Thursday is my favorite day of the week because it’s the day that TGIT comes on. For those of you who don’t know, TGIT is a lineup of Shonda Rhimes’ famous TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, How to Get Away With Murder and previously Scandal. Through these shows, Shonda Rhimes manages to weave a web of inspiring female leads. From Olivia Pope to Annalise Keating and Meredith Grey to Andy Herrera, these female leads never fail to put themselves first and always stand up for what they believe in.
Related: 5 Social Issues Grey’s Anatomy Highlights
Since I grew up watching Disney movies, I noticed that the princess always ended up getting rescued by the prince. I started to expect these patterns to show up on other TV shows that I watched. This all changed for me in the little moments when I saw Meredith focus on her work and kids after Derek died and how she didn’t feel the need to be saved from her grief. I learned that Olivia Pope is a legend and not even the President of the United States could stop her from being whom she wanted to be. I saw Andy Herrera run against the man she loved to be captain of the fire department. I witnessed Annalise Keating fight for her career at her lowest moment and, when faced with adversity, never lost sight of fighting for injustice. Nobody saved these women, they were their own heroines.
Shonda Rhimes also does a fantastic job with the representation of communities that are not always portrayed in a positive light on television. Dr. Arizona and Dr. April from Grey’s have been praised by critics because they are a representation of the lesbian community and the Catholic community. Andy Herrera from Station 19 is of Hispanic descent and we don’t see a lot of Hispanic women leads in the media.
Apart from creating influential TV shows, Rhimes also teamed up with the Dove company to release a film called “An Hour With Her,” which focused on women talking about the definitions of beauty in their community. Shonda Rhimes never fails to amaze me when it comes to the amazing work that she does. She is truly a blessing to humankind.
Via Giphy