Doll parts: Where are TVs positive female role models? ber15,2010 http://www.smh.com.au/entertainmenthtv-and-radio/doll-parts-where-are-tvs-positive-female-role-models 20101115-17 tee htm Women and girls in tod ay,'s TV shows are defined by men and they often use their sexuality to reward, punish or manipulate Lustration by John Shakespeare Jenny Lewis laments the lack of strong female characters in Australian drama and recalls a time Many local dramas are failing to soar and this has been attributed to everything from network neglect to sameness of genre, fragmentation and audience apathy. I prefer to look for the common denominator and there is one fundamental element missing from all the shows in question -positive female role In the past, Neighbours Charlene Robinson and blue Heelers ' Maggie Doyle taught women about self-respect and making a stand Female viewers lapped up these versions of themselves but it was girls, whose value systems and self-esteem were still developing, who benefited most from the qualities they championed. So what do girls lean from women on commercial television today?
Doll parts: Where are TV's positive female role models? November 15, 2010 From : http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/doll-parts-where-are-tvs-positive-female-role-models -20101115-17tee.html Women and girls in today's TV shows are defined by men and they often use their sexuality to reward, punish or manipulate. Illustration by John Shakespeare Jenny Lewis laments the lack of strong female characters in Australian drama and recalls a time when they were plentiful. Many local dramas are failing to soar and this has been attributed to everything from network neglect to sameness of genre, fragmentation and audience apathy. I prefer to look for the common denominator and there is one fundamental element missing from all the shows in question – positive female role models. In the past, Neighbours' Charlene Robinson and Blue Heelers' Maggie Doyle taught women about self-respect and making a stand. Female viewers lapped up these versions of themselves but it was girls, whose value systems and self-esteem were still developing, who benefited most from the qualities they championed. So what do girls learn from women on commercial television today?
Channel Nine found a way to make its"cowboys and the stupid molls who worship them"penchantwork with the Underbellyseries but the same approach doesnt cut it with characters were supposed to lick for more photos GOOD AND BAD TV ROLE MODELS The function of women on Rescue: Special Ops and Cops L.A.C. is to remind us how irresistible the male characters are. The women are either enslaved by their feelings for them, flattered by their sexist comments or putting their devotion before the public theyre supposed to protect. Despite the traumas the guest female characters may have endured, they always have the presence of mind to proposition their While the females in Nine's dramas apologise for feminism, their counterparts on Ten s Rush don't apologise for anything. Theyre impossible to relate to because they've been stripped of too many sympathetic female traits, such as self-control and warmth, as though these qualities are something to be Meanwhile Offsprings Nina Proudman is a ditz who puts her obsession for a man before everything including her patients, which -terrifyingly-include babies The producers of the ABC's new drama Rake would seem to be making their show for the Breaking Bad and Mad Men audience but they ' ve forgotten that the women in those shows have a sense of self that brings out the best in the men. The women in Rake are spineless and so, by association, is its hero, Cleaver Greene p operas attract such an im responsible with the messages they send. The women on Neighb under the control of men. On Home and Away, a woman 's greatest achievement seems to be to have a guy. Any g
Channel Nine found a way to make its "cowboys and the stupid molls who worship them" penchant work with the Underbelly series but the same approach doesn't cut it with characters we're supposed to identify with. Click for more photos GOOD AND BAD TV ROLE MODELS The function of women on Rescue: Special Ops and Cops L.A.C. is to remind us how irresistible the male characters are. The women are either enslaved by their feelings for them, flattered by their sexist comments or putting their devotion before the public they're supposed to protect. Despite the traumas the guest female characters may have endured, they always have the presence of mind to proposition their spunky male rescuers. While the females in Nine's dramas apologise for feminism, their counterparts on Ten's Rush don't apologise for anything. They're impossible to relate to because they've been stripped of too many sympathetic female traits, such as self-control and warmth, as though these qualities are something to be ashamed of. Meanwhile Offspring's Nina Proudman is a ditz who puts her obsession for a man before everything, including her patients, which – terrifyingly – include babies. The producers of the ABC's new drama Rake would seem to be making their show for the Breaking Bad and Mad Men audience but they've forgotten that the women in those shows have a sense of self that brings out the best in the men. The women in Rake are spineless and so, by association, is its hero, Cleaver Greene. Soap operas attract such an impressionable and unsupervised audience that they need to be more responsible with the messages they send. The women on Neighbours are currently weak, needy and under the control of men. On Home and Away, a woman's greatest achievement seems to be to have a guy. Any guy
Women and girls in these shows are defined by men and they often use their sexuality to reward, punish or manipulate. In what has become a disturbing plot"twist", many of them respond to a lover's betrayal or rejection by seducing another man. Any man. These woman need men to heal their wounds and stuff that do these characters tell girls Ladette to Lady, they re little more than"decorated f--dolls With so many lunatics running the asylum, where do girls turn to for sanity? Packed to the Rafters is a good place to start and it's the only show Im able to write for without selling my soul. The women here make no apologies for who they are and they dont put themselves beneath or above men. the concept that the genders are different but equal has hit a chord with viewers. Although it is getting tired now, City Homicide reaped similar rewards for featuring assertive female characters of principle Creating fictitious women of substance is (usually) par for the course at Seven, the only network to keep the ball rolling from the 1980s. In that decade, a slew of popular local dramas showed how women could be anything they wanted to be. They needn judge each other for their choices and men weren emasculated by their independence Neighbours, The Sullivans, The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, G.P. Police Rescue, Phoenix and so many more were of this era Viewers seized on the concept of equality and, like Australia of the time our tv had a identity. The country watched its home-grown offerings en masse and with pride. The reason why the culture changed so dramatically is that from the mid 