My Past: Sharpay Evans

Source: Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure | Disney Movies

When I was in elementary school, my friends and I always played High School Musical at recess. The 2006 film features basketball prodigy Troy Bolton and science nerd Gabriella Montez becoming the stars of their high school’s musical and ultimately falling in love over the course of the three movies. Other standout characters were Gabriella’s best friend, Taylor, Troy’s teammate, Chad, and the theatrical Ryan. However, there was only one character my friends and I all wanted to be: Sharpay Evans. Sharpay is technically classified as the villain of the movies because she is judgmental, materialistic, and does anything to get ahead, but I am going to convince you that she is not only the star of the show but also the most hardworking of the bunch. Maybe I hold a candle for the blonde diva because I always had to pretend to be Gabriella due to my brown, curly hair (on the bright side, I end up with Zac Efron), but I believe this childhood role model set the foundation for who I was going to be.

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I Need A Little Fabulous, Is That So Wrong?

It doesn’t take long to notice that Sharpay is a little materialistic…okay, maybe very materialistic. In the second movie, she has a whole musical number dedicated to being fabulous and wanting more. Compared to Plain Jane Gabriella, Sharpay’s excessive wardrobe and shopping habits may leave a bad taste in viewers’ mouths but is wanting more really so bad? In her song “Fabulous,” she sings, “I need a little fabulous, is that so wrong?” My answer is no but in moderation. Wanting more and being “fabulous” can be a major motivator for people’s lives. Sure, there is the idea that the pursuit of money and power can lead to never feeling like you are enough, but if those things are what gets you out of bed and to work every day, is that so wrong?

When we talked about motivators in the Honors 415 Capstone class, I would say money is a big motivator for me, and it has been since my “Sharpay” days. If I had not been a business major, I would have been an early education major. In between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I weighed the pros and cons of both to decide which profession to pursue. The answer came down to which profession was going to give me the means to live the life I have always wanted to live, which is one where I can spend money. Now, I think teachers work just as hard if not harder than most people, but when money is a major decision factor, I had to choose a career that would give the best chances of that lifestyle. While money can be a powerful motivator, it can also be a depressing one. Whenever I dreamt of the future when I was younger, I always dreamt in excess. My parents would joke that the man I married would have his work cut out for him. I had yet to find the balance between valuing money and being a snob (much like Sharpay). Of course, that comes with age, but what also comes with age is the realization that money is hard to obtain. Dreams of luxurious vacations, fur coats, and fancy cars weren’t accompanied by budgets, Black Friday deals, and days working at a desk. Is it so wrong to have money be a primary motivator, or was I setting myself up for future letdowns?

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Dream a Little Dream of Me

Sharpay definitely is an extravagant dreamer. While she is a hard worker, she also sets unrealistic goals that lead to her downfall in each movie. In the first movie, Sharpay dreams of being the lead in the school play, but all of her scheming gets her nowhere as Gabriella is the star performer. In High School Musical 2, Sharpay pursues Troy romantically and wants to be his partner for the talent show, but again, loses him to Gabriella. In the final movie, Sharpay works to win two of the high school’s scholarships to Juilliard but loses out on both opportunities.

When we are young, we are told to dream big. We are told to dream of being a future president, a doctor, a mother, etc. I loved fantasizing about my future, especially when I was in elementary school and middle school. At that time in my life, I was confident (obnoxious), popular (bossy), and knew what I wanted my future to look like (controlling), much like Sharpay. When I dreamt of my life in high school and college, I thought I would be the same and more. In my Digital Article for HON 299 Writing for the Real World, I talk about an aspect of my life where unrealistic dreams took control: my body image. While I was confident at eleven and twelve years old, this was also the time I began battling body dysmorphia, an obsessive disorder where one obsesses over perceived flaws about their body. I was constantly struggling to reach a physical image that just wasn’t who I was meant to be. These issues worsened in high school as I was surrounded by girls who were petite, and what I looked like in the mirror did not match what I looked like in my head. Sharpay’s dreams led her to be the villain in everyone’s story; mine led me to lose my self-confidence. That is a flaw with this “dream big” philosophy: when do dreams become so big that they become unhealthy? 

