Scandalously Feminist

In Lana F. Rakow’s excerpt Feminist Approaches to Popular Culture: Giving Patriarchy its Due, she discusses one of her main ideas about feminism is through Image and Representations Approach. Within this section she poses four questions for the reader to review when looking at how feminism is portrayed in popular culture. The main takeaway point from that section is when Friedan states “mass media industries who focus on the fact at popular culture images are for the most part men’s images of women.”

The four questions that are to be considered when looking into popular culture are: What kinds of images are present and what do those images reveal about women’s position in the culture? Whose images are they and whom do they serve? What are the consequences of those images? How do such images have meaning? These questions can be answered with significant response due in part to the increase of feminism displayed in mass media.

In history a women’s role was defined by what a man envisions it to be, a housewife. The women of the house are intended to cater to the needs and wants of the family and the men are to uphold the role of the provider for the family. As times are changing so are the ideals behind that concept, although women still struggle to attain respect from there male counterparts for more than the housewife idea there is still progress being made and it is shown through mass media.

Currently in todays society there are examples of strong feminism displayed in mass media especially in television. For example, the popular TV show Scandal. The setting of the show is centered on an affluent successful African-American woman, Olivia Pope. She is portrayed as a ambitious and motivational driven in her work. Olivia Pope is represented in a vey high social standing for women and women of color, with a majority of the show taking place at the White House. The setting reveals to viewers that women can strive to uphold positions of male dominated settings, or in areas of high value in the eyes of society.

The concept behind the show gives off more benefits than costs for women. Almost every episode throughout the series depicts Olivia Pope aiding women and destroying the barriers that have been built to restrain women. One episode in particular, the former first lady resurfaces and is speaks of the impact that she had for the White House. She informs Mellie Grant, the current first lady that she had conducted the majority of political affairs for the her husband, the then current president, but she will not be recognized for her actions because she was only the wife to the president.  This message shows that society will give praise where praise is not deserved solely based on gender.

Overall, Olivia Pope’s career is one of what most women strive to obtain in the real world. She embodies the idea that women can enact change in a man-dominated work force.

These images allow viewers to see that women can achieve more than the housewife task that society enforces. For example, Her willpower to stand up for what she believes in constructs the idea for women that your voice can be heard.