3 women, 3 great TV shows

A show for every mood.

I hate the phrase “strong female character”. I understand the intent, but also, the fastest way to turn any potential consumer off a cultural product is to reduce it to marketing speak, a catch-all term meant to encompass a complex set of messages, all obviously designed to target ‘us’. And by ‘us’ I mean any viewer who wants to see real, human women on screen rather than sexed-up, overblown or underbaked caricatures.

‘Real’ women, to borrow another cringe-inducing phrase, can be sexy, or funny, or boring by turns. Depending on the time of day, the situation, or any number of factors, we might be angry, silly, resigned, joyful, jealous, hopeful, none or all of these at the same time. We’re strong and weak; perfect, and also flawed – because that’s how humans operate.

Advertisement