Firstly, SORRY for being rubbish to all you regular blog readers (not entirely how many regulars there are out there, apart from my Dad. Hi Dad). Dissertation is in and I'm now embarking on the mundane chore of revision, which obviously means the TV has been on non-stop. I've got an interview on Wednesday at the BBC and was looking around for a bit of inspiration when I came across The United States of Television on iPlayer. Being a history student combined with my interest in the power and function of TV, it's not surprising that this little gem got me thinking.
The episode I watched was 'The Independent Woman'. It recognised the ability of TV not only to reflect society, but to create and drive change, something I've been fascinated with for a while now. The argument is that in America, television played a part in the alteration of the portrayal and role of women in society. The documentary went right back to the 50s, with 'I Love Lucy', a sitcom exploring the idea that women had their own dreams, and that it was okay to pursue them. Also mentioned was 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', a programme following the life of Mary in her workplace, and 'Roseanne', a show about a women-dominated household where appearance was not the basis of her likability. An interesting point picked up about shows in the 50s and 60s was that on commercial channels like CBS, advertising often became the glass ceiling in female representation at a time when women's liberation was picking up speed. Commercial broadcasters had to be sensitive to the advertisers, and in many cases that meant reigning in the direction of female portrayal. Apparently Americans needed not to be riled up and/or made to think, in case it rendered them unsusceptible to advertising products. I feel that is a slight patronisation, but never mind...
The programme then moved on to talk about more familiar shows, like 'Sex and the City', 'Desperate Housewives', 'The Good Wife' and 'Grey's Anatomy'. I forget how groundbreaking SATC was - it's such a fixture on all the repeat channels nowadays and I failed to see it as anything more than a funny, slightly raunchy and entertaining programme. The reality is that it is a show about the relationships of four women, and that relationship is paramount. The objectification is turned onto the men, and it is in that respect that it paved another, different way for women's representation. Likewise, Grey's Anatomy portrayed women as cut-throat, competitive and above all, smart. Interestingly, the creator of SATC spoke of how the premise of the show wasn't to make a social statement, but to be funny. It's an example of the ability of TV to reflect the interests and opinions of society, and sharpens the fact that I, as a viewer, I take it for granted than women can, and are being, portrayed in this way.
The dominant theme throughout is the idea that women began to care less about what others think, and more about being themselves. Desperate Housewives explored the idea of a woman who hated being a mother through the character of Lynette. Rather than the show being about women who tell each other everything (SATC), Desperate Housewives is about women who keep secrets. The idea of a woman hating being a mother is not such a crazy idea in many women's minds.
And then there's the idea of the stay at home mother. Often these days, women don't respect others that stay at home and devote their lives to their children. Why do that when in the 21st century, we can have it all? Arguably, having it all isn't real anymore, an idea explored at the end of the programme. The challenge now is to recognise the pressure to be the perfect woman as an arbitrary one, one that shouldn't dictate what a woman should do in her life. Isn't feminism all about choice anyway?
It was a humbling watch, and a reminder of the power of television in shaping, reflecting and spurring change. From a production point of view, the best thing about it was the numerous interviews with cast members, writers and producers of all the shows mentioned. Turned out to be quite an all-star cast, and it's fascinating to hear what they think about the place their programmes have taken in the cultural development of the United States, and in many cases, Britain as well.
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| Lucille Ball in 'I Love Lucy' |
