Suddenly, Women Pols on TV Shows is a Thing

In the recent documentary Miss Representation -- which criticized American culture and the media for its negative impact on women and girls -- child advocate Marian Wright Edelman lamented the scarcity of American women politicians saying that, "You can't be what you can't see." Given the latest uptick in the number of fictional female pols appearing on television, the vision of all those women politicians in their red, white and blue clothing ought to give Wright Edelman something to cheer about.

Female characters seeking or occupying elected office have been popping up on a number of shows across primetime from the new Shonda Rhimes drama Scandal and the dark HBO comedy Veep, to lighter comedies like Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. Alongside the strong, brainy women, there are a fair number of female pols who are occasionally depicted as tone deaf, goofy or a bit off, but the other male pols with whom they share the screen aren't exactly Nobel Prize winning brain trusts either.

Take, for example, the soapy, D.C.-based Rhimes show Scandal. In addition to the main character -- a powerful, savvy, whip-smart D.C. scandal fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) who has a team of what she calls "gladiators in suits" who worship her -- there's a female vice president, Sally Langston (Kate Burton). And Vice President Langston is no slouch. She attempted to take quick political advantage of a situation when the president was caught doing something he shouldn't have. And while she didn't succeed in her maneuver, the viewers saw her as just as much a political player as her colleagues.

On the sardonic HBO comedy Veep, there's another female vice president who is also depicted as the "first" woman to hold that office. However while Julia Louis-Dreyfus' vice president Selina Meyer, a former senator, is intelligent and ruthless, she's very awkward, similar to the way in which Joe Biden can be awkward. She can be commanding when she wants to be, but isn't entirely convincing when she tries to smooth out political waves, largely of her own making. The latest plot twist -- the first female vice president was impregnated by her boyfriend and she's unmarried -- could've been ground-breaking, as I can't recall seeing a pregnant politician on a TV show. But having Meyer suffer a miscarriage, thus disposing of a potentially thorny plotline, left the vice president looking for a scapegoat to stave off the rumors of her pregnancy. Who took the fall? Meyer's quick-thinking chief of staff Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky) who claimed that she'd been the one who was pregnant, not the vice president.

Veep has also featured a powerful female senator, Barbara Hallowes (also played by Burton, the vice president from Scandal), who politically tussled with Louis-Dreyfus' Meyer on a few occasions. Burton's really good at the politician thing, perhaps even better than she was as Meredith Grey's mother Ellis on Grey's Anatomy.

One TV pol who shares some of Meyer's politician DNA but is painfully earnest (in contrast to the uber-cynical Vice President Meyer) is Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) who spent the past season campaigning for a seat on the Pawnee City Council after taking a leave of absence from her post in the Parks and Recreation Department. Knope, a clever and big-hearted candidate, had to match wits with her moronic chief opponent's professional campaign consultant -- another knowledgeable woman -- who played very, very dirty. Knope held her own throughout the season as her campaign had little cash and a tiny volunteer staff, but Knope kicked some serious behind during the big debate, even bested her opponent after he threatened that his father would shut down the big Pawnee candy factory and throw a bunch of people out of work if Knope won. In the end, Knope squeezed out the victory.

Not so lucky was Modern Family's Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) who also campaigned for a spot on the Town Council but had an utterly disastrous debate performance, mostly due to the idiocy of her husband Phil and a Valentine's Day surprise that went terribly awry. The refusal of Town Councilman Duane Bailey to erect a stop sign at a dangerous intersection -- after Dunphy had collected all the necessary signatures from concerned citizens and made an impassioned argument for the sign -- was the catalyst for Dunphy's first bid for elected office. Although Dunphy lost, at least, in the end, her opponent gave her the stop sign she wanted.

As disappointing as it is to learn that all of these programs won't be airing new installments until the fall (or later in the case of Veep), there's at least one new summer show that will make the case that women can flourish in the political realm (or at least stumble around as well as the men do). USA Network's Political Animals will be premiering next month featuring Signourney Weaver as the U.S. Secretary of State and the former wife of a U.S. president who had difficulty keeping his fly zipped. With the exception of the "former" wife part, does the premise ring any bells, right down to her denial that she'll ever run for president . . . again?

Image credits: Carol Kaelson/ABC, TVLine/NBC and Peter "Hopper" Stone/ABC.

Misogynists R Us: They're Republicans AND Democrats

Rush Limbaugh deserves every single shred of vitriol that's being thrown at him for his repeated, vile and reprehensible attacks which he hurled at a Georgetown University law student who testified before a congressional panel arguing that contraception should be covered by health insurers, calling her, among other things, a slut and a prostitute.

