GIRLS AND FEMINIST TELEVISION
It seems like we are currently in amidst of a Golden Age of feminist television. With a variety of female focused shows emerging in the past few years, it looks as if the traditionally male-dominated television landscape is becoming more and more accepting and embracing the empowerment of women. One such show that fits into this increasingly inclusive digital world is Girls, created by Lena Dunham and currently airing its fourth season on HBO.
Ever since its launch in 2012, Girls has been subject to much criticism and controversial debate from critics and audiences alike over whether it can be considered progressive and quality feminist TV.
At first glance, the show has all the ingredients needed to be considered a milestone on the feminist front: a predominantly female ensemble cast, storylines about female friendships, and a female led writer/producer team. Showrunner Lena Dunham wrote, directed, produced as well as starred in all ten episodes of the show’s first season as well as most of its subsequent seasons.
Indeed, Girls does have many qualities that make it groundbreaking for female driven storytelling. First of all, the show’s four main characters are all women and the tone and content of the show is anchored at the core by their friendship – something that was not seen since the end of Sex and the City in 2004. Second is the show’s realistic and imperfect nature. Dunham’s protagonist Hannah along with her friends Jessa, Marnie and Shoshanna are all stripped down, no-nonsense representations of women in their twenties: unapologetically written, flawed, occasionally self obsessed, and definitely all still trying to figure out their place in the world. The fact that Dunham has written multi-faceted characters who aren’t afraid to be unlikeable or vulnerable is a stepping stone from the plethora of one dimensional female supporting characters from male-led shows. Third is the discussion of previously almost taboo topics such as body politics, slut-shaming and realistic representations of sex. The show frequently features nudity in a non-sexual context as well as awkward sexual encounters that lack the polished construction of Sex and the City.
Like any show that comes with acclaim, Girls also comes with its fair share of criticisms. Many have commented on the lack of diverse representation on the show, as all its four main characters are of a cisgendered, white, upper middle class background. Admittedly, there is an obvious lack of diversity regarding race, sexual orientation, age and economic background. The topics discussed, whilst controversial, are also generic of a privileged white culture and fail to address problems inclusive of all women.
We can say that Girls is only an accurate representation of a very small cross section of society and is only relatable for a limited demographic of women. However, it’s also not fair that shows like Girls are not afforded the same freedoms to make mistakes in the same way their male-dominated counterparts are. It’s not the intention, nor obligation, of Lena Dunham to create a perfect show that serves all women – in fact, Dunham has disclaimed that Girls is based on her personal experiences: “Something I wanted to avoid was tokenism in casting. If I had one of the four girls, if, for example, she was African-American…there has to be specificity to that experience I wasn’t able to speak to. I really wrote the show from a gut-level place, and each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me”.
Perhaps this attitude of scrutinisation is representative of a bigger problem within television culture; one that still lacks a sufficient amount of varied programs that feature all types of women. Instead of criticising the shortcomings of the limited existing shows that do serve women, we should focus on creating more shows that cover bigger ranges of audiences – diverse shows with strong female representatives of the likes of Orange is the New Black and How To Get Away With Murder. After all, it’s not up to one show, and one perspective, to take the burden of being representative of an entire gender.
References
1. Blay, Z. (2015). How Feminist TV Became The New Normal. [online] The Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/06/18/how-feminist-tv-became-the-new-normal_n_7567898.html?ir=Australia [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015].
2. Nygaard, T. (2013). Girls Just Want to be “Quality”: HBO, Lena Dunham, and Girls’ conflicting brand identity. Feminist Media Studies, 13(2), 370-374.
3. Grdešić, M. (2013). “I’m Not the Ladies!”: Metatextual commentary in Girls. Feminist Media Studies, 13(2), 355-358.
4. Obenson, T. (2015). Lena Dunham Addresses “Girls” Diversity Criticism & Why I Just Don’t Care…. [online] Shadow and Act. Available at: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/2c060de0-993b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015].