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The Winner Takes It All

Prior to Gabriella’s arrival to East High in the first movie, Sharpay was the lead in every musical the high school put on (along with her brother, Ryan). She showed up for every audition and gave a stellar performance that made her deserve the lead, and she demonstrated multiple times that theater was her main passion. Enter Gabriella, a quiet nerd who just so happens to also be a great singer. She becomes the new lead in every play that school puts on and acts like a victim when Sharpay wants revenge. I think we are supposed to empathize with poor Gabriella because she never got the chance to shine, and Sharpay is trying to take her moment even though she has always been the lead. Instead, imagine working hard every year to be the best at your passion, and someone who has never sang before steals it all from you. If I were Sharpay, I would be mad too because my hard work would have been wasted for someone who does not even have to try.

We have a saying in my house that has been going around since I was a little girl: Mitchells never win. Sure, it’s a little harsh, but it is also something I carry with me. A lot of times, I feel like I work twice as hard as everyone else only to fall in second place. While this saying was most popular in my high school days, I can still hear it echo in my mind now. As I am writing this blog, I am currently going through the interview process for various internships, and the family slogan has been on my mind. It is hard to hope and long for my dream internship when I have been told (and have experienced) that things do not come easily (or at all) for me my entire life. How can I silence this voice in order to grow my self-confidence? How can I expect to win when I feed into this generational negativity? I empathize with Sharpay because she, too, struggles with these questions. I believe the answer lies in how we react to these losses and how we prepare to try again in the future.

MADISON AS A HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL CHEERLEADER (2007)

My Future

Sharpay Evans was the first role model I had that I was not related to. She is a strong female who is unapologetically herself. She does not let setbacks keep her from accomplishing her dreams, and she never once considers giving up. While she is traditionally seen as the villain, I would imagine most young girls felt more connected to her than any of the other leads because she represents the girl who things do not come easily to, the girl who has to work twice as hard to get what she wants. That is more relatable than anything Gabriella did in any of the three movies. What I hope to take from Sharpay into my future career is her ability to not give up on herself. When things are not going my way or when I am feeling like I cannot accomplish everything by its respective deadline, I want to be able to persevere in the same way she has. Maybe, I can also take some of her fashion choices with me too… is that so wrong?

My Present: Amy March

Source: Amy March | Little Women Wiki | Fandom

One of my favorite movies of all time is Little Women (2019). Adapted from the Louisa May Alcott novel, this classic follows four sisters as they transition from childhood to adulthood. This heartwarming (and heartbreaking) story is relatable because most viewers can see themselves in at least one sister. For me, that sister is Amy. Amy is a character you either love or hate. She has moments of immaturity that make her lash out, and she ends up falling for her sister Jo’s sort-of ex (I would say, “spoiler alert,” but the book has been out for over 150 years!). What I relate to and love about Amy is that she is a realist with a heart of a dreamer. I think Amy demonstrates my transition from childhood to adulthood well, and I believe this transition is still happening as I shift from college to “the real world.” 

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Dreamland versus…

There is a lighting shift between the “now” scenes and the “past” scenes, as now has cool tones, and past has warm ones. As a child, Amy’s life is full of color and wonder, and as an adult, she is faced with the cold realities of the world. Let’s start with the warmth. Amy dreams of moving to Paris to become an artist. She is often cast as the annoying little sister, and while she resents that fact, she also wants nothing more than to follow her sisters around and be with them (particularly Jo). She has a light-hearted yet determined nature. Unlike her sister Jo, Amy wants to grow up because she wants to live out the dreams she has concocted in her head. 

I would also describe myself as someone who lives in their head too often. While I didn’t have sisters to act out and relay these dreams to, I would get caught up in my imagination. There are two things that I have dreamed of most of all: recognition and success. When I was younger, I could not articulate these wants in the same way I can now. I wanted people to think I was smart and a hard worker. I didn’t even just want them to think it; I wanted them to say it. I thought if I went to Boston College or Columbia University (two of my childhood “dream” schools), people would say that I was so intelligent and so focused on academics because I was going to a selective college. When I think of leaving my job as a childcare worker (where I have worked since high school), I do not want to do it until I have a job that is prestigious enough that it will say something about who I am. I dream of recognition for my success and hard work, but like Amy, this sort of dream-like state leads to a cold reality.