90s onwards, too many of the importantjobs in the television industry went to the wrong people. These players manage to keep their jobs despite their lack of affinity with the only people who matter- the viewers The audience has power in TV land and it's expressed through the ratings and, less so, through the Logie Awards"most popular"votes. Past winners such as Lisa McCune, Libby Tanner, Kylie Minogue, Sonia Todd, Georgie Parker, Melissa George and Rebecca Gibney were acknowledged because the haracters they played validated qualities we hold dear. They were flawed and complex women,s women who could love their men but not at any cost and god help anyone who tried to objectify them The men linked with these winning dames-Martin Sacks, Gary Sweet, Erik Thomson, Jason Donovan, Dieter Brummer-were also rewarded because they were strong enough not to be threatened by them There's nothing sexier Creating equal partnerships is the secret to attracting both male and female viewers and, as a consequence, pulling big numbers. The refusal of certain networks to see the obvious is indicative of thei blinding misogyny
Women and girls in these shows are defined by men and they often use their sexuality to reward, punish or manipulate. In what has become a disturbing plot "twist", many of them respond to a lover's betrayal or rejection by seducing another man. Any man. These woman need men to heal their wounds and stuff integrity. So what do these characters tell girls about themselves? In the eloquent words of a past contestant on Ladette to Lady, they're little more than "decorated f--- dolls". With so many lunatics running the asylum, where do girls turn to for sanity? Packed to the Rafters is a good place to start and it's the only show I'm able to write for without selling my soul. The women here make no apologies for who they are and they don't put themselves beneath or above men. The concept that the genders are different but equal has hit a chord with viewers. Although it is getting tired now, City Homicide reaped similar rewards for featuring assertive female characters of principle. Creating fictitious women of substance is (usually) par for the course at Seven, the only network to keep the ball rolling from the 1980s. In that decade, a slew of popular local dramas showed how women could be anything they wanted to be. They needn't judge each other for their choices and men were n't emasculated by their independence. Neighbours, The Sullivans, The Flying Doctors, A Country Practice, G.P., Police Rescue, Phoenix and so many more were of this era. Viewers seized on the concept of equality and, like Australian movies of the time, our TV had a solid identity. The country watched its home-grown offerings en masse and with pride. The reason why the culture changed so dramatically is that from the mid '90s onwards, too many of the important jobs in the television industry went to the wrong people. These players manage to keep their jobs despite their lack of affinity with the only people who matter – the viewers. The audience has power in TV land and it's expressed through the ratings and, less so, through the Logie Awards' "most popular" votes. Past winners such as Lisa McCune, Libby Tanner, Kylie Minogue, Sonia Todd, Georgie Parker, Melissa George and Rebecca Gibney were acknowledged because the characters they played validated qualities we hold dear. They were flawed and complex women's women, who could love their men but not at any cost and God help anyone who tried to objectify them. The men linked with these winning dames – Martin Sacks, Gary Sweet, Erik Thomson, Jason Donovan, Dieter Brummer – were also rewarded because they were strong enough not to be threatened by them. There's nothing sexier. Creating equal partnerships is the secret to attracting both male and female viewers and, as a consequence, pulling big numbers. The refusal of certain networks to see the obvious is indicative of their blinding misogyny
Girls aren 't the only ones deprived of good role models. How do boys learn to get along with or respect the opposite gender in the real world when girls on screen are so compliant and grateful? How are boys supposed to lean right from wrong when TV executives reward woman-beaters, remorseless druggies, serial adulterers and group-sex agitators with high-profile jobs? Brett McDermott, associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Queensland says: It's an incredible challenge for the media to work harder and point out that rotten apples are a small percentage. We should be keen to promote resilience and people who are the peacemakers. Nine boss David Gyngell has vowed to" take Nine back to its former pre-eminence"but it wont happen until he addresses the networks neanderthal culture It is vital the networks- including the ABC, whose worthwhile drama output is conspicuously absent nd our unique 21st-century voice and build relevant stories around positive role models Here's the motivation. The youth suicide rate is on the rise. So is binge drinking, violence, bullying and drug use. McDermott points out that"every generation in history has worried about the generation after it, " so it's not our place to suggestwe know better. But it is our place -and our duty as storytellers-to ensure the mirror we hold up reflects everything our youth can possibly be Jenny Lewis is a screenwriter, story editor, script editorand author with more than 20 years'experience the television industry Read http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/doll-parts-where-are-tvs-positive-female-role-models -20101115-17 tee htn牌izz100PMS乙J
Girls aren't the only ones deprived of good role models. How do boys learn to get along with or respect the opposite gender in the real world when girls on screen are so compliant and grateful? How are boys supposed to learn right from wrong when TV executives reward woman-beaters, remorseless druggies, serial adulterers and group-sex agitators with high-profile jobs? Brett McDermott, associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Queensland, says: "It's an incredible challenge for the media to work harder and point out that rotten apples are a small percentage. We should be keen to promote resilience and people who are the peacemakers." Nine boss David Gyngell has vowed to "take Nine back to its former pre-eminence" but it won't happen until he addresses the network's neanderthal culture. It is vital the networks – including the ABC, whose worthwhile drama output is conspicuously absent – find our unique 21st-century voice and build relevant stories around positive role models. Here's the motivation. The youth suicide rate is on the rise. So is binge drinking, violence, bullying and drug use. McDermott points out that "every generation in history has worried about the generation after it," so it's not our place to suggest we know better. But it is our place – and our duty as storytellers – to ensure the mirror we hold up reflects everything our youth can possibly be. Jenny Lewis is a screenwriter, story editor, script editor and author with more than 20 years' experience in the television industry. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/doll-parts-where-are-tvs-positive-female-role-models -20101115-17tee.html#ixzz1OOPMiSZJ
