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A dramatisation of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the 19th-20th Century. Christabel Pankhurst delivers an impromptu speech regarding Votes For Women to an audience of working class citizens. Her sister Sylvia alerts her mother and sister to blatant sexism within the Labour Party, encouraging them to establish their own, women-only political party, and illustrating the legislative, egalitarian aims of the first wave of feminism.

Activity 1

Question 1

Decode and discuss the significance of Christabel Pankhurst’s claim that “that is exactly the answer I expected, the answer we always get; jam tomorrow, never today” in relation to the women’s suffrage movement. In context with the historical progression of feminism, how relevant is such a claim today?

This documentary explores the iconic I Love Lucy, demonstrating a refreshing step towards subversion of gendered ideological roles in the domestic sphere in the context of a 1950s sitcom.

Activity 2:

Question 1:

In the excerpts from I Love Lucy that you see in the above clip, what is happening:

a) To push back against the gendered status quo of the depicted domestic sphere? b) To contain Lucy’s resistance to the gendered status quo of the depicted domestic sphere?

Mary Tyler Moore is discussed in this documentary as an independent career woman addressing gendered inequality in the workplace and combatting the taboo of single womanhood. Particularly noteworthy is the birth control joke, a controversial move by the show producers for the time, but a vital one as part of the body/sex based goals of 2nd wave feminism.

Question 2:

Within this clip, the character of Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore Show is described as a character who embodied the ‘aspirations and anxieties’ of second-wave feminism. How is this borne out of what you see in the clip? Focus on tropes such as politics of marriage, workplace dynamics, singlehood, and empowerment for example.

Activity 3

The feminist symbolic significance of Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is reported as being selected as an ambassador for the United Nations due to her status as an icon of female empowerment. However, this is met with controversy and dispute due to her fictional nature, her limited global relatability, her history of hypersexualisation, and unrealistic standards for the average woman. This perhaps reflects concerns of numerous female TV characters of the time in discourse regarding empowerment vs sexualisation.

Question 1

What are some of the ways in which we might understand the 1970s television character of Wonder Woman as feminist? What might be some of the limitations or problems of understanding the character in this way?

Empowerment and sexualisation in action heroine TV in the 60s and 70s

Charlie’s Angels are explored in this documentary piece as embodying the ‘empowerment and sexualisation in simultaneity’ discourse, presenting beautiful, objectified women in positions of strength, power and a form of detective work (a field traditionally dominated by men). Tanya Roberts herself alludes to the industrial exploitation experienced by the Angels actresses, recalling concern over needing to appear in a bikini on multiple occasions.

Clip from Mark Lawson Talks to Diana Rigg in which her role in the Avengers television series is discussed regarding to it leading to her being coded as a sex symbol, and the feminist ramifications that came alongside this.

Question 2

Discuss the feminist implications of the ‘scantily clad’ overt sexualisation of the TV Action heroine. Use the clips to contextualise the representation of the women in question at the time of airing as well as the long-term audience responses.

Charlie’s Angels, feminism and intertextuality in That 70s Show

As part of the sitcom set in the 1970s, friends Fez and Hyde watch Charlie’s Angels, overtly sexualising them and reducing them down to their bodily parts. Fez even goes so far as to suggest that the Angels’ success in their investigative field is by virtue of their sexualised appearance, consistent with the commonplace sexualisation of 60s and 70s female TV stars.

Question 3

By hyperbolising the sexualisation of Charlie’s Angels, what is the effect of the sequence on both the characters themselves and the audience watching? Make reference to feminist discourse regarding bodily autonomy versus empowerment.

Activity 4

Women detectives in 1980s television – Cagney and Lacey

As well as making waves through strong female representation in a male-dominated field, Cagney and Lacey explicitly address feminist issues in their work on a rape case. However, they struggle with the likelihood of conviction and the trope of ‘work/life balance struggles’ is touched on, with Lacey appearing to get heavily personally invested at the detriment of her partner.

Question 1

Cagney and Lacey is a 1980s cop show featuring two women detectives. What is this clip doing to suggest that doing this job as a woman is different from doing this job as a man and how/why? In what ways is it possible to understand the subject matter of this clip and the show’s treatment of it as feminist?

Compare and contrast Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect and Stella Gibson in The Fall

Introduction clip to Jane Tennison from Prime Suspect. To be contextually considered and compared to Stella Gibson from The Fall clip. Points of consideration should be interactions with male colleagues (how they treat her as well as how she responds/ treats them in response), physical and verbal traits, and acknowledgment of the contextual treatment of women in the workplace.

Introductory clip of Stella Gibson from The Fall. To be contextually considered and compared to Jane Tennison from Prime Suspect clip. Points of consideration should be interactions with male colleagues (how they treat her as well as how she responds/ treats them in response), physical and verbal traits, and acknowledgment of the contextual treatment of women in the workplace.

Question 2

When viewed next to each other, what main differences for women in the police workforce are presented within the introduction to the characters of Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect and Stella Gibson in The Fall? And what about personal differences/ similarities? Try to add context to your answers.

A British comedy-drama series following a group of female nurses. The above clip demonstrates a handful of concepts, ranging from the trope of the ‘battleaxe’, to the idea of postfeminist choice and decision making, to emotional labour/suppression as part of interpersonal relationships.