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Reality

When Amy does get to Paris, the reality and the dream do not align. Amy realizes that the only way she will be able to live a comfortable life where she can spend her days painting is by marrying someone for money. The story is set in the 1800s so women were not independent as they are today, but a lot of Amy’s disappointments then are still common today, such as not being taken seriously because of gender. Amy’s personality has hardened as time has passed, and she is much more of a realist now that she has gone out into the world. To me, this is one of the saddest moments of the movie because it is the most relatable: do not wish for adulthood because it is not as it seems.

Like most children, I always wished to grow up. I wanted to be an adult who had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. Now, as an adult, I get why people say do not wish it away. The dreams we had as children once seemed just out of reach, but as adults, we realize they are unattainable. When I was in middle school, my dream college was Boston College; in high school, it was Columbia University. My dream in college was to spend a semester abroad. I didn’t apply to BC or Columbia because of the cost; I didn’t study abroad because of a global pandemic. When I lived in my head, these things did not factor into my dreams. As a fourteen year old, I didn’t understand the true cost of $80,000/year, and no one knew what COVID would entail. At the end of high school, I dreamed of going to the University of New Hampshire and thriving in their competitive business environment, but the reality was I couldn’t handle being away from home at that time in my life. I didn’t factor my separation anxiety into my dreams. Don’t get me wrong: I am very happy with my choice to go to USM. However, the point I am trying to make is that when reality does not live up to the idea you have made in your head, you are bound to be disappointed. While Amy’s dreams end up coming true as she marries her childhood crush, the reality is that a lot of the dreams we have will not come true unless we work for them, and the expectation of the outcome should lie in reality and not fantasy.

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My Future

Amy March is a character I will go down swinging to defend. She aspired to be more than her time allowed, and if you would have given her 150 years, she would have been great. While some may see her as selfish, I believe Amy longed to gain attention (like her other three sisters got) and longed for a type of freedom her sisters never dreamed of: freedom from expectations. Jo was expected to be a writer, Meg was expected to be a mother, and Beth was expected not to make it to the end of the movie (RIP Beth). Amy was expected to provide for her family by marrying rich, but that is not what she had in store for herself. What I hope to take from Amy into my future career is her ability to be realistic about her dreams but also still go for them. When something seems unattainable to me, like a project or job description, I often let my realist side overtake my dreamer one. I would like to find a balance between the two where I do not expect everything to work out, but I also try to make it happen. I will not win if I never try. In closing, I will leave you with a quote from Amy in the original book that captures my hope well: “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship” (Alcott, 1868).

My Future: Beth Dutton

Source: Beth Dutton (15 photos) (therut.com)

Do you ever see a character on TV and say, “I wish I was like them!” For me, that character is Beth Dutton from the hit Paramount show, “Yellowstone.” Beth is confident to the degree of being cocky, smart enough to take down conglomerate organizations, and will do anything to please and protect her family, even if that means incriminating herself. Being one of the only two lead female characters, Beth is a standout and carries the qualities of a powerful man and is condemned for it. How does someone who can barely send food back at a restaurant associate with a powerhouse like Beth? What lessons can I take from her with me in my future business career?

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Confidence is Key

Beth’s opening scene is her telling a client to either accept her offer to buy his company or go bankrupt by the end of the week. As a venture capitalist, she immediately dominates the board room, which is otherwise filled with men. After the client reluctantly takes her offer, he mutters, “bitch” as she walks out of the room. Since this is the first-time viewers are introduced to Beth, they are left with one of two thoughts: the same vulgar words as her client or admiration. My initial thought was how I want to be able to control a room the way she does.

