The Future Isn't Female in the World of Television

Television series such as "The Handmaid's Tale" have the right idea about showcasing the issues of women's rights. However, too often, those shows rely on graphic scenes in order to highlight women's struggles.

In television, complex female characters and their issues are on the rise, but there are still many shows that fail to represent women’s struggles accurately.

In television, complex female characters and their issues are on the rise, but there are still many shows that fail to represent women’s struggles accurately. In an article from Medium, Rachael Wayne stated that one problem with strong female characters is that “they often have masculine traits.” While female characters having male characteristics not inherently bad, Wayne believes that the strength of those female characters is associated with physical strength rather than the values they believe in.

In “Buffy and the Vampire Slayer,” created by Joss Whedon, Buffy is loyal to her friends, loves her family, and is physically strong, yet she is also arrogant. However, she suffers from three problematic relationships, including one toxic and codependent relationship with ex-boyfriend Riley. Buffy’s lack of stable romantic interests highlights one downfall of the strong female character trope, where lead female characters often do not participate in ‘feminine’ traits or have steady romantic prospects in favor of physical strength.

One major pitfall of female characters in television is the prevalence of sexual violence that they experience. In shows like “Game of Thrones,” female suffering is criticized because it is positioned as entertainment rather than an examination of female oppression. Television shows like “Game of Thrones” have a consistent problem of balancing the line between voyeuristic torture and examining realistic misogynistic practices.

The popular Hulu drama “The Handmaid’s Tale,” is one such example. Although praised for its ability to highlight misogyny, is not immune to the criticism of their second season that the amplified violence against women is used for shock value. The Guardian suggests that the bleak outlook for females in Gilead is meant to “achieve a kind of catharsis that will spur us onwards to greater action,” but the continuous graphic violence against women turns viewers off of the show. The second season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” makes women viewers wonder if this feminist show is beginning to follow the troublesome troupe of using sexual violence to target strong female characters.

On the one hand, the violence that the Handmaids experience is inherently sexual due to the childbearing position they hold in Gilead’s society. However, television shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale” follow the stereotype where the bravery of the heroine is praised due to her inherent victim status. In this case, the Handmaids are ‘brave’ because they continue on despite the graphic sexual, physical, and emotional abuse the women experience in every episode.

Consent and Television

Contrary to the high-drama shows like “Game of Thrones” or “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the Syfy fantasy drama, “The Magicians,” tackles sexual assault, trauma, and mental health among females with depth. The main thesis of “The Magicians” is that magic doesn’t come from natural born talent, but rather from deep pain, as said in the very beginning of season one. While every character on the television series uses magic in order to escape from their past trauma, the overall tone of the show is hopeful and realistic. Early on, the characters understand that magic doesn’t solve their problems, and that they have to put in the work themselves to fix their internal issues. The central premise of “The Magicians” is never clearer when it discusses the rape that protagonist Julia Wicker experiences. At the end of season one, Wicker experiences sexual assault at the hands of a trickster god, and the deep rooted effects of this trauma continue well into season four. In fact, the assault is never used as a plot device or a motivating factor for the male main character, Quentin Coldwater.

Wicker’s essential personality and characteristics are not altered due to the assault, but neither is the rape trivialized and ignored by her or the other characters.

Wicker’s growth across four seasons, from soulless antagonist to goddess using her newfound powers to heal others, projects back to the assault she experienced. Wicker’s essential personality and characteristics are not altered due to the assault, but neither is the rape trivialized and ignored by her or the other characters. In the fourth season, Wicker is able to explore her sexuality and the prospect of romantic love, leading her to live a full life that is not defined by the assault. Unlike the majority of television shows and movies, Wicker choses to help others rather than enact revenge, and in a closing declaration, she states, “I’m not a flower or a delicate piece of glass. I’m a person. And people heal.”

Similarly, Netflix’s high school dramedy “Sex Education” has taken the leap to write about sex, consent, romantic love, and platonic relationships among adolescents with refreshing honesty. High school student Otis Milburn is an awkward teenager who starts running a sex counseling service for students to discuss their fears and anxieties, with consent being a major theme in the clinic. Although Otis is the protagonist, Maeve Wiley and the other female characters are the real stars of the show.

When Wiley is asked by her crush what she’s ‘into,’ Wiley answers with a smile, “Complex female characters.” This statement is the focal point of the show, as each individual female character is never bogged down by stereotypes. Even Ruby, the resident ‘mean girl,’ gets her own arc when an exposing photo of her is anonymously sent out to the entire school. When Ruby faces the threat of reveal, the girls band together and do not victim-blame or slut-shame her for taking and sending the photos.

In the second season of "Sex Education," the main thesis of this show is brought to the forefront after a main character experiences sexual assault while riding the bus. Due to the assault, Aimee is unable to ride the bus and begins walking the long trek to her school, rather than tell anyone what happened. A moment of catharsis comes when Aimee finally opens up to the other supporting female characters and protagonists while stuck in detention. In a show of solidarity, the women show up at her stop the next day to ride the school bus with her.

Eating Disorders and Television

Moreover, the majority of television programs like “Degrassi” and “Skins” do not successfully depict the real experience of living with an eating disorder. In “Full House,” an episode titled “Shape Up” dealt with the pitfalls of crash dieting. DJ Tanner overworks her body with intense exercise, which causes her to feel sick. She later comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t need peer-pressure dieting to feel beautiful. Although this brief view of eating disorders was commendable in the early 90’s, DJ’s one-episode problem oversimplifies the serious problem of eating disorders in young females.

Modern-day shows like “Degrassi” or “Skins” often depicted the realistic and long- lasting psychological effects of eating disorders through main characters Emma and Cassie, respectively, with some limitations. Cassie's character arc has long been criticized for romanticizing eating disorders and relapse. In fact, at the end of her arc, there is no clear statement that she has recovered from her eating disorder or is potentially on the road to recovery. Emma's eating disorder, while tackled appropriately, only lasted two episodes, with a brief mention in another episode later on in the season.

Mental Health and Television

“Thirteen Reasons Why,” a Netflix drama series based on the book by Jay Asher, has tackled sexual assault and mental health issues in adolescents. However, the critically acclaimed show has been slammed for using sexual violence as shock value. In season one, Jessica Davis and Hannah Baker are two main characters that experience rape and sexual assault. Then again, in season two, Tyler is sexually assaulted by Monty, who abuses Tyler as an outlet for his anger. All three assaults are shown graphically on screen, and some critics suggest that those scenes were too violent and not necessary, regardless of the fact that they highlighted male sexual assault.

The pivotal scene of Hannah Baker committing sucicide has been met with outrage and a call to boycott the show. After much outcry, the producers of the show agreed to get rid of the graphic scene and limit the action shown. In an article for Vox, Constance Grady has stated that the scene of Hannah Baker killing herself borders on voyeurism, which has been a consistent harmful trope for female characters who experience pain or sexual assault. Indeed, Baker and Davis' sexual assault have been criticized for bordering on voyeurism for its graphic content.

Grady contends that the point of those scenes is to demonstrate that “this is happening to a human body, and it is unpleasant, and it hurts.” Those scenes are uncomfortable to watch, in order to highlight the seriousness of suicide and sexual assault. However, in doing so, they are complicit in the harmful tropes against female characters.

Ultimately, television shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale” have good intentions, but their intention can fall flat when graphic scenes that are meant to shine a light on misogyny goes too far. Luckily, there has been an increase in television shows like “The Magicians” and “Sex Education” that do not follow those tropes.