Kitty is everyone’s idea of the ideal mom character on That ’70s Show, and it’s hard to believe she could be wrong in modern times. She was always there to talk to Eric and the kids. She was a working mother and a homemaker at the same time. Kitty was a welcome shoulder to cry on and everyone’s hype woman when it was needed.
At the same time, she also smoked cigarettes, drank a ton of hard liquor to get past her problems, worried incessantly about having the perfect family to everyone on the outside looking in, and was always cooking for everyone whether she had the time or not. There are some parents who won’t see anything wrong with most of Kitty’s transgressions, but for everyone else, there are some things that just wouldn’t fly today.
Kitty Ignored Laurie Into Her Bad Behavior
Laurie provides a lot of sarcastic comic relief as the key character trope of a ’70s “loose lady,” but at the same time, it’s clear that she has some seriously deep-seated issues that probably come from her home life.
Kitty spoils Eric as the baby of the family and Laurie gets the tough love from Kitty, similar to how Eric gets tough love from Red. In today’s world, that kind of emotional extortion wouldn’t fly. Kitty would be eviscerated by internet mom groups and psychologists alike.
Her Alcoholism As A Theme Throughout The Show
Every time there’s a problem in Kitty’s life, she comically turns toward some sort of booze. Everyone else skirts the issue but it’s there from the first episode to the last. In today’s world, there might be some “mommy wine culture” vibe going on but the kind of hard liquor marathons that Kitty did on the show would not be something people condoned.
Kitty’s Menopause Mood Swings
Kitty is a nurse and she does a pretty good job at a couple of points explaining menopause to the guys, especially Eric and Red. Her mood swings, though are overplayed and made fun of even after she makes those explanations. Then, when Kitty goes on medications, she’s portrayed as completely out of it and off her rocker. Modern social politics would never let that kind of criticism over mental issues go unchecked like that. Fans today would be up in arms if Kitty was portrayed this way in a show set in modern times.
The Running Gag On Kitty’s Desire For A Perfect Family
From the first episode, it’s pretty clear that Kitty is hoping everyone sees her family as picture-perfect. She wants her home to be spotless and an Instagram worthy meal on the table three times a day. In modern times, she’d be the ultimate Pinterest mom. But that kind of stress and scrutiny, especially for a working mother, won’t go over well for the general public. If a modern character pulled that, fans would be talking about how unrealistic she was in every episode.
As A Working Mother, Still Tries To Do Everything
Unfortunately, working mothers pulling the whole load for the family is still a common theme in the lives of modern women. But in the case of Kitty, she’s doing laundry and cooking meals for a husband that doesn’t work and a teenage son who are both perfectly capable of doing things on their own. In today’s world, that wouldn’t fly and fans would be all over Red and Eric to help Kitty out and take some of the burden off of her. In the 70s, though, and for That 70s Show, it’s the norm.
Kitty’s Cigarette Habit
Even in the 70s, the known risks of cigarettes were circulating as a big deal. There was even an episode where Red and Kitty are led to believe that Eric is smoking and they give him hell for it. Yet, through every season, Kitty smokes. Now and then she vows to quit but eventually, we see her lighting up again. In today’s world, that would never fly.
Tolerance For All That Red Does (And Doesn’t Do)
Red’s character on That 70s Show is a staple and a form of humor that has brought us many hilarious memes. But fans can’t ignore his crotchety attitude and aversion to the full spectrum of human emotion.
Red and Kitty have a few sweet moments but for the most part, he forgets birthdays and anniversaries, never does any housework, looks for the easy way out on Kitty’s breakdowns, and gets upset when she has to be the breadwinner…and Kitty puts up with all of it. In today’s world, that would never fly on television. The fans would be chomping at the bit for Red to change or Kitty to leave him.
The Reaction To Eric And Donna Having Sex
For a working mother who is also a nurse, Kitty has an explosive reaction when she finds out Donna and Eric are having sex. Granted, the discovery is made after they’re caught by the police having sex in Eric’s car and that would probably irk any parent. But Kitty’s reaction extends through several episodes and, at first, she’s confined to her bed over the grief that her youngest child has gone through this rite of passage. The reaction is also out of proportion given Laurie’s behavior, her daughter. In a modern television show, fans would assassinate a character for such a reaction to this situation.
Kitty Has A Habit Of Collecting Eric’s Wayward Friends
Whenever one of Eric’s friends is threatened with losing their home or even the stability of their home, Kitty is there to take them in and be the mother they need. It’s admirable but in today’s world, it would be considered overstepping and probably illegal. Forget the red tape that comes along with fostering children, she’d also have to deal with their parents.
Holding On To Eric Even When He Grows Up
In today’s world, a child who leaves the home when they become an adult is a trophy that parents want to hold up in triumph. In Kitty’s world on That 70s Show, she’d be happy if he never left. When Eric and Donna almost move to Madison for college, she goes nuts over all the amenities that will sever Eric’s need to come home, like having a washer and dryer in their apartment. When Eric decides to go to Africa, Kitty hides the letter that tells him he needs immunizations and then hypes it all up to be the worst thing Eric will ever experience in order to deter him. She does everything in her power to keep her baby from leaving home. Set in a modern world, fans would criticize the codependency.
