|
|
With the
spread of the women's movement in the 1970's, the television industry
spawned a new type of character: a "supposedly" feminist, single, working
woman. Beginning with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which doned the
first single working women in a title role, and extending it to shows
like The Bionic Woman, and Charlie's Angels, viewers were
bombarded with images of women who, on the surface, challenged the
traditional gender roles that were woven into the storylines of most of
the television shows prior to this period of time. Although these new
characters seemed to have been an answer to the dreams of the women
involved in the Women's Movement, who pressed for such things as an end
to sexism and an acceptance of the working women, apparently these images
were not nessecarily a positive response to their endless efforts. By
looking at some of the images presented in three shows: The Bionic
Woman,The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Charlie's Angels,
comparing them to the 1970's society and by examining some facets of the
television world, one can see just how the powerful television industry
seemed to have undermined the efforts and images of women in the 1970's,
and turned them into "Dingbats" (Klemesrud D-15) who prefer to make their
mark, not with a
"Roar," but with a "purr."
To begin my exploration of 1970's television, I would like to
first
examine the state of society in the 1970's, including what seems to have
been the start of
this new trend
in television: The Women's Movement. Turn the page to see what I found.