Rush, you have philosophical differences of opinion with Sandra Fluke, the law student. So go ahead, slice and dice her arguments, her rationale, her point of view as it relates to the government's role in contraception coverage. But keep it about politics, not the person. Yet, Rush didn't do that and he got himself into "heap big trouble," as he might say. And the trouble was of his own making. He shouldn't be surprised that calling a woman a "slut" and suggesting that she post sex videos of herself on the internet to justify her pro-contraception coverage argument would make his advertisers queasy and prompt them to flee his show like the Titanic, despite his apologies (made only after sustaining serious pressure from his sponsors, thereby nullifying their authenticity).

But as Daily Beast columnist Kirsten Powers pointed out this week, Limbaugh isn't the only bombastic talk machine who's a misogynist and who has gone after a woman on a sexual or physical basis rather than the woman's argument, invoking coarse, sexist language that seems designed to drive women out of the marketplace of ideas, to keep them in their place, which is to serve as wives, mothers and/or sex objects.

So in the wake of Limbaugh's moronic tangents about Fluke, I decided to use Powers' column, which details liberal/Democratic examples of misogyny, as a jumping off point for a little quiz. See if you can discern which sexist attack came from the lips of a liberal/Democrat and which came from a conservative/Republican:

1. Who called a female national radio talk show host a "slut" because he disagreed with her criticism of the president who was drinking brewskis in Ireland as a tornado was ransacking Missouri? A liberal/Democrat or a conservative/Republican?
2. Who used the phrase "bimbo alert" in reference to a female politician shortly after she was named to a prominent position? A liberal/Democrat or conservative/Republican?
3. Who referred to a high profile female politician as a "dumb twat" and the C-word?
4. Who stood by and chuckled as a supporter referred to a female U.S. senator as a "bitch?"
5. Who said of a female politician, "There's just something about her that feels castrating, overbearing and scary?"
6. Who referred to a female politician as a "she-devil" who looked "witchy," referred to her as "Nurse Ratchet" and remarked that her voice "can grate on some men when they listen to it, fingernails on a blackboard?"
7. Who asked a female politician on a national news program, "Breast implants, did you have them or not?"
8. Who suggested that a powerful female politician should be taken into a room by a presidential nominating convention super-delegate "and only he comes out?"

Answers:

1. The liberal MSNBC host Ed Schultz called conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham a "talk slut" and a "right-wing slut."
2. Again, our friend Schultz in 2008, days after she was named as John McCain's running mate, called Sarah Palin an "empty pantsuit" who was a walking "bimbo alert," according to the Washington Post.
3. Comedian/talk show host Bill Maher, who donated $1 million to President Obama's Super-PAC, hurled those epithets at Palin, according to Mediaite.
4. Republican Arizona Senator John McCain said, "That's an excellent question," after a supporter asked him during the last presidential campaign, "How do we beat the bitch?" referring to fellow U.S. senator Hillary Clinton, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
5. Conservative Republican then-MSNBC host Tucker Carlson attacked Clinton as "castrating," the Post-Intelligencer said. 
6. Liberal MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews has, on a number of occasions, slammed Clinton in a sexist fashion, according to the Daily Kos.
7. Fox News Channel talk show host Greta van Susteren asked Palin about the "buzz" on the internet about whether she had breast implants, the Huffington Post reported.
8. Then-MSNBC liberal talk show host Keith Olbermann said this about Clinton, the Huffington Post said.

The conclusion:

There's rampant, over-the-top sexism and a focus on women as a collection of body parts and sexual objects in the media and American political arena. Period. (Watch the documentary Miss Representation if you question this.) And, for all the justified criticism directed at Limbaugh, it needs to be noted that the sexism comes from both the left and the right. They are equal opportunity offenders when it comes to women and we should, together, turn all of these misogynists into pariahs, not just the conservative/Republican ones. All of them.

Image credit: Name It, Change It.

Notes on Pop Culture/Politics: The Fashion/Sexism Edition

Did Ya See That Lady in White (She Happens to be a Presidential Candidate)

Hey, Michele Bachmann wore white at the GOP debate the other night. Oh, and she had pretty, manicured nails. The other people on the panel, all men . . . who cares what they were wearing, right? Who cares what Bachmann was saying because her an interesting ensemble and nails spoke for her!

Based on media coverage of Bachmann’s appearance – and the conspicuous lack of similar attention to her male counterparts’ appearances – the anti-sexism advocacy group Name It Change It has called the media folks out on their treatment of the congresswoman:

“The fact that her clothing, face and nails continue to be called ‘distracting’ underscores a more insidious desire: for her to just stop distracting everyone with her problematic body and go away. That’s sexism.”

