patriarchy

On TV, there's a new guard of heroines calling the shots. From chipper Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation to fractured Carrie Mathison on Homeland to narcissistic Amy Jellicoe on Enlightened, we see women anchoring our favorite shows. So what makes these characters so often cringe-worthy?

In The New Yorker, TV critic Emily Nussbaum took note of this new small screen female archetype, the Hummingbird:

They’re different ages; some are more manic, some sweeter or more sour...But they do share traits: they’re idealistic feminine dreamers whose personalities are irritants. They are not merely spunky, but downright obsessive. And most crucially, these are not minor characters. On each show, the Hummingbird is a protagonist—an alienating-yet-sympathetic figure whose struggles are taken seriously and considered meaningful.

At first glance, this seems like a mere gender shift from the lauded male antiheroes whom TV audiences have embraced. Think Tony Soprano, Dexter, Don Draper, and Walter "Heisenberg" White. And to some extent, it's true: Contemporary audiences love to root for the bad guy, so why not the overwhelmingly eager woman?

Pussy Riot is an anti-authoritarian feminist punk band. So why have they become the rallying cry of the international patriarchy?

 

Here are ten songs (kinda, sorta) about patriarchy, because, deep down inside, isn't pretty much every song about patriarchy?

Hi there! I’m Rachel McCarthy James. In most internet-type contexts I go by RMJ. I write and edit the recently-revived feminist blog Deeply Problematic, and I’m here to talk to y’all about some TELEVISION. Read on for some thoughts about Television, in general!