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Even though a red headed lead character isn't an example of TV tokenism the fact that Wells is the main focus of the show is a phenomenal leap for women in the entertainment business. In the show she has a flawless memory which makes her fantastic at her job and gives her almost super human qualities. This show is empowering women in a way that they aren't typically portrayed and that is showing some significant leaps for women.
Unfortunately, this is an exception in the current pattern of women portraying the roles of sidekicks or minor characters. In today's shows many women are only filler characters in love triangles or romantic plots and they do not have an equal recognition or depth that the male characters have. Although women have gone from being housewives to policewomen, there is still much more ground to be covered.
What do you think or the progression of women in the entertainment business? Do you feel that women already have an equal opportunity in the business?
Good post, Jasmine! In many ways, the role of women in the media has been a limited one for as long as anyone can remember. Even though there are strong women portrayed in movies and TV shows...what do they wear and what do they look like? They are all relatively young women with slim figures and beautiful faces. Even if they are strong "fighter" characters, their cleavage and midriffs are of constant focus.
ReplyDeleteJust like minority characters face minority issues, women face "woman issues". We are the emotionally distraught character, who can't seem to get her emotions in order and is, in some way or another, relying on a man to keep some part of our lives stable. If the woman is in control of her life, maybe as an executive of a business or something, she's portrayed as the heartless witch who has one-too-many wrinkle lines to be the sex object of the movie or TV show.
Is this the kind of "empowerment" we deserve? Are these the images that accurately represent a whole sex? I don't think so. There are exceptions but they seem too few and far between for my taste.
I agree with both of you! Women have been largely unrepresented as in depth characters or misrepresented as simple sex figures.
ReplyDeleteSomething else I'd like to bring to the table is that like the typical "minorities facing minority problems" in our TV Tokenism discussion, women are often shown facing problems as a woman. For example, in the CW hit TV show One Tree Hill, Peyton Sawyer (a very developed female character) expresses her teenage troubles to a video camera intended to be placed in a time capsule. And what does Peyton say? "You know what you guys are up against. Especially if you're a girl... it's sex".
She is the classic teenage girl faced with the pressure of having sex; even when she has depth to her character they still make her depth about her insecurities as a woman.
(SOURCE FOR PEYTON'S TIME CAPSULE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDQmQGJXA2w)