literally means Foreign Exchange Student and i guess his effeminate nature is to add to that sense of being foreign.
besides all that he's funny.

That show had a gay angle to it. From Fez wanting to kiss the other guys when he first met them to Kelso wearing a dress and make-up in another. There was also an episode where Kelso has this rather feminine shirt on. (It had a flower design on it) Also there was one episode where Joseph Gordon Levitt guest starred as a rich kid name Buddy. Levitt's character turned out to be gay and he planted his lips on Topher Grace.

One other thing of interest that I came across in another blog....episode where Topher is Mr. Nude, they had a closed set rehearsel. Topher was wearing something to keep his cock covered but his cock found it's way out and they were saying he took his time in putting it away.

he's in here somewhere from before in a Wilmer Valderrama thread

Fes is a composite character:
His purpose is to reflect back and satirizes all of our 1970s American cultural prejudices, stereotypes, and ignorance about the world. This is the era before '90s style globalization. Those days of American glory seem distant now, but you have to understand the cultural context of the time. The US asserted its cultural might and notions of superiority at the time:

• The show ambiguously takes place in the 1973-77 time frame.
• America celebrated its 200th anniversary in '76. Americans are feeling highly patriotic, even arrogant. (Incidentally, George Bush Jr. embodies this attitude).
• In the 70s, the WWII generation was at its earnings prime/ early retirement age, so the US had a strong sense of military and cultural superiority. i.e. We were the victors of WWII and the rest of the world had to conform to the will of America.

It was quite common for many (White), suburban, American high schools to have that one random exchange student. The kids all knew that exchange student was a foreigner, but few actually bothered to learn from where and no one cared. From WWII through the '90s, Americans often had a mindset of cultural superiority. The rest of the world is simply "marginal". Fes character reflects this American cultural ignorance back to us.

As for Fes' sexuality, it's all tied to notions of American masculinity. Again, since the US won WWII, heterosexual American men were the definition of "THE M-A-N" i.e. the source of authority. As a consequence, men from other nationalities were looked on as being weaker. Since homosexuality is associated with weakness, Fes' character is associated with foreigness and therefore weakness as well. In other words, if you aren't modeled after G.I. Joe (as a man), you are weak, feminine, and hence "faggy" or "gay".

The 70s and sexual gender bending:
Another strong theme with '70s culture is gender bending and gender role reversals. The men were pushing the boundaries of manliness with long-hair, wearing tight shirts, and being objectified as well.

• The character Kelso most embodies the androgyny of the age - heterosexual in orientation yet simply a pretty-boy, glam type. His character is patterned after several of the rockers.
• Eric is a repressed push-over. You see his masculinity constantly called into question when contrasted with his father.
• Fes -- well, we just placed him into a cultural context on the margins...
• The "afro-sporting White stoner guy" is the only male character who represents strong masculinity because he's a rebel against authority. You can see the tension between Eric's father and the afro guy, yet the both have a vague respect for each other -- one that Eric's father doesn't have for Eric.

On the flip side of gender bending:
The girls/women on the show eschew stereotypic femininity as passivity. They are far more assertive and aggressive than previous generations of women. Donna is a confident woman who basically steers Eric through life. As for the bossy, Italian girl (Kelso's girlfriend), she's equally assertive and can play rough just like a man. ... Heck even Eric's sister, the blond slutty girl, behaves more like a cad or a gigolo: she's sexually liberated and loves to take men and spit them out....

Ditto. One has to keep in mind that almost every person on "That 70s Show" is a caricature from the culture of that decade!

boy thats a bit over analyzing the topic. His character was great for the show and it wouldn't have been the same without him. I am sure they didn't say hey lets put in this foreign kid who appears to be dumb and sexually misunderstood so we can reflect back and satirizes all of our 1970s American cultural prejudices, stereotypes, and ignorance about the world.

I have a question. I just started watching this show on dvd. I never really watched it when it was on tv. I bought the first 3 seasons so far. It seems like the first season started in 76, right? I'm on the second season it's 77. So, does each season go up a year? If so, then did it turn into the 80s on the show? Cuz, it lasted 8 seasons, right? That would only give them 4 years to play with the plot. I always wondered why they started off so late in the 70s.

Time dilation: Seasons 3, 4, 5, 6 slow down and extend out the general experiences of 1977 and '78. Late 1970s style inflation becomes a key theme with Redd losing his job and position of authority to finding a new job. His wife, Kitty, returns to work like many women in the '70s. The kids seem to linger indefinitely between 10th and 12th grade, etc.

Actually, story-writers for television shows actually do think these matters through. The writers have to flush out each character through character development. The interactions of the characters help to create a story-arc.

As for Fes, specifically, the character operates on 2 levels. The superficial level has Fes as the object of many jokes, acting as a naive baffoon or clown. If you listen to Fes' witty retorts, you can see that the character is highly satirical. What is Fes satirizing? -- post-WWII, late 20th century, American cultural ignorance about the rest of the world.

Depicting 70s USA as "American glory" is a bit much. It was a decade of decline and not much else.

Some highlights:

• In Vietnam, a humiliating withdrawal from [then] Saigon.
• One word: Watergate.
• The oil "embargo" and rapid increases in energy costs.
• "Stagflation".
• Jimmy Carter said there was a "malaise".
• Iranian Embassy takeover.

Either you're not old enough to remember the 70s or your take on them is very different than mine.

The FES dude in real life has a huge cock

Actually I think they tried a show called that 80's show, didn't they?]]

What things that happened to relate to a specific time in the 70's, I remember eric streaking through a visit from a president. And maybe some albums being talked about. But is there things that happened in the show that speak of specific dates.

let me guess, youve seen it?

There was a "That 80's Show", it bombed terribly