From Queens: The Brand Residents Don't Buy
Back to How is Queens Branded?
Media Branding in TV, Magazines, Comics, and Music
The media has also played a large role in creating stereotypical characters from Queens. Such characters are often ignorant, unrefined, and of blue-collar working families. As reflected in the quote below, this image has already been ingrained in some Queens residents, such as Levi Asher, who finds Queens as an "outsider" that doesn't live up to the other boroughs.
"Queens is one of the most unfashionable places in the world to live. It's one of New York's five boroughs, but it's not sparkling and famous like Manhattan, and it's also not gritty and cool like Brooklyn or the Bronx. It's just a sprawling plain of residential ethnic neighborhoods that hangs off the end of Brooklyn the same way that Staten Island, New York's other unfashionable borough, perches off the coast of New Jersey."
- Levi Asher, Queens resident and writer (1).
Ugly Betty Quotes: (2)
"Who cares about carbs when you’re from Queens, right?"
"Give it to me or I will beat you! And everyone knows I'm from Queens, so don't think I won't!"
"Papi, we live in Jackson Heights. The grass smells like fried onions."
These three quotes from Ugly Betty are just some examples of how Queens is depicted as an unhip place to live, the antithesis of Manhattan. According to the show, once you are unfortunate enough to live in Queens, things like being overweight, sloppy, and eccentric are nothing to be ashamed of- you have already committed the ultimate "crime" by moving to the worst borough of the city.
Quotes from the movie Julie & Julia:
Eric: "Why don’t you write about how much you love Queens?"
Julie: looks at Eric in a haha, very funny way "A short blog" (3)
In the film, though there aren't many verbal anti-Queens statements, Julie and her husband Eric constantly express disgruntlement about living in Queens. Julie is also depicted as being quite unsuccessful while her friends, all highly successful business women, live in Manhattan.
The King of Queens
Set in the working-class suburb of Queens, New York, the show follows
Doug Heffernan (Kevin James), an amiable deliveryman, and his wife, spitfire legal secretary Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini), as they explore the everyday challenges of love, life, family and marriage.
Doug, who is the "King" referred to in the title, is just an average guy. He is immature, uncultured, and not attractive. These attributes are typical for characters in media representations of Queens. (4)
All In The Family:
All in the family was a long running sitcom set in Astoria, Queens. The main character was Archie Bunker, a WASP bigot who frequently opposed the growing diversity of Queens. The nature of the show caused controversy while portraying Queens as a neighborhood rife with racial conflict and xenophobia. The show produced many spin-off series, the most popular of which is The Jeffersons. The show was about how a black family "moved on up" from Queens to Manhattan, inadvertently portraying Queens as a slum. (5)
The Nanny:
Her character as well as family and friends also from Queens are often portrayed as ridiculously silly, stupid, obnoxious, and unaware of how to behave in high-class situations.
Theme Song:
She was working in a bridal shop in Flushing, Queens, 'til her boyfriend kicked her out in one of those crushing scenes. What was she to do? Where was she to go? She was out on her fanny. So over the bridge from Flushing to the Sheffield's door. She was there to sell make-up, but the father saw more. She had style! She had flair! She was there. That's how she became the Nanny! Who would have guessed that the girl we've described, was just exactly what the doctor prescribed? Now the father finds her beguiling-watch out C.C.!-, and the kids are actually smiling-such joie de vivre!-. She's the lady in red when everybody else is wearing tan. The flashy girl from Flushing, the nanny named Fran! (6)
Rappers:
The notion of "branding" one's own style, skill, or neighborhood is the very fabric embedded in hip-hop culture.
There have been a plethora of Rappers to come from Queens including 50 Cent, Run DMC, and LL Cool J. These rappers do not always show Queens as the best place to live or even to visit. Their lyrics are about how they "came up" and left the "ghetto" effectively putting down where they came from: Queens. 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Trying" is a semi-autobiographical movie that depicts how 50 Cent grew up and the hardships he had. Many of the upcoming generation who listen to this style of music will undoubtedly have the impression that Queens is a dangerous place to live. (7)
"...the projects is haunted houses, real demons and ghouls, ya shakin' in ya shoes, get some henny,
light a dutch, smokin' back to back bogies,
you scared to death son, out here is real tough..."