Amen sista.

Please Watch/Record ‘Miss Representation’ Documentary

Speaking of media sexism, the outstanding documentary Miss Representation will be premiering tonight on the OWN Network (Oprah Winfrey Network) at 9 p.m. DVR it. Watch it live. Whatever you do, just make some time to see it. It’s powerful and important, especially if you a) Are a woman and/or b) Are raising children in this media-saturated climate.

The collective power of all the statistics the film offers about women in media and politics, as well as the voices of the women interviewed in the documentary leaves a lasting impression. By the end, you'll see the way in which females are treated by the media quite differently than you did before. I waxed all things positive about this documentary and on the impact of culturally accepted media sexism on kids in my Pop Culture and Politics column here.

Dolled Up For School

As if on cue, an article in today’s Style section of the New York Times drives home points made by Miss Representation. The piece sends the message to mothers (pointedly not to fathers) that when they drop their kids off at school, they’d better be dressed to impress lest they prompt people to lament their obvious lack of fashion sense and self esteem.

The article profiled New York City mothers who show up to their children's schools in what appears to be mandatory high heels (or expensive ballet flats), pricey couture and fully done hair and makeup so that they won’t embarrass their offspring and, in the process, make a good impression on their peers. “Outside many of the schools’ buildings, parents wait in line to enter with their children,” the article said, “a configuration that lends itself to label-gazing.”

The article quoted a mother of two who writes a fashion blog as saying, “The first day of school, at drop-off, is the big sort of kickoff. Everyone looks amazing . . . [Later in the school year] it’s okay to look like an unmade bed at drop-off. But by pick-up, if that woman is still in her yoga pants, we keep counseling the woman to put something else on, at least for pick-up.” Because school is about a mommy fashion show, not children’s education, right?

It’s worth noting that it was in this same section of the newspaper that only two weeks ago advised women that if they want to climb the career ladder, they’d best don lipstick, mascara, blush, facial powder and eyeliner. “Want more respect, trust and affection from your co-workers?” an article asked. “Wearing makeup -- but not gobs of Gaga-conspicuous makeup – apparently can help. It increases people’s perceptions of a woman’s likability, her competence and (provided she does not overdo it) her trustworthiness, according to a new study, which also confirmed what is obvious: that cosmetics boost a woman’s attractiveness.”

I repeat: You should REALLY see (or record) Miss Representation about how women are indeed judged superficially and not by the content of their character.

Image credit: Huffington Post.

Notes on Pop Culture: 'Miss Representation' Broke My Heart

Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

I recently saw a screener of the documentary Miss Representation – slated to air on the OWN (Oprah) Network in October and currently being shown in limited screenings around the country -- and it reminded a great deal of a documentary I saw way back in the Stone Ages when I was sitting in a university sociology class as a student watching Dr. Jean Kilbourne’s Still Killing Us Softly documentary (there have since been more versions made) about how advertising depicts women as things, as sexual objects and creates a feeling among women that they can never, ever be good enough to compete with the phony, inhuman versions of femininity peddled by the advertising world that commodifies them and their bodies and debases their intelligence. Later, a UMass-Amherst Communications professor, Sut Jhally produced the first of many documentaries about how music videos transformed women into purely sexual, mindless objects for men to possess, consume and master.

Now, two decades later, these problems that I first pondered as a university student have only worsened.

And along came Miss Representation, the documentary which demonstrates how the degrading, oversexualized, trivializing depiction of women in the media and pop culture affects women and girls, as well as what negative impact the media’s messages have on women’s attempts to climb into the upper echelons of political and business power. From contemporary advertising and reality TV shows making women look like sex on two legs, to the news media’s treatment of women politicians and business leaders, Miss Representation piles example after example on top of each other, creating layers of angst, hatred and marginalization which, when consumed by the female half of the species, does tremendous damage.

An assortment of some of horrifying bits from this documentary:

