Modern Television with a Post-Feminist View

In today’s society, television has come a long way in its overall representation of women.  From the 1950’s to today women have traveled from wearing aprons in the kitchens to wearing suits in the business world.  This type of highly respected female protagonists can be seen in modern television hits such as Scandal, Revenge, and Ally McBeal.  However, even though these women have become dedicated professionals, television continually reverts back to a time when feminism was allegedly over or no longer needed.  Post-feminism, a time when success that these characters experience is always countered by problems, whether it is emotional, about relationships or family troubles, or even mental stability. 

Scandal has caught the eye of many Americans today, and Olivia Pope has shown aspects of what a woman in true power could look like.  She excels at her job and owns her own crisis management firm.  Pope was also even a former White House communications director.  On the other hand, her character is displayed as having an affair with a married man, who happens to be the President of the United States.  This supposed lapse of judgment made by this educated women, can be seen as the post-feminist view that, “…a women’s success or failure…is solely a matter of individual choice and/or ability” (Dow 1996, P. 38).  Ultimately, this “choice” has created major problems for her crisis management firm, further showing television’s depiction of women in power making emotional decisions that can not be mixed within the workforce.  According to Bonnie J Dow, women cannot escape these stereotypes because, “even when a woman fills a ‘mans’ job, she does not cease to be a women” (Dow 1996, P. 38).  This means that Olivia Pope may be successful, but will always have the characteristics of an emotional and passive woman, a common notion that was displayed during the post-feminist era.

ABC’s new drama hit series, Revenge, illustrates the life of a strong willed women, Emily Thorne, seeking revenge for her Father’s wrongful death and shattered reputation.  Her independence and intelligence can master any of the obstacles she is put up against, but she becomes emotional and at a loss for words when her childhood true love, Jack, comes into the picture.  Thorne even risks ruining her entire plan as she reveals her true identity to save Jack from harms way.  This can be seen as television illustrating a women’s “…need to juggle domestic and professional roles…” which in turn creates a main source for conflict for them (Mittell 2010, P. 332).   This so called choice that Thorne has selected can be seen, in a post-feminist view point, as an unconscious decision because, “…in fact [women] do not choose them because they simply come naturally to women” (Dow 1996, P. 39).

Ally McBeal, a popular show in the late 1990s to early 2000’s depicted a female protagonist that excelled in her professional career, but lacked in many ways as a stable person.  Based on gendered tropes, there is a professional/domestic divide (Mittell 2010, P. 334).  This states that masculinity is displayed as being “rational,” while femininity is “emotional” (Mittell, 2010, P. 334).  Specifically, McBeal is shown in the professional setting as an intelligent and successful lawyer that contributes to rational debates about and social issues and controversies (Mittell, 2010, P. 334).  However, her more feminine traits take over when she is “…driven by intense emotional desires, including romantic intrigue with co-workers and a desire to have a child” (Mittell, 2010, P. 334).  This side of McBeal is what drives the show, giving it its comedic appeal and popularity.   This type of comedic relief is repeated throughout the media creating a cultural norm of this particular ideology.   Ally is a neurotic woman who is known for having visual fantasies specifically about her aspiration for a child.  This idea of a workingwomen longing for a family goes along with the post-feminist notion that females in the professional business world have “chosen to pursue a career instead of choosing fulltime motherhood” (Dow 1996, P. 95).  McBeal’s decision to become a lawyer has not left her with an opportunity to start a family.  This explains the “ticking clock” concept in which a women is not allowed or does not have “time” to be both successful and start a family (Lecture, 9/17/13).  In a way, she is reprimanded for her choice of professional success.  Even though this show may seem as a progressive forum for women, the presented idea of punishment for choosing a successful career path refers back to the days of domesticity and femininity (Mittell, 2010, P. 334).

 Thus, the media has created a negative consequence of this female independence and success by displaying women as “unmarried, childless, and without a satisfying romantic relationship” (Dow 1996, P. 144).  Representations like the ones presented in Scandal, Revenge, and Ally McBeal “…portray the struggles between rationality and emotion typical of female professionals, with varying attitudes as how to best achieve this balance and success” (Mittell 2010, P 335).  The continuous production of situations such as these feed into this ideology and ultimately builds this as the status quo.  Even when programs use strong female protagonists who are recognized for their successful manner and professional habits to counter these stereotypes, “…it is difficult to escape well established cultural norms” (Mittell, 2010, P. 340).    

Work Cited

Mittell, Jason. "Representing Identity." Television and American culture. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2010. 329-351

Dow, Bonnie J.. Prime-time feminism: television, media culture, and the women's movement since 1970. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996. Print.