The Evolution of The Female Role in Media.

By: James Haggerty

  Since television first started it seems like women have always gotten the shorter end of the stick. Whether it's not having a job at all, and only doing things around the house, or having a job that could somewhat be considered demeaning in comparison to a job a man might have. Receptionists, nurses, assistants, etc.

  Even when the females were given jobs or something important to do, usually they were shown to be incompetent, and therefore "unworthy" of the job or task given.

   Most shows originally were written and casted to appeal to men. For example, The Mary Tyler Moore Show features Mary Tyler Moore (Obviously), who at the time was seen as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. The show also features another beautiful woman as a main character, and a not so intimidating man to somewhat level the playing field, and make man viewers a bit more confident about themselves. 

  As time continued to pass, (too much time to be honest), women's roles in the media finally started to grow in a real and noticeable way. Roseanne's character in her show was a normal seeming mom, who works hard, properly raises a family, and does all the female stereotypes seamlessly. She also cleverly calls out these hypocrisies many times in the show, while still proving to be competent.

  Just as Roseanne had started with her T.V. show, female roles began changing towards the early 2000's. Many cliché's in cinema and television had started becoming so noticeable that it's cringe inducing, even for men. An example of overcoming clichés is the film "Enough" starring Jennifer Lopez. She starts off as a waitress who is brought into the stereotypical housewife role, when she moves in with her very wealthy lover. Everything seems perfect at first, but things start  to go sour for her and she begins to realize he is not who she thought he was. She eventually has to fight for her life but outsmarts her abusive lover, uncommon for a woman to do in films.

  A strong, charismatic, and most importantly smart female character is becoming more and more prevalent every day it seems. This picture is from "10 Cloverfield Lane" where the main character is possibly the smartest main character I have seen in a film, let alone female character.

  Finally, fortunately there is a decent amount of strong lead female characters in films today. "Rey" from the recent "Star Wars The Force Awakens" is a perfect example of the capabilities of a strong female lead. She proves she can take care of herself, is very reliable, and a great leader, even when speaking to fellow men.

  Overall, the problem with female roles being misleading is getting better every year it seems. However there is much room to improve, and it all starts with close observation and analysis of our favorite shows and films, and generally anything in the media.