While I have always been told I have a strong personality, I am not always sure of myself and my work, which ultimately affects my confidence. However, since beginning college, my self-confidence has grown greatly. Perhaps that comes with age, but I remember a shift happening my first day at USM. I walked into HON101 and thought to myself, “I can be anyone I want to be.” In actuality, my personality did not change, but I did not limit my voice as I did in high school. My Honors classes, in particular, gave me the environment to help grow my confidence because I did not fear being wrong. This was a lesson I had not been allowed to learn until college, but one I needed: people are human, and they are wrong. Now, I don’t picture myself telling a client that their kids won’t go to college if they don’t take my deal (like Beth), but I feel sure of myself enough to let my voice be heard in the workplace.

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Cold Hearted or Workaholic? 

I find it rare to see female TV characters be so immersed in their careers like Beth is and not get backlash. Typically, in television, women who start off as strong and independent professionals end up changing for a man, a baby, or “herself,” and viewers find out that this hard and abrasive attitude was a front for a warm and maternal woman. This, thankfully, does not happen to Beth. While she does have a romantic relationship and a strong bond with her family, her personality never changes or softens. Maybe some people would say she could use some cushioning, but I love that she stuck to her hard ways.

I see myself a lot in this aspect of Beth’s personality. I have often felt ashamed for my hard exterior and worried that others would be put out by this characteristic, which can make group dynamics challenging. Many of my classes have a group project component. I do not thrive in this setting, not because I do not work well with others, but because I struggle to balance the need to control everything with trusting that others can produce quality and timely work. The standards I set for myself are high, and I unfairly resent others for not reaching/setting that same standard. I have tried to play different roles in the group dynamic: the one who needs everything explained to (very important for an unathletic girl in Sports Marketing), the one who only does her share, and the one that does the whole thing and lets everyone else put their name on it. Every scenario ends the same way with me wanting everything a certain way and dominating the final project. This is a part of myself that I grapple with often, but I understand that I will be met with this type of work environment in my career. To be respected as a career-oriented woman (which I always have been), is a cold exterior and high standards necessary? Would being a warm and friendly woman be seen as naive? I don’t know if relating to Beth on this point is a personal pro or con, but I think she sets a good example of what women in business currently deal with emotionally.

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If At First, You Don’t Succeed… 

Like most TV drama characters, Beth faces more hardships than the average person. From being infertile to getting fired from a company she poured her heart into, Beth deals with a lot throughout the show’s four seasons. One thing remains the same: her strength. Even after being almost beaten to death, Beth never gives into self-pity or wants to give up. She keeps moving forward by either enacting revenge or making new plans. I sometimes wish we would see Beth have a moment of sadness and defeat, even if just for one scene. We cannot be strong all of the time, but her perseverance makes me want to fight like she does.

My biggest disappointment in my college career was not being able to study abroad. I didn’t care about having the traditional college experience (or even where I went) as long as I got to study abroad at some point in my college career. I tried not to let the pandemic or online learning get to me; I even thrived in that setting at times. Although I was an essential worker and have faced COVID consistently, I never felt personally affected by the pandemic until it took that opportunity away from me. I was sad, and I wanted my moment of defeat. Instead, I made a new plan. I upped my class load so I could graduate a semester early and hopefully spend that extra time traveling or immersing myself in the workplace before graduate school. Not now does not have to mean not ever. This will not be my last disappointment, and I feel better prepared to face future hardships, both personal and professional, that come my way. Hopefully, that hardship won’t be getting blown up in the middle of a cowboy land war, but if it is, at least I have Beth to look to as a role model.

Source: IN A WORLD FULL OF KARENS BE BETH – ) (ifunny.co)

My Future

Like all of us, Beth has a lot of flaws and traits that I would not want to take on. However, her self-confidence and determination both in her personal and professional life is inspirational to me. In the last four years, I have grown more self-assured, but I have also let disappointments (in life, in others, and in myself) harden me. What I hope to take from Beth into my future is the ability to use my knowledge and tough persona to help those I love. Beth’s end goal is always to help her father and protect her family, and while she may use extreme measures to get there, her intentions are always good, and her goals are typically met. According to Beth, there are four ways to get rich in life; the one I am going for is to work really hard for it. To do this, she says, “You learn, you fail, learn more, fail more, and don’t let anyone outwork you, ever.” So far, this has proven true, and I am ready to get to work.