Activity 5

Question 1

In 1975, at the height of second wave feminism. Angels became the first drama series to focus on women working in the nursing profession. In the ‘postfeminist’ era early 2000s No Angels updated the premise of Angels to account for the changed context for women in society and the work place. How does the sequence in the clip lend itself to postfeminist tropes and sensibilities in the millennial context (for example, sexual autonomy and the work/life balance)?

In this millennial sitcom, the characters of Cece and Jess undergo testing to ensure their fertility is ‘intact’ after discovering that women have lost around 90% of their egg cells. This perfectly demonstrates Diane Negra and Yvonne Tasker’s concept of the "time panic"/ticking biological clock trope often seen in postfeminist media.

Activity 6

Question 1

What does the above scene from the 21st century sitcom New Girl illustrate about womanhood? Describe the way in which the idea of women’s ‘race against time’ (often seen in postfeminist media) is demonstrated and the apparent solutions to such a crisis.

Clip from ‘The Witch’ episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 1 Episode 3) demonstrating the postfeminist trope of intergenerational disharmony.

Question 2

What generational differences are presented between which characters in this clip? Do they form any contrasts between ‘old’ versus ‘new’ feminisms and if so, how are the different forms coded?

Activity 7

The ‘lesbian death’ trope or ‘bury your gays’ trope and why representation matters

Clip from ‘Seeing Red’ episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer depicting an example of the lesbian death trope within which Tara is killed.

Lexa’s death, illustrating the ‘lesbian death trope’.

Watch the clips and then read more about the so-called ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope here:

https://www.vox.com/2016/3/25/11302564/lesbian-deaths-television-trope

And here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124697/

Question 1

Discuss the potential impact of queer femininities being presented to audiences through the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope, for both those being represented and those watching. Why might it matter to audiences to see queer women represented in this way?

Activity 8

‘Plural’ masculinities in New Girl

In a consecutive comparison between the two characters, with Schmidt presenting his expansive suit portfolio and Nick describing himself as ‘surly’, an afternoon-drinker and appearing emotionally clumsy, the clip showcases the concepts of reconstructed and unreconstructed masculinity respectively.

Schmidt and Nick further showcase the concepts of reconstructed masculinity and unreconstructed masculinity, in this case through an overt display of emotional and physical affection in contrast with a closed-off nature and aggressive discomfort at being confronted with a hug.

In this clip of the sitcom, we see a direct address of masculine ideals. Describing his own, updated version of contemporary masculinity, Schmidt redefines manhood through a lens of metrosexuality in contrast with aggression, physical strength and stereotypical ideas of what is seen to be ‘manly’.

Question 1

View the three clips from New Girl and analyse and discuss how they work together to present modern masculinities and in what kinds of ways. What significant differences between the varying kinds of masculinity are illustrated and how? Are there more examples in contemporary television that parallel these differences?

Activity 9

Race and gender in contemporary television

Reggie Yates discusses the future of the Black experience on American television with Caleb McLaughlin and Mahershala Ali, referencing the possibility and examples of pluralism and multiculturalism for African-American discourse as presented through TV.

Reggie Yates discusses the intersection of race and queerness and womanhood with director Lena Waithe, acknowledging the challenges and limitations to Black success, making reference to the invisibility of race behind the screen, and the need for celebrated diversity on screen.

Question 1

View the two clips, and then discuss the ways in which race and gender have a sociopolitical nexus within television. When Waithe says “The women that came before me had been banging on that door for years, so when I walked up, all I had to do was just turn the doorknob and walk through.”, what does she illustrate about racial discourse within the media?

Activity 10

Feminist issues on television after #MeToo

As well as making waves through strong female representation in a male-dominated field, Cagney and Lacey explicitly address feminist issues in their work on a rape case. However, they struggle with the likelihood of conviction and the trope of ‘work/life balance struggles’ is touched on, with Lacey appearing to get heavily personally invested at the detriment of her partner.

In a powerful episode based on the #MeToo movement of 4th wave feminism, detectives Jake, Amy and Rosa collectively discuss experiences of ‘everyday sexism’ and the concerns of a sexual assault case from varying feminist angles. This provides discourse to illustrate the complexity of such issues and the importance of discussion and exploration.

Explicitly embodying the #MeToo movement of the 4th wave feminist movement, detectives Jake, Amy and Rosa discuss the final result of their closed sexual assault case and the positive consequences, in spite of the sufferings of the victim such as having to quit her job due to social ostracism and scuppered chances of promotions at work, reflecting the reality of feminist concerns in contemporary society.

Question 1

Compare, draw parallels between, and contrast the television exploration of feminism in a context of sexual assault between Cagney & Lacey and Brooklyn Nine Nine. How does each show act to empower women as they discuss the issue?

Depicting contemporary female struggles on television

Desperate Housewives acts as an example of modern female struggles. Such issues include contemporary motherhood in competition with and aspiration of the ‘perfect wife’ image typically seen in 50s and 60s television. This lends itself to both postfeminist tropes of struggling to have it all in the age of feminism, but also to 4th wave feminist understandings of the difficulties that come with modern womanhood and the strength shown by women and mothers.

Question 2

View the excerpt from the documentary and discuss the presentation of ‘contemporary female struggles’ in the clip; how realistic and important is such representation?