This past month Amazon Prime released a television show titled Good Girls Revolt. The show chronicles several women at a New York City based newspaper during 1969 and 1970. The show may depict a more lighthearted version of a true story about women fighting for equal earnings and opportunities in the journalism workforce, however, the strong female cast drives the ambition and bravery of the real life women. Critics have been comparing this show to Mad Men as both are saturated with sexism. But Mad Men is missing the power struggle between genders and the physical action to gain equal opportunities and pay which embody the theme of the ladies at the fictional News of the Week newspaper. The show takes a while to reveal the many different layers between the relationships between the characters and the women’s desire to form a more feminist identity within their workplace, but also themselves. The women stretch the boundaries of their previously made opinions to create a new identity influenced by the response to the Women’s movement, domestic abuse, and race.
The show is released at an interesting time in American current events when a countless amount of stories are released about women being sexually assaulted, the gender wage gap, or even the pink tax. One can argue that the identity of the American woman is changing just like it did in the 1960’s and 70’s. There have been active women who have raised the importance of women’s rights in our generation, but there are still many strides that need to be made. The term “feminists” has drawn negativity because of the historical context that it can represent. Celebrities and other notable figures have openly stated they do not recognize themselves as being a feminist, which is perfectly fine. However, I hope people realize that being a feminist is more than just burning your bra, but it is about standing up for your beliefs and not stopping until you consider yourself to be successful and equal. The women wanted to simply be reporters, to fulfill their own dreams. Good Girls Revolt is not just a historical based series, but the show reveals an active view of feminism that can be translated into our own era and the modern American woman.
Watch the trailer here!