Before discussing The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bridesmaids, and the common themes before the two, I feel it's important to clearly define two concepts: hegemony and patriarchy. Hegemony can be described as the various different ways a dominant ideology in a society can remain dominant, and how that dominant ideology remains in power through gaining the acceptance of those who oppose the dominant ideology or who are oppressed by that ideology. Hegemony, however, can be shifted. Television and movies are one way this change can occur, as the programs and films of our time begin to shifting in slow, minor ways to be accepted when presented to the masses. An example of this would be the more common appearance of queer individuals functioning in normal, day to day roles in film and television (rather than appearing as second class citizens or as the comedic relief because of their queerness) as our society becomes more accepting of the queer community.
Patriarchy is essentially the power of male privilege in a society; the patriarchy can determine what women can and cannot do, the power women can and cannot have, the the roles in a society women can and cannot play. In relationship to hegemony. patriarchy is one of the dominant ideologies within the American culture. Patriarchy is seen and reinforced through all forms of media, and is particularly dominant in television and film. Women are accepted as often being portrayed as subservient to men, as docile, as uneducated, as sexualized, as comedic relief, as objects, as property, or as sexual conquests designed specifically for the male characters. Very often, anything straying beyond these stereotypes is considered radical or undesirable.
Bonnie Dow's article discusses that while The Mary Tyler Moore Show could be considered strongly feminist, ahead of its time, and radical, when the show is broken down and deconstructed, is still manages to adhere to the cultural hegemony of its time and stay within the set boundaries of the patriarchy.
Initially, Mary Richards breaks away from the traditional "housewife" stereotype commonly seen on TV at the time. She is an intelligent, independent, single working woman with a high status position. This type of character was unheard of at the time The Mary Tyler Moore Show was aired, when the domestication of women in television was still very prominent (domestication of women in television is still prevalent today, but we'll save that for another time).
Despite Mary's stereotype shattering ways, her character still remains relatively in check with the dominant hegemony of patriarchy. Mary takes on the roles of both daughter and nurturer (mother-wife) to her boss and supervisor, Lou. While Mary is strong and independent, she still fulfills the familiar roles women are expected by many viewers to fulfill.
- Mary receiving fatherly advice from Lou -
Another example of this “radical, but no so radical when we really look at it” hegemony is the movie “Bridesmaids,” written by Kristen Wigg, who also stars as the main character, Annie. Like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, at first glance, “Bridesmaids” is can be considered a feminist movie with radically progressive themes in regards to female portrayals in the media. Annie is a struggling, single woman who is helping her best friend plan a wedding. As the story line progresses, Annie's situation worsens, until she finally comes to accept she has hit rock bottom in her life, and begins to take steps to rectify her situation. In particular, Annie sabotages her relationship with her best friend to the point where the friendship is ended. By the end of the film, Annie has reunited with her best friend and is moving forward in her life.
- Bridesmaids pushing traditional patriarchal boundaries -
However the Annie and the plot line only finds true redemption when her romantic interest, Rhodes, forgives her, accepts her as she is and decides to enter a romantic relationship with her. Essentially, it isn't until Annie "gets the guy" that the story reaches a point where it can come to a conclusion.
- Annie seeks comfort and approval from Rhodes -
Both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Bridesmaids find a happy middle ground for viewers - not frighteningly feminist, but not stereotypically sexist either. Feminists are thrilled with the strong themes and progression shown within the film and show, while more conservative viewers are placated with situations they can relate to (in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary's nurturing, and in Bridesmaids Annie needing a man to "end the story" with). In addition to this, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Bridesmaids were wildly popular with both female and male viewers.
This is how the hegemony is shifted. The more common these themes become in our media, the easier the ideas are accepted. It's important to note that both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Bridesmaids were made as mainstream pieces of media; they were not intended to be in-your-face, smash-the-patriarchy, feminist showpieces, but were essentially made to make money.
So there's that bottom line again. I understand this is a slow process, and that the strides the feminist media has taken are massive, but again I find myself asking how long it will take. To me, the difference between the bottom line I discussed in advertising last week and the bottom line in the movie and film discussed in this blog is that the movie and film are actively making the change, while for the most part, advertising is remaining passive.
I feel that if the feminist movement within the media continues to produce films and television shows that push back on the hegemony around us and continue to cross the boundaries of the patriarchy, we're well on our way to the societal standards place on women changing. The best way to encourage this change is to continue to support and promote this kind of media and to demand more. Keep pushing back on the patriarchy, keep affecting that bottom line.
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