Amy Poehler and Tina Fey: A Win for the HFPA and Women Everywhere

Earlier this week the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have signed on to host the Golden Globes in 2014 and 2015! If you're anything like me you were as excited as Leslie Knope is here:

And, frankly, if you weren't like that I'm not sure what your problem is. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are awesome and amazing and hilarious and amazing and stunning and amazing. They're comedies darling, dynamic duo and for good reason. Amy Poehler is currently starring in the deliciously hilarious sitcom Parks and Rec while Tina Fey recently completed her run as star, writer, and producer of the Emmy-winning series 30 Rock. They've also both had notable success on SNL including their iconic sketch as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, possibly the most well-known sketch of the 2008 or 2012 election.

Earlier this year they continued their success as the co-hosts of the Golden Globes and, after Ricky Gervais's disastrous and alienating run, the Globes needed these bona fide comediennes. They brought viewership up 17% from Gervais's most recent run. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association made a wise choice by asking them back for two years. I doubt that the HFPA will regret this one.

What's more is that this could be the beginning of a great run for women in hosting gigs. This past awards season Fey and Poehler were undoubtedly the fan favorites with Neil Patrick Harris falling short at the Emmys and Seth McFarlane down-right offending everyone at the Oscars without managing to actually be funny. With Fey and Poehler returning to the Golden Globes and Ellen Degeneres returning to the Oscars in 2014, we could see the beginning of the reign of a team of amazing comedic women in hosting gigs, not surprisingly a field with women have been traditionally underrepresented in. Furthermore, no one doubts that Poehler and Fey won't stand for the kind of sexist foolishness that McFarlane's Oscars were rife with. Instead, for two years we can expect the jokes at the Globes to be funny without taking cheap shots at women who show their boobs on the big screen and I have to say I'm excited for it.

If Fey and Poehler's past performances are any indication, Globes viewers have a good run ahead of them. So here's to you, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. We're all excited for what's to come!

The Olivia Pope Problem

As I sat watching the fast-paced and popular premiere of “Scandal,” a problem once again forced its way into my consciousness and it came in the form of Olivia Pope. Don’t get me wrong. I love Olivia. She’s a certified badass by anyone’s standards. The problem is that that bad-assery stops at the office door. As soon as Olivia leaves the professional realm, it seems her life falls apart. Her personal life is in shambles, to say nothing of a growing lack of agency on Olivia’s part. The most troubling aspect of this is that the “Olivia Pope problem” is more and more an archetype of modern television.

It seems that Olivia isn’t the only woman on our screens who is super-competent professionally but whose personal life is an absolute mess. A growing stereotype on our screens is that of the uber-professional woman who can’t seem to get the rest of her life in line. From Oliva Pope to Liz Lemon to Mindy Lahiri to Alicia Florrick, we continue to see the stories of women who are rather personally challenged. It’s a stark contrast to the long gone days of women like Mary Tyler Moore, who could be professionally competent and personally competent without lacking interesting stories to tell. Instead of stories like that glorious woman, Hollywood is increasingly feeding us stories of women like Olivia Pope and the message is clear: You can’t have it all. You can’t be professionally savvy and have a well-balanced life. It’s not allowed.

Clearly, that message is problematic. Women continue to be told that they can’t have it all. And why? Women who successfully balance work and life can still have interesting stories. I’m just as interested in Meredith Grey as I am in her more relationship challenged counterpart, Christina Yang. Just because Meredith has managed to be professionally and personally successful doesn’t mean she lacks interesting stories to share.

As a culture, we must stop acting like all women face an ultimatum: work or relationships. In fact, we can achieve balance, even if it’s difficult, and our lives and stories become no less interesting when we do manage that delicate balance. So stop with the “Olivia Pope problem,” Hollywood. Stop telling women that they can’t have it all. Stop telling women that they must be emotionally fractured to be interesting or successful. Stop. Just stop.

Dear Show, Do Better: Week 2

Dear "Scandal,"

I'm getting real tired of the lack of agency Olivia Pope has. Once again, in the season premiere, her life was controlled by men and not be her own choices. While having Olivia choose to walk away from her father's plans was a step, it's not enough as long as the strings of her whole life are being pulled by the president. Their relationship is unhealthy and, frankly, President Grant is a bit of a jerk, in my opinion.

Sincerely,
Mellie and Olivia Should Team Up and Take Over the World

Dear Show, Good Job: Week 2

Dear "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD,"

Yes. This is how you write female scientists. They're just scientists who happen to be female. Fitz-Simmons are both the best. While they are both to some extent caricatures of scientists, they are at the very least equals. Simmons is not relegated to the role of sexy librarian and she holds her own just as well at Fitz. Her defining feature is not her gender. This is fantastic. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
Female Scientists Everywhere

Dear Show, Good Job: Week 1

Dear "Parks and Rec,"

I already expect you'll be a perennial winner in this series. Let's be honest, you're the standard for feminist television right now. This week was no exception. It was great to see you pay attention to women in government. I'll admit, I squealed of excitement when Leslie said "I look forward to a day when women in government are just people in government." Right on, Leslie! You go girl! But I was also excited to see Leslie struggle with how thankless her job is. It's great to see that women can be awesome and amazing and still struggle like the rest of us. We don't need super women on TV. We need real women and I'm glad to say Leslie Knope is one of them.

Sincerely,
Leslie Knope Is My Girl

Dear Show, Do Better: Week 1

After catching up with last week's television premieres, I've decided to start two weekly series. This first one will be dedicated to documenting a truly cringe-worth moment from the perspective of a feminist. The other series, "Dear Show, Good Job" will document a positive representation of a female character or feminist issue. I'll probably write at inconsistent times in the different weeks just because I have a busy schedule and the moments I'd like to document may come at different points each week. Let's get started!

Dear "The Big Bang Theory,"

You gave me hope and you took it away! For a few seconds on Thursday night I really believed that Bernadette and Amy were going to be allowed to talk about being scientists instead of talking about boys. Alas, within seconds my hopes were dashed as the topic immediately changed to the opposite sex. I've got to tell you that I'm sick of it! Just for once let the ladies talk about something other than boys! Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj get to talk about all sorts of things like science, comic books, movies, games, and, occasionally, girls. So why do Penny, Bernadette, and Amy only get to talk about their significant others? Believe it or not women have lots of interesting conversations about topics other than men. Start showing it on television!

Sincerely,
Have You Heard of the Bechdel Test?