My Story: Madison Mitchell

MADISON’S SENIOR PICTURE (2018)

There is a famous Greek mythology story about a craftsman named Daedalus who created a pair of wings from feathers and quills for him and his son to escape imprisonment. Daedalus said to his son, Icarus: “My son, I caution you to keep the middle way, for if your pinions dip too low the waters may impede your flight; and if they soar too high the sun may scorch them” (Ovid, translated in 1922).  Icarus grew “bold in vanity” and began to soar too close to the sun, ultimately leading to his death.

The lesson behind this story is that vanity and arrogance will lead to your downfall. It was a story told at my high school graduation after I had spent the last four years losing parts of who I was in academic competition with others and an unattainable version of myself, in letdowns and disappointments, and this feeling that I hadn’t become who my past self envisioned. I was sick with anxiety over choices I had made for my future that didn’t truly align with what I wanted. When the story of Icarus was told, it was memorable but, at the time, unrelatable. The truth of the matter was I was flying too low and impeding my flight.

MADISON’S HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION (2019)

If I were asked to choose the most defining moment in my life, the one that I feel like changed my course and made me who I am today, it would be my decision to leave the University of New Hampshire. During tours and orientation visits, I knew UNH was my school. I could feel in my heart it was where I belonged. However, in the weeks leading up to Move-In Day, I felt like I was on edge constantly, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. These feelings grew exponentially when I moved in, and I was left with two choices: suck it up and hope to get through the semester (or, at the time, just the day) or admit defeat and go home. I chose the latter, and thankfully, USM admitted me the next day when I got home.

When I came into USM, I felt lost and embarrassed. I felt like a failure because I didn’t last two days away from home when all of my friends could. I had never toured USM and had no idea of the environment or culture. I wasn’t even sure about my choice of major. Yet, somewhere between now and that first day idea of “I can be anyone I want to be,” I started to fly upwards. My confidence in my work grew; I no longer stressed about every test, every paper, every presentation. My confidence in my choice to come to USM was solidified during the pandemic and throughout all of the wonderful classes I have taken. Most importantly, my confidence in myself flourished. I am proud of the work I have done, the values I have defined, and the person I have become.

This doesn’t take away from what I have said earlier: disappointments have hardened me and will continue to be upsetting. However, they are inevitable and are what prevent us from flying too close to the sun. No one can have everything they have ever dreamed of, but that doesn’t mean we should stop dreaming. To that girl sitting at her high school graduation, wondering if things were going to work out the way she envisioned, the answer is no. Nothing you planned for happened, and that’s OK. It all turned out OK.

MADISON’S FIRST DAY AT USM (2019)

I am not Sharpay Evans, Amy March, or Beth Dutton. I am not fearless like Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), unapologetically confident like Alexis Rose (“Schitt’s Creek”), or easily lovable like Rachel Green (“Friends”). While I can look towards these women as role models, it is important to not replicate them and understand that they were written to live on a screen and not in the world. I have learned that the goal isn’t to idolize role models but rather to become a role model to those around me.

I wonder what would be worse: flying too close to the sun and being burned or skimming the water your whole life? What I hope to take into my future is this balance between dreams and reality. Dreaming too much and living only in your head will burn you; never taking chances because you are afraid of disappointments will impede your flight. In my first reflective writing piece in HON 415, I wrote, “My soul would also like to live happy, healthy, and surrounded by family and friends, but a relaxing life would not be one where I was most alive. I want to work hard, set goals, mourn disappointments, and celebrate achievements.” I am ready to work, to mourn, to celebrate, and to fly just a little higher.

SPRING 2022

Under the Feminist Lens: “The Bachelor” Review

Source: ‘The Bachelor’ Matt James Addresses Conversation With His Father – Variety

If you are ever looking to find me on a Monday night at 8, it’s at home watching “The Bachelor.” This ABC hit reality show focuses on a lead looking for love. They have to narrow down a group of thirty contestants to find “The One” he will propose to at the end of the twelve weeks. For this review, I will be primarily focusing on Matt James’s current season of “The Bachelor.” While this show is a guilty pleasure for many women, is it promoting feminism?  

