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Natasha Moser 11/1/ CAS 137H Dr. Raman The evolving nature of female representation on television as related to the changing role of women in society Television is a longstanding staple of American culture that holds the ability to influence how citizens think. The rise of television’s popularity began in the 1950’s during the postwar climate. Popular shows during this age of television all followed the common theme of chronicling the lives of normal, middle class families. These television shows portrayed the ideal family life - a husband who holds a well paying job and a wife who stays at home, making sure the house and children are in order for the husband’s return. While the housewife ideal was popularized during the 1950’s and 1960’s, programs with female leads began to appear on screens, defying the ideal. By the 1990’s, there were several programs dominated by women; Sex and the City followed four single women and embraced female sexuality, something that had not appeared thus far. Buffy the Vampire Slayer put a strong and capable woman on television screens which was a major departure from the typical female characters once seen on the silver screen. Fast forward to today and strong, independent women hold a prominent place in television. In just the last five years alone, leaps and bounds have been made; Scandal , a primetime drama featuring a powerful woman, debuted in 2012 which set the stage for the immense progress that the television industry has shown in the last few years. The increasing
amount of female representation portrayed on television reflects women’s rapidly changing status in the real world, as well as the audience’s wish to see themselves portrayed on screen. During World War II, women joined the workforce in order to replace the men who were off at war. Joining the workforce and taking up jobs that men had traditionally held, established the idea that women were capable of doing something other than being a housewife. The image of Rosie the Riveter inspired and empowered women by projecting the idea of strong, independent women who could function without men. Unfortunately, when television really started to become popular, many programs featured the idyllic American family life (Press 141). On many shows, the formula was the same: a middle class white family comprised of a successful working husband, a dutiful and loving wife, and two - perhaps three - children. Since the television industry was not the behemoth it is today, these formulaic programs were the shows primarily viewed by audiences. The early age of television painted women as attentive housewives without depicting the reality of women being just as capable of handling themselves as men. The most notable program during this period is The Donna Reed Show. The show followed a typical American family and dealt with trivial issues. Donna Reed is a stereotypical 1950’s housewife; her appearance is impeccable and she is dutiful to her husband. While this seemed innocent and practical behavior for a woman in the fifties, when looked upon today, The Donna Reed Show blatantly paints women as submissive housewives who cook, clean, and care for the children whilst the husbands get to be the sole providers for the family. Even though there was an increase in the number of women in the workforce during the fifties (Oppenheimer 947), television failed to capture this change. Thus, it seems as if the television industry was trying to cling to a lost
families of origin” (Press 140). Just allowing women to be the lead did not yet portray women as just as capable as men in handling their lives; making female characters the lead, but still showing them as damsels who need men to completely fulfill their lives did not fully represent the complexity of women. A notable show of the 1990’s is Sex and the City. The show premiered towards the end of the decade, this show about four single women living in New York City contributed a great deal to the push for accurate representation. Sex and the City embraced women’s sexuality which was a huge milestone. Turning women’s sexual desires into a focus for a television show made the central characters more accessible to the audience, as real women do possess sexuality. Another program from the same decade, Ally McBeal, has been criticized for its questionable portrayal of woman. Although the protagonist is a lawyer - a high profile profession - she is seen wearing short skirts. (Moseley and Read 232). Although she is a lawyer which in and of itself offers better female representation, her wardrobe suggests professional women must look a certain way. Moreover, in the pilot episode of the series, Ally is sexually harassed which symbolizes how women who hold powerful jobs are still not viewed as equals to men. Overall, although these shows did feature some progression in female representation, they undermined the progress of feminism because of the underlying goal of finding a man and the idea that even powerful women are not the same as men. Even though it seems as if the progression from 1950’s housewife character to independent character took a while, the last five years alone has seen immense progress. Television is beginning to represent women as they ought to be represented: strong, powerful, individuals able to stand on their own, while still being flawed and vulnerable. Scandal debuted
in 2012 to much acclaim; the show featured a woman who possessed just as much power and influence as any man. Olivia Pope works in a world dominated by men. Yet, time and time again she demonstrates how she is more than capable of holding her own in this male dominated world. In addition, Scandal features a black woman as the lead which takes the program to even higher heights: “ Scandal is a TV show that represents a glaring departure from the parade of white faces typically seen on television” (Pixley 28). It seems as if this one program has done more for the accurate representation of women on television in less than five years than any one show that preceded it. Olivia Pope is not without flaws though; she engages in an affair with a married man and is not always right. Further, viewers see her break down. However, her flaws and vulnerability do not take away from her empowering image. The fact that a female character is pictured as less than perfect at times allows her to become accessible to real women. How to Get Away with Murder presents women in a similar vein as Scandal. Annalise Keating is even more flawed than Olivia Pope and at times is very difficult to like. However, her unlikability is what makes her an accurate model; all women make mistakes and may act in ways that they later regret. But, this is not something to be ashamed of, and the portrayal of flawed women allow real women to embrace themselves, flaws and all. In addition to representing stronger women, the portrayal of female racial and ethnic minorities offers another accurate representation of real women. Not all women are caucasian and television is echoing how diverse the viewer landscape is. Both leads of Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder are black women and their race is not seen as their defining characteristic. A much newer program, Quantico , features an Indian female lead which demonstrates just how quickly the television landscape is evolving. The portrayal of female minorities working as
Works Cited Early, Frances H. "Staking Her Claim: Buffy The Vampire Slayer As Transgressive Woman Warrior." Journal Of Popular Culture 35.3 (2001): 11. Academic Search Alumni Edition. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Moseley, Rachel, and Jacinda Read. "Having It Ally": Popular Television (Post-)Feminism." Feminist Media Studies 2.2 (2002): 231-249. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Oppenheimer, Valerie Kincade. “Demographic Influence on Female Employment and the Status of Women”. American Journal of Sociology 78.4 (1973): 946–961. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Pixley, Tara-Lynne. "Trope And Associates." Black Scholar 45.1 (2015): 28-33. Academic Search Alumni Edition. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. Press, Andrea. "Gender and Family in Television's Golden Age and Beyond." The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 625.1 (2009): 139-50. Sage Journals. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
