I decided for this post that i’d watch one of my favorite series, Mad men. Mad men takes place during the 60’s and highlights the social upheaval for both men and women at the time. One of the characters that really stuck out to me in this series was Joan, she started off as a office manager and initially believed that she wanted to find a husband and quit her job so that she could be a “respectable” housewife. Of course many women at the time were expected to do so. In fact in the 60’s people assumed that the only reason a women would work is if they failed to find a man to support them. The reason why I like Joan’s character is because she rejected these expectations and decided to work anyways. As I stated earlier Joan started off thinking she wanted what was expected of her from society, however as time passed and responsibilities grew so did she. She turned out to be a strong individual that didn’t need a man to lead a happy life. In fact she eventually divorced her husband and it didn’t effect her negatively one bit. I think what would have been the most damaging thing that could have happened to Joan was not working. Not working would have meant that she would have lost the excitement and validation she got from running the administrative side of the advertising agency. Not only that but, without her job she wouldn’t have had been able to leave her husband in the first place, thus no independence or freedom. It goes to show that the societal norms in the 60’s actually held women back from being financially independent / individually free. Those brave women that chose to work despite the stigma learned this truth firsthand and were better for it.

HBO’s “Insecure” is the perfect depiction of modern day womanhood. This show not only gave a voice to women of color, but also opened up honest conversations about dating, colorism, navigating life in a city and so much more. The main character Issa, who has her natural hair, is one of the most desirble characters on the show. For that to be shown on TV, a woman to be desirable with natural hair is a big step up. Oftentimes on television, we are shown that women with long and flowy hair are the only ones considered desirable and especially within the black community, television often tries to conform women that they are only desirable with a specific hair type, when in reality that is not the case. With two female protagonists, we see how each of them try to navigate their lives in very relatable ways. Each character has different experiences and work lives but we still are able to see their similar experiences with sexism and racism at the workplace. Both protagonists who are extremely intelligent go through very real experiences and sometimes handle them better than other times but it feels so genuine to how real women experience life. The show takes a really interesting take on relationships and shows how a relationsip lives after the honeymoon phase and how media influences like pornography and music videos can really take a toll on a relationship. These are relatively newer issues in today’s world and the show’s way of highlighting these issues and legitimizing them is a big deal for everyone. Not only is it an accurate depiction of womanhood, it shows the genuine awkwardness that many people deal with. It’s the most real way of depicting a woman, especially in Hollywood. We are always taught through the media that women should be poised, not too loud, not awkward, not outgoing and not in control of their romantic relationships. We are taught women shouldn’t have sexual desires nonetheless verbalize them. The two protagonists, Issa and Molly do have awkward moments, they are outgoing, they are in control of their relationships. This show is just such a healthy depiction of real life. The characters have healthy relationships with themselves while also showing some dark moments, but they do not let their struggles define them. Issa’s form of self expression is through rap songs she sings to herself in the mirror, they are sometimes an uplifting pep talk, or sometimes a run down of her current emotions. It’s healthy to see when she has issues, she does not have to run to someone to fix them and she has a healthy relationship with herself in order to express her feelings.

Set in the 1950s-60, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a three series long sitcom that follows the life of Midge Maisel, a young upper class jewish woman growing up on the Upper West Side. Midge lives a seemingly “grand” lifestyle ; married, two kids, her own home, and no real financial woes for four years up until the day her husband decides to pack up and leave her. It is at this point that Midge turns to comedy as an outlet for her pain and as a way to shed light on the ways in which women are meant to feel, speak, and even act within society. At this particular period in time, women (especially those within the Jewish community) were expected to hold a place in the household as a wife and mother while their husbands worked hard to support their affluent lifestyles. This dynamic is clearly displayed throughout the series through the relationship shared between Midge’s parents Abe & Rose Weissman. A genuine (and hilariously entertaining) relationship/marriage indeed but, one that almost comes across as “tolerated” to a certain degree. Rose even attempted to leave Abe at a point and flee to Paris to which he responded by making his way to Paris to demand she return home to her position as his wife. Saying all this to say, Midge takes her own personal experiences and upbringing to make audiences aware of the unrealistic expectations set for women in the 1950s-60s.

If a feminist and anti-racist activism succeeded and we live in a more egalitarian and less oppressive world, I would wake up to the birds singing. I would wake up even more gleeful to start in a world that I know if for me and not against me. I would be more optimistic and feel safer and so would many other people. My mornings would be normal, but I would wake up praying for it to never end. In this ideal world, I would not take anything for granted, knowing how much sacrifices and struggles it took to get to this state. I would imagine it being a world similar to how it was before Eve ate the apple-blind to our flaws and content with each other. Peaceful. My brother could go about his day without fearing for his life because of his race. My mom would no longer seek to shelter her only daughter. I would be more willing to experience new things.

My average day would consist of going to class with more hope and being able to focus and work harder without having to worry or stress over these social issues. CUNY would offer more intense and confrontational classes on these issues. However, these issues might be eliminated systematically, but it is hard to remove it mentally. I would still come home being annoyed about the ignorant minds, but I will feel better knowing that it cannot extend beyond their thoughts.