Source: https://media.giphy.com/media/G5jJ0k6mv24ytAlRKX/giphy.gif

In-House Fighting

Reality TV is nothing without name-calling, pot-stirring, and calling each other out on their BS. While this type of fighting is necessary for a reality show to thrive, how much is too much? Producers of “The Bachelor” seem to constantly be pitting the women against each other. This season’s resident villain was the self-proclaimed “Queen,” Victoria. While Queen Victoria was a source of entertainment, her insulting ways ended up being too much for viewers to bear. She started stupid fights with other contestants, told some women that they did not belong on the show, and her childish behavior was the reason many women went home

The main fight this season, though, was between Anna and Brittany. Anna told Queen Victoria that she had heard back home that Brittany was “entertaining men for money.” While she had no proof of this slanderous claim, the rumor made its way through the house and eventually to Matt. Matt immediately sent Anna and Queen Victoria home because he did not want a bully as a wife. The petty fights on the show have escalated to damaging rumors. So, is it feminist? NO

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Are Women Too Emotional?

While watching “The Bachelor,” I often yell at my TV, “No more crying!” The women seem to cry at the drop of a hat, and it often makes them seem weak. Even though crying is nothing to be ashamed of, the continued tears make the stereotype of “women are too emotional” appear to be true. It’s hard to see obviously strong women crumple and cry over everything. As someone who very rarely cries, I was curious whether these women were just more emotional than I am or was the situation they are in the cause for their tears.

In reality, the contestants are filming and have to be “on” for the majority of the day. They are deprived of sleep, woken up to film, and experience homesickness. This type of lifestyle would affect anyone’s mental health and cause them to become overly emotional. However, I have noticed that producers edit the show to make women seem more emotional than the men. This type of edit feeds negative stereotypes and is not healthy for the women or for the viewers. So, is it feminist? NO

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A Woman’s Happiness Depends on Love

“The Bachelor” showcases women from many different backgrounds. This season, for example, we have a teacher from Minnesota, a former Miss Puerto Rico, and a dancer from Brooklyn. What do all of these women have in common? They have not achieved full happiness because they have not found “Their Person” yet. Yes, I know that the show is centered around this very concept, but a woman’s happiness should not depend on love. It seems like the contestants are more “incomplete” than the male lead. On “The Bachelorette,” which is the reverse of “The Bachelor,” the female lead is the incomplete one. If love is the only answer to complete happiness, why is there a difference between the men and women? 

The audience for these shows is predominantly women, so producers are targeting a female audience. They want to give women the whimsical, romantic notion that love and happiness are one and the same when that is not always the case. Many leads, both male and female, end up alone. So, is it feminist? NO

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The Verdict

If you are looking for a feminist show, I would not recommend “The Bachelor.” While it is easy, binge-able reality TV that may make you feel better about yourself, it will not paint women in a good light. It feeds into negative stereotypes and is edited to make women think men and love are the answer to all of their problems. That being said, if in a couple of years you see me as a crying contestant, you will know it is not love I am looking for but a nice, uninterrupted eight hour nap.

Under the Feminist Lens: “The Handmaid’s Tale” Review

Source: The Handmaid’s Tale: If Coronavirus Came To Gilead | by Steven Allison | Noteworthy – The Journal Blog (usejournal.com)

Blessed day! Let’s take a deep dive into the show I tell people I watch when I want to seem smart: “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Originally a 1985 Margaret Atwood novel, the award-winning Hulu drama follows Offred, a Handmaid, who is living in a futuristic America  (now called the Republic of Gilead), which is centered around fertility. The primary role of a Handmaid is to bear a Commander’s baby and give that baby to his barren Wife. The show is supposedly the pinnacle of feminism, but just how feminist is it? Have outlandish ideas from 1985 become current realities?

