But is it Feminist? Gender Equity and Women's Lib in Television

I found it interesting both in Ms. O’Connell’s presentation and in the article we read how television represents social movements of the time, and how it may even amplify their shortcomings. Shows like Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Show embodied many values of second-wave feminism and represented a step forward for gender equality and representation in television. The Mary Tyler Moore Show focussed on Mary Richards, an independent working woman who many regard as a feminist icon. Despite her feminist characteristics, however, Mary was criticized both for not being feminist enough and for refusing to brand herself as a feminist. I think this contrasts interestingly with television today and the way it reflects social norms. 

Many recent shows featuring women as protagonists or even as supporting characters adopt the label of “feminist shows.” Shows like Girls or Fleabag embody much of fourth-wave feminism including ideas of sexual liberation and bodily autonomy. However, such shows often are less adept at addressing issues of race and class, thus creating an image of “white feminism” that overlooks intersectional issues. Even more interesting to me is when shows that I consider to be relatively neutral in their politics brand themselves as feminist. I’ve seen shows like Stranger Things, Big Little Lies, and Riverdale called feminist television, which begs the question: what makes a TV show feminist? Is having prominent female characters enough? Is a show feminist because it features female friendship prominently? I sometimes see comments saying things like “It’s so nice to see representation of women lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down.” But is it really praise-worthy to show women who simply don’t hate and compete with each other? On the other hand, the scope of modern feminism seems to have broadened in a way that it’s nearly all-encompassing—anything a woman does can be branded feminist if viewed through a certain lens. 

As we advance as a society in terms of gender equity, our standards for feminist entertainment have certainly become higher. I would argue that despite its many issues, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was, in fact, a feminist TV show. Mary was an independent, intelligent, and hard-working woman whose focus was not romantic fulfillment. The show needs to be looked at in the context of its time, and a female character like this was relatively rare in this time period. And although the show's creators and Mary Tyler Moore herself hesitated to deem Mary and feminist, she served as a role model for women looking to join the workforce. Deeming shows as “feminist” or not is not particularly productive, especially when we get down to the minutiae, but I think we also need to give credit to pop culture that advanced society’s ideas of women and what a woman is capable of.