• 53 percent of 13-year-old girls say they are unhappy with their bodies. When those girls reach age 17, 78 percent are unhappy with them.
• “Girls seen as objects by other people, they learn to see themselves as objects.”
• Seven-year-olds say they want to become president in roughly the same numbers among boys and girls. But by the time they reach age 15, the number of girls who wants to be president drops off precipitously. “Women are discouraged from pursuing ambitious positions.”
• In pop culture, these messages are driven home. Hard. Only 16 percent of protagonists are female. “Mainstream movies are mostly stories about men’s lives.” Of the so-called “chick flicks,” the documentary filmmaker said that many of those movies revolve around a woman getting a man or being taken down a peg, or humiliated in some way.
• On TV and in film, if a woman is depicted as powerful, she’s typically a “bitch” or has sacrificed love and family for her career. One Oscar winning male screenwriter said that woman are portrayed by Hollywood as “cartoons, not complex human beings.”
• When women are “empowered” in pop culture, that generally translates into them flaunting ample skin and body parts, being thoroughly sexed up, in other words, objectified, existing, as one commentator said, “for the male viewer.”
• The people who call the shots in Hollywood in terms of TV and movies are nearly all male, with women comprising a paltry 16 percent of all writers, directors, producers, cinematographers and editors.
• Female TV journalists face pressure to get Botox, wear sexy clothing, lots of makeup and act in a sexual manner, while female politicians face demeaning insults and inquiries about their looks, sexuality, clothing, sexual proclivities, voices, maternity and their hormones. “A woman in power is often seen as a negative thing,” one commentator said.
• While Condoleezza Rice said when she heard people questioning if Hillary Clinton was tough enough to be president in 2008, she thought, “I’ve known plenty of men who weren’t tough enough to be commander in chief, but they weren’t asked that question.” Meanwhile Sarah Palin was “pornified” by the national media in 2008 with some calling her a ditz and one man on a TV talk show saying she’s “masturbation material.” News photographers took photos of members of the audience at Palin’s events as seen through Palin’s legs.
• The average number of news stories about women and girls is less than 20 percent.

This doesn’t seem to end. Just this past week I eviscerated JCPenney’s ill-fated, ragingly sexist T-shirt, aimed at elementary school girls which said, “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.” Though the retailer pulled the shirt off their web site after people protested, in my Mommy Tracked column this week I made the point that things like this only reinforce the assertions made in Miss Representation.

Throw in the fact that I’d recently read an article in the New York Times telling women like me that I should start worrying about getting “cleavage wrinkles,” to my observation that after the Women’s Pro Soccer league had its final in New York and there wasn’t a full news story about the championship in the New York Times Sports section, and to seeing GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann mocked for wearing what one web site felt was “ugly shoes” and it’s enough to really, really make me steamed, frustrated and ready for a change, ready to say, “No mas.”

Meryl Streep as Thatcher in 'Iron Lady' Trailer

Given my previous blog entry about the documentary Miss Representation, which examines how women are depicted in the media and the impact of seeing very few women in leadership positions on the gender composition of our elected leadership, this new "teaser" trailer for the film The Iron Lady, starring the fantastic Meryl Streep is right on the money.

In this short peek, Streep's Margaret Thatcher is being told that her hat, her pearls and her voice are all strikes against her if she were going to seriously run for office. Love her push-back.

‘Miss Representation’ Documentary: I Want to See This Really Badly

Newest Miss Representation Trailer (a 2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from on Vimeo.

Not only do I want to see this film, Miss Representation – a 2011 Sundance official film festival selection – because I write and am interested in the intersection of pop culture and politics, but because I’m the mother of an impressionable 12, almost 13-year-old girl who’s soaking all of this in and trying to figure out where she fits in in the world of today’s girls.

As the mother of two boys – one age 12, almost 13, and another almost 10 – I wonder about the messages that they receive about girls’ and women’s roles in the world.

For example, after the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup and there was a celebratory parade in Boston – which my 9-year-old son and my husband attended – my daughter asked me whether there’ve been any parades for female athletes and if not, why not. She’s lived through Boston parades for the Red Sox (twice), the Patriots and the Celtics, all of which we watched on TV or attended.

I had no answer for her, none that would be satisfactory.

Though we’ve all, as a family, been watching the Women’s World Cup games, it’s hard for me to justify or explain to her why the women receive precious little coverage in the sports pages of the newspaper as compared to when the USA men’s team was in contention.

I really want to see this documentary.

Tell Me That This Provocative Trailer Doesn't: 1) Move You & 2) Make You Want to See Documentary

This documentary, Miss Representation, about the impact of the media's depiction of women in sexual terms, was featured at the 2011 Sundance film festival and is now being featured in select screenings around the country.

While it's slated to air on the OWN network -- Oprah's station -- in the fall, the filmmakers are making the DVD available to civic groups for educational purposes. From the documentary's web site:

"As one of the most persuasive and pervasive forces in our culture, media is educating yet another generation that a woman’s primary value lay in her youth, beauty and sexuality — not in her capacity as a leader, making it difficult for women to obtain leadership positions and for the average girl to feel confident herself. Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, academics, and activists like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Jackson Katz, Jean Kilbourne and Gloria Steinem build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave audiences shaken and armed with a new perspective."

I'm hoping to get a screener because, as a mother of a young girl, this trailer completely to got me.