The 1980s saw whole new types of women on the silver screen – from “Roseanne” to “The Golden Girls,” marginalized groups of women were appearing on screen, and they were all more realistic to the average female audience member than a genie or a group of superspies. Women also started to take over roles that had previously been mainly male-dominated, such as cops (“Hill Street Blues”) and lawyers (“LA Law”). Wealthy, powerful women appeared on primetime soap operas such as “Dynasty,” “Dallas,” and “Knott’s Landing” (Marguit).
However, despite the women holding prestigious roles, their characterization remained vapid. The women on soap operas gained their wealth through men, and their goals centered around material wealth and obtaining a man’s affections. Meanwhile, the women on detective shows were often victimized or saw their storylines revolving around, once again, winning the man. While the National Commission on Working Women (NCWW) continued to lobby somewhat successfully, they pronounced 1985 a year of declining progress due to these storylines (Hardison).
During the following decade, a shift in television programming as a whole led to a shift in women perspectives. Television programming in the 1990s became less focused on traditional networks and more on multiple, niche channels that gave audiences more options and control over what they were watching. This led to more opportunities for female audiences to watch programming focused on themselves, and networks and advertisers became well aware of this growing market. Women could now watch successful, independent versions of themselves anywhere from comedy to drama to action series, without any male character dominating the screen (Thrift).
And, perhaps more importantly, on more shows and in more character types than ever before. “Ally McBeal” and “Sex in the City” chronicoled the lives of single, working urbanites, who in the case of the “Sex in the City” girls, were incredibly economically stable. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Xena: Warrior Princess” showcased action heroes who could more than hold their own physically and mentally against any creature (or man) that came their way. “Judging Amy” and “Any Day Now” proved that success while raising a family was possible, and “The Division” and “Strong Medicine” saw competent women in the workplace (Thrift).
However, the decade wasn’t without its faults – repetitive sexist jokes and themes appearing everywhere from reality TV to family shows such as “Home Improvement.” Nevertheless, the 1990s saw unprecedented strides for women in entertainment.
Hardison, K. P. L. “What were the effects of feminism and how were women portrayed in the media.” eNotes. eNotes, 31 May 2013. Web. 20 March 2014.
Marguit, Jean. “Images of Femininity: Media Portrayals of Women.” Yahoo! Voices. Yahoo, 17 Jan. 2006. Web. 20 March 2014.
Thrift, Samantha. “Dramatic Viewings: The Production of Women’s Programming in Late 1990s Television.” Humanity and Social Sciences Online. H-Net, Jan. 2008. Web. 20 March 2014.