-From LL Cool J's song 'Queens' (8)
Rivalries have also emerged between NYC boroughs. The most notable inter-borough feud was regarding the rightful "birthplace of hip-hop." Rappers representing the South Bronx led by KRS-one engaged in a barrage of lyrical exchanges in the form of "diss" tracks with the legendary hip-hop producer Marley Marl of the Juice Crew from the Queensbridge Housing Projects. This period of tension between the hip-hop communities of the Bronx and Queens disputing over creative differences during the late 80's became known as the "Bridge Wars." (9) One of the lines from the seminal "diss" record "The Bridge Is Over" encapsulated the overall sentiment the Bronx held for those on the other side of the Triborough Bridge: " Manhattan keeps on makin' it, Brooklyn keep on takin' it/ Bronx keeps creatin' it, Queens keeps on fakin' it..." (10)
While purely accidental or purposely done, rappers have contributed to a "branding" of Queens. Their lyrics and apparent "Bridge Wars" portray Queens as a place of violence and civil unrest to those who listen to the rappers. Those who do not listen to the rappers but have heard of them are also negatively branded with the image of Queens as a place that is filled with who they would consider lowlives and other dangerous minority groups looking for a fight.
Broadway:
AVENUE Q is the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He soon discovers that the only neighborhood in his price range is Avenue Q; still, the neighbors seem nice. There's Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fianceé Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his roommate Rod -- a gay Republican investment banker; an Internet addict called Trekkie Monster; and a very cute kindergarten teaching assistant named Kate. And would you believe the building's superintendent is Gary Coleman? Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life. (Avenue Q.com description).
At the end of the show, Brian and Christmas Eve finally get married, and in some performances, Christmas Eve announces that they are moving to a better neighborhood: "Flushing!" The audience laughs at what is perceived as a comical irony, as though Flushing is not much of an improvement in comparison to the dirty, ill-maintained, low-class neighborhood of Avenue Q. (11)
However, despite the generally negative stereotype the media puts forth there are a few examples that actually put Queens in a positive light, but not many:
Magazines and Publications:
Queens is most often brought up in New York based magazines, such as the New Yorker and Time Out, as an underground art scene that is also a host of crimes and social strife. At times, tourist attractions, such as restaurants and museums, are featured in special editions or sections of the magazine.
Recently, The Not for Tourist Guide to Queens was published, which views Queens as a diverse borough with something for everyone. It intends to disprove the common belief that " 'Queens' is a colloquial local term for 'airport' ". (12)
Comics:
In the well known comic book series Spiderman, Peter Parker, and his alter-ego the titular Spiderman, live in Woodside, Queens. In contrast to the popular media, Manhattan was the place where criminals resided, and Queens was a safe place where superheroes hung their hats. The movie incarnations were filmed in Woodside as well, depicting it as a quaint neighborhood. (13)
Sources:
(1) Asher, Levi. "Coming Back to Queens". Accessed: 6 May 2010 <http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/Queens/Queens.html>
(2) "Quotes". Watching Ugly Betty. Accessed: 15 March 2010 <http://www.watchinguglybetty.com/category/episodes/quotes/>
(3) "Julie and Julia Script - Dialogue Transcript." Accessed: 17 March 2010 <http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/j/julie-and-julia-script-transcript.html
(4) "The King of Queens." imdb.com Accessed: 20 March 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165581/>
(5) "All in the Family." imdb.com. Accessed: 19 March 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066626/>
(6) "The Nanny." imdb.com Accessed 19 March 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106080/>
(7) "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." imdb.com Accessed 25 March 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430308/>
(8) " Queens Lyrics - LL Cool J." metrolyrics.com. Accessed 1 May 2010. <http://www.metrolyrics.com/queens-lyrics-ll-cool-j.html>
(9) "Juice Crew." hiphop.sh. Accessed 2 May 2010. <http://hiphop.sh/juice>
(10) "Bridge is Over by KRS-One." yahoo.com. Accessed 2 May 2010. <http://new.music.yahoo.com/krs-one/tracks/bridge-is-over--1897404#lyrics>
(11) "About the Show." avenueq.com Accessed 28 March 2010. <http://www.avenueq.com/about.html>
(12)"Not For Tourist Guide to Queens." amazon.com. Accessed 24 March 2010. <http://www.amazon.com/Not-Tourists-Guide-Queens/dp/0975866451>
(13)Lee, Stan (w), Ditko, Steve (p,i). Amazing Fantasy (15) (Aug. 1962), New York, NY: Marvel Comics
To learn more about Branding Queens, please click next. To move on to the next topic, click on Governmental Programs vs Residential Needs.
