Question of the week... How have women on TV changed in the last 50 years?

I'm sure that like me, most of you were not around in the 50's and 60's to watch shows like the Brady Bunch, Bewitched, or I Love Lucy. Props to anyone born after 1995 who even recognizes those shows. It is interesting though, looking back at the female characters in those shows and seeing how different they look from the women that I grew up watching on television. I grew up with professional, ambitious, successful women on TV but I didn’t really appreciate how far we had come until I saw some of the old reruns from the 60’s. To give you guys an idea of just how differently the media portrays women today, I thought I'd do a match up between 4 modern TV characters and 4 pre-1970 TV characters. 

Round 1...

Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie       vs.    Dr. Temperance Brennan from Bones   

 

Round 2…

Samantha from Bewitched        vs.         Alicia Florrick Attorney at Law from Good Wife

 

Round 3…

Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch     vs.     Dr. Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy

 

Round 4... 

Lucy from I Love Lucy                                          vs.                    Olivia Pope from Scandal

                             













--- Nicole

A New Way To Tell Stories

Vella and Shay are two teenagers who live in vastly different worlds. Vella lives in a town that sacrifices a maiden to a horrible monster every 14 years (Hunger Games, anyone?), and Shay is on a lonely shape ship. The story explores a familiar theme: attempting to break free from their ill-fitting surroundings. However, what's different about this story, Broken Age: Act 1, is that it's told through a video game. Forget violent shoot-em-ups; forget the Mario brothers. Broken Age revolutionizes the typical video game genre, as well as opening up new avenues for authors. Check out the trailer below! 

via youtube.com

(By the way, did you notice that there didn't seem to be any women in the production rooms, aside from the voice actresses? Unfortunately, that's probably because only about 6% of the tech industry is made up of women. The same is true for girls interested in math and science in high school. So, if you like math or science, make sure you go for it! We can't let the boys have all the fun.)

~Emily

Throwback Thursday to the Summer Olympics

Via google images

With the Winter Olympics approaching, I can't help but remember all the stand out athletes from London in 2012. If you're like me you haven't forgot Gabby Douglas! Gabby is an artistic gymnast and won 2 GOLD medals for the United States for artistic gymnastics. Not to mention, she also made history to be the first African-American to win the women's all-around individual event. Gabby (nicknamed the flying squirrel) is not only amazing at what she does, but she's also became known for her sweet and down to earth personality. For all the girls out there, athletes and non-athletes, Gabby proves that hard work and determination can go a long way! At only 18 years old, Gabby continues to be a great role model for and girls and boys of all ages and pushes us all to pursue our dreams. 

"DREAM. BELIEVE. ACHIEVE"

Check out her website for more on Gabby and her road to the olympics!

-Jennifer

I'm Not Reading That….

Magazines, fiction, blogs (cough) are always good reads. But with 5 million red and green numbers on the Wall Street Journal and 10 words you don’t know on the NY Times front page, these newspapers can be a little intimidating to pick up…. It is much more tempting to go for the 17 magazine or Cosmo HOWEVER there are websites and journals that ARE educational but still are… well lets say a little less intense. Check out some of the links where you can grab some entertaining info AND maybe get a few bonus points with teachers for tossing out some current event facts in class. I’m of course not throwing shade at magazine like Vogue, but sometimes it’s nice to try out something new. Check it out and see what you think!

via google images

via google images                                                                     

THERE ARE HAPPY MEDIANS :) 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teen/

http://www.stageoflife.com/TeensandPolitics.aspx

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/06/14/financial-advice-for-teens-from-teens-and-most-teens-really-ne/

http://news.nick.com (yes this is nickolodean and yes you do see Dora they explorere on the sidebar… BUT give this one a shot; it actually has some of the most interesting articles)

Desmond ;)

Check Out These Leading Ladies

Here are some pictures we don't often see of some of our favorite TV/on-screen stars.  It might look like they're accepting awards for their acting, but they're actually speaking out about issues they find important!

Kerry Washington makes the GW University commencement speech
Via Google Images

Whether they're nailing a role for the latest TV show or talking to the public about their views on inequality, the environment, or an upcoming election, these women are powerful, confident leaders, and can't be defined only by how they look or which dress they wore to the Academy Awards. Every woman is dynamic, let's make sure we recognize it!

Scarlett Johansson
Via Google Images

Jessica Alba
Via Google Images

Eva Longoria
Via Google Images

Hayden Panettiere is honored by Washington D.C. mayor, Vincent Gray
Via Politico

                              How do these images make you feel?

                                      Inspired? Powerful? Capable? 

            That's a check, check, check, all of the above for me.

Eva Longoria
Via Google Images

--Nicola

If Olivia Pope Can do it Why Can't We?

If Olivia Pope Can do it Why Can’t I?

via www.thesassonline.com

So I don’t know how many of you watch Scandal but Emily mentioned it in one of her posts and it got me thinking. Why can’t I be like Olivia Pope? For those of you who aren’t as familiar with the show, Scandal is a political drama focused on the character of Olivia Pope, a political mastermind and self-titled “gladiator in a suit”. The character Olivia Pope represents a change in the world of American politics… Men are not the only ones in charge anymore. Now obviously there are aspects of her character that are messy and clearly flawed. But for me, what she represents for women in politics is more important than even her story. The best part about seeing Olivia Pope on Scandal is seeing her independence and her confidence, even in the crazy game of political strategy and executive leadership.

via www.cosmopolitan.com

For so long, that political world has seemed to belong to old white guys in black suits and red/blue ties. Every movie, every TV show seemed to have men running the show and the beautiful First Lady or politicians wife never seemed to have her own role in the game. With Olivia Pope, we get to see a woman who has legitimate talent, political skill, and an iron will to help others. For the first time in a long time, we get to see a female character in politics beyond the supportive, nurturing First Lady. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to grow up to be the First Lady, I want to grow up to be the president. I don’t want to be just the politician’s wife, I want to be the politician. I want to think that I have as much to offer the American public as any man. I want to be Olivia Pope.

via www.people.com

Check Out the Gladiators in Suits

Scandal- Olivia Pope and Associates 

---Nicole

Women and Government on TV

TV doesn't just offer something to do while vegging out after school. It can also produce some pretty powerful messages about women and girls, and what exactly society expects from us--some of those messages are good and some aren't so great.

So, next time you watch TV, make sure you like what it's saying! Don't let TV tell you who you are and what you should be. Sometimes shows can be pretty sneaky about sending bad messages, so it's up to us, as careful viewers, to make sure those messages don't creep in.

Here are some great examples of TV sending empowering messages about women in politics. To the characters in the following examples, IceNinjas says, "You go girls!"

1. Scandal
Here's an amazing speech from a character played by Lisa Kudrow on ABC's Scandal. She's playing a congresswoman running for President who is fed up with the media for constantly focusing on her gender.

via youtube.com

2. Parks and Recreation

The character of Leslie Knope, played by SNL's Amy Poehler, is shining example of a strong woman. She's passionate, kind, and doesn't back down when she believes in something. Here she is calling out her town's lack of female representation. 

 

 

via policymic.com

Later in the show, Leslie runs for a city council position and wins, proving that there is nothing stopping women from actively participating in government.

Sometimes TV isn't too kind when it comes to powerful women. These shows, though, definitely welcome strong ladies, and tell their female audience "Yes we can!"

~Emily

Do any shows you watch show women in government? Let us know in the comments!