by millennial pink feminist
In recent years, there has been an influx of new teen tv shows that are super enlightened and progressive. I have found them all to be entertaining, well-written, and fully aware of the intellectual capacity of young viewers.
The other night my friend and I watched the Hulu series’ Mrs. America. We watched Cate Blanchett play Phyllis Schafly, an anti-feminist lunatic who fought against the Equal Rights Amendment in 1970s America. Blanchet plays this role brilliantly, however terrifying her character may be.
My friend asked, “we’re supposed to not like her, right?”
“Yes, obviously,” I said, assuring my friend the liberal Hollywood elite would not produce a tv show whose mission was to revere an anti-feminist nutcase.
The Liberal Elite FTW
In January, Ricky Gervais gave a speech at the Golden Globes calling out Hollywood for being a bunch of liberal idealists who make long speeches about global warming, helping the world and the less privileged, while they, in many ways, represent the problem. Gervais made many valid points, but it’s also comforting to know that even if Hollywood’s biggest production companies are hypocritical and problematic, they espouse liberal ideals.
At my first happy hour at my former place of work, I sat with two women who, after stating their favorite feminist philosophers, sadly agreed that women were not equal to men. I’m sorry, what?? They stressed that women were not as capable as men in all aspects of life. Men are just better, they plainly stated. One of my colleagues cited the ratio of male CEOs to female CEOs as proof of female deficiencies.
“Could this be the result of centuries of systemic oppression?” I asked.
Still feeling completely sucker-punched and dumbfounded by the conservation I was having, I laughingly continued, pointing out that comparing the number of male to female CEOs to indicate inferiority was akin to saying BIPOC were deficient because they don’t make up the majority of CEOs. Again, the women laughed and said not even to get them started on black people…
RUN RUN RUN!!!! I made a quick exit, trying not to vomit while wondering wtf century and place I was living in.
A few weeks later, I encountered one of the women from my scary AF happy hour again. Someone brought up Trump, and she began criticizing the liberal-leaning media. All I could think was PRAISE THE FUCKING LORD many media outlets, including Hollywood, do not share your disturbing views.
A New Teen Show Era
In recent years, there has been an influx of new teen tv shows that are super enlightened and progressive. I have found them all to be entertaining, well-written, and fully aware of the intellectual capacity of young viewers.
These shows regularly confront complicated topics surrounding race, privilege, sexuality, etc. The main characters chastise others for saying or doing anything “un-woke.” But just ten years ago, the tv landscape was barren of shows that overtly discussed the above topics. The casts were white, straight, and non-political. Feminism among leads wasn’t a given.
The new reboot of Charmed features a Hispanic and black female trio who fight demons and terrors, including men’s rights activists and pixie fairies that are convinced it’s “a really difficult time to be a white man.” The sisters don’t stand for any monsters—from mystical to misogynistic. They even discuss the white heteronormative standard their Christmas decorations impose.
In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Sabrina consistently challenges the gender inequalities at her witch academy and normal person high school, and the show promotes acceptance of the LGBTQ community. When Sabrina’s friend Susie starts exploring their gender identity, all the characters readily accept their friend’s decision. The character’s identity shift is framed as an everyday, normal part of growing up, not a moral armageddon.
Similarly, the diverse cast from Riverdale does not shy away from correcting gender norms and battling against LGBTQ prejudice. The characters call out toxic masculinity and physically fight predatory males and other bigots. For example, season 2 of Riverdale captures the disturbing story of one of the main characters being taken against her will to a commune in an attempt by her family to turn her straight. Needless to say, our girl escapes and resumes her steamy relationship with her girlfriend.
Hope Isn’t Dead
Despite our current political climate, this new breed of teen shows gives me hope for the future. While I have encountered people who believe we should maintain systems that promote the white patriarchy, hopefully, the children of these heathens will grow up watching what seems to be our new standard for teen shows, and they will learn the importance of equality and equity for all.