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The Role of Women in Gilead

The women in Gilead fall into seven categories: Wives, Handmaids, Aunts, Daughters, Marthas, Econowives, and Unwomen. Econowives and Daughters play a bigger role in the book, and not so much in the TV show. I won’t go into them too much, but Econowives are basically lower-middle class wives who do not get Handmaids and have to have their own children, if they biologically can. Daughters are the daughters of Wives and Econowives. Marthas are women who can no longer have children and have the roles of housekeeper, chef, personal shopper, etc. for Wives. Aunts are women who keep the Handmaids in line, through whatever means necessary. 

A Wife is an upper class woman married to a man of high authority. The viewer’s perception of Wives comes from Serena Joy Waterford. Serena is a hard, nasty, and unbearable woman on the surface. She rips Offred down whenever she gets the chance and is a firm believer in Gilead’s mission. However, as the series progresses, we see the one thing Serena truly wants is a baby, and she will go to any lengths to get one. I may be in the minority, but I actually really liked Serena’s character development and progression throughout the series. She is a character I love to hate.

A Handmaid is a fertile woman who “sinned” pre-Gilead. Examples of these sins are homosexuality, promscuity, and abortion. In Offred’s case, it was adultery. These women are assigned to a Commander and his Wife and are essentially raped by the Commander until they become pregnant. They then have the baby ripped from them at birth and are placed with a new family. It’s unclear what happens after a Handmaid fulfills her role multiple times, but those who cannot conceive are sent to The Colonies to become Unwomen. They mine in radioactive lands until they eventually die. So, is it feminist? UNCLEAR (The Verdict will decide).

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Nick vs. Luke

Offred has two love interests in the show: Nick and Luke. Luke was her husband in pre-Gilead times. When trying to escape to Canada, Luke gets separated from his wife and daughter and ends up being the only one to get to refuge. Luke goes to great lengths to get information on Offred, but there is not much he can do for her. In season three, Offred is able to call Luke and tell him that while she still loves him, she wants him to move on, like she has.

Nick is the Waterford’s driver and, eventually, becomes Offred’s lover. When Serena suspects her husband cannot have children, she has Nick impregnate Offred. Lust turns into love between the two, but it is always hard to tell who Nick’s loyalties lie with: Offred or Gilead. He tries to help her escape multiple times, but Offred refuses to leave without her two daughters, one with Luke and one with Nick.

While I often wondered who Offred would end up with post-Gilead, it is never a central focus. Just as her romantic relationships are an escape for her, they provide viewers a chance to breathe in an otherwise heavy show. Offred’s worth, morals, and motive never depend on Nick or Luke but always on the rescue of her two daughters. So, is it feminist? YES

Source: The Handmaid’s Tale Costume’s Place In Protest Culture | The Mary Sue

“The Handmaid’s Tale” in the Trump Era

“The Handmaid’s Tale” first aired in April 2017, just three months after the inauguration of former President Donald Trump. In his presidency, the #MeToo movement was a huge outcry of the fight for women’s rights. The movement highlighted how common sexual assault is for women. As of October 2020, Jeanine Stantucci of USA Today writes, the former president has had nineteen sexual assault allegations; he also has ties with proven sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. He disrespects women constantly, and with the rise of conservative evangelicals coming into major power roles, “The Handmaid’s Tale” did not feel so futuristic. 

The day after Trump’s inauguration, thousands of women participated in the Women’s March on Washington. Some women donned “pussy hats” that directly correlated with Trump’s “Grab ‘em by the pussy” quote; Muslim women wore American flag hijabs. There were even women cloaked in red with a white bonnet — the look of a Handmaid. Women were not going down without a fight, and this march was only the start.

Right before the 2020 election, Trump swore Amy Coney Barrett in as a Supreme Court Justice, taking the seat of feminist icon, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett is part of a religious group called the People of Praise, a group that the Republic of Gilead was modeled after. Her title in the group? Handmaid. To those who know the story of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” this is very unsettling. While the Trump Era was a time of fear and fight for feminists, I would like to think that “The Handmaid’s Tale” was a tool for feminists to weild. So, is it feminist? YES

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The Verdict

Obviously, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is at its core a show about the importance of feminism. While the role of women in the show is not a feminist one, a lot of the women are self-aware enough to realize this; few have the guts to fight against it. There are many moments where women support other women. The sisterhood between the Handmaids is powerful and is ultimately the most important relationship on the show. If you haven’t watched this show, I highly recommend doing so. It’s good for the brain, the soul, and the fight for equal rights.

Under the Feminist Lens: “Sex and the City” Review

Source: ‘Sex & The City’ Cast Transformations: Photos Of The Women Then & Now – Hollywood Life

If the perpetual state of quarantine has been good for anything, it’s been good for watching TV shows you never would have thought you would have time for. For me, that was HBO’s hit 90s show “Sex and the City.” “Sex and the City” follows four friends as they navigate dating, friendship, and careers in New York City. While the show has become a guilty pleasure, I couldn’t help but wonder, has the show stood the test of time in the eyes of feminism? 

Source: https://media.giphy.com/media/k69IG1GzLa5ji/giphy.gif 

Breaking Gender Norms

“Sex and the City” does a good job breaking away from the idea that a woman who has a lot of sex is “loose” or a “whore.” This is mostly seen with the eldest friend of the group, Samantha. Samantha frequently boasts sex positivity and has a new sexual partner almost every episode. While she has a few serious and long-term partners, Samantha is a woman who focuses on her career and friendships before romantic relationships. She often brings up the fact if she was a man, she would not be as judged by society and would probably be further along in her career. Samantha has paved the way for many beloved TV characters who are also judged for their promiscuity. So, is it feminist? YES

Source: https://media.giphy.com/media/l3q2NOgclVARjSCkM/giphy.gif

Carrie and Mr. Big’s Relationship

Aside from the central friendship of the four girls, Carrie Bradshaw (the main character) and Mr. Big (her on-and-off boyfriend) are the main relationship on the show. While many diehard “Sex and the City” fans romantize this toxic relationship, it was probably one of my least favorite parts of the whole show. Carrie turns herself inside out to please him. She has to find creative ways to get Big to commit to her (like leaving her hairdryer at his apartment), force him to go out with her and her friends, and even after taking care of him after heart surgery, Big dismisses her as if their relationship means nothing to him. 

One scene that stood out to me as a 2021 viewer in particular is when Big convinces Carrie to cheat on her boyfriend with him. Carrie was in a very healthy and committed relationship with her other central boyfriend, Aidan, when Big repeatedly tells Carrie he is unhappy in his marriage. After Carrie continues to tell Big that she is uninterested in an adulterous relationship, he meets her at a hotel she is working at to tell her that he misses her and still loves her. She tells him that she no longer cares, and he corners her in an elevator and kisses her. She pushes him off her twice but eventually gives in. However, in light of the “No Means No” movement, this whole scene rubbed me the wrong way. So, is it feminist? NO (And that’s without going into Big leaving Carrie at the altar!)

Source: <em>Sex and the City</em>:<br />the Movie, the Clothes! | InStyle (Credit: Bill Davilia/Startraks)

Is it OK to be a Woman and Not Aspire for Motherhood?

Motherhood was a big topic of conversation in this show. With Samantha as the anti-motherhood advocate on one end of the spectrum and baby-loving Charlotte on the other, female viewers could find themselves anywhere in between. After Miranda unexpectedly gets pregnant, the women have hard conversations about abortion, infertility, and simply not wanting children. The show normalizes having an abortion when you are not ready for a baby while also showing the lengths that Charlotte goes through to have a baby. The show also demonstrated that sometimes having children is not the goal of every relationship. I could both cry with Charlotte after her miscarriage and be proud of Carrie for knowing the she did not want children and would not let anyone make her feel guilty. So, is it feminist? YES

Source: https://media.giphy.com/media/Ck6zcZ8bSf9QY/giphy.gif

The Verdict

While many critics will say that “Sex and the City” is anti-feminist, I liked the way the show handled many difficult conversations that we are still having twenty years later. Of course, some aspects of the show have not aged well (and you will never see me on Team Mr. Big!), but there are still many important lessons that can be taken: women can value sex over romance, friends are your true soulmates, and never, ever get back together with a man that did not show up on your wedding day.