Elaine Benes: Always a Feminist, Never Just “One of the Boys”
A Critique of Sarah Worth’s Essay “Elaine Benes: Feminist or Just One of the Boys”
What is a feminist? What makes a feminist? Are there guidelines to being a feminist? Or does one, simply, have to identify themselves as one and then hope for the best? It starts to get tough in the realm of art, especially — can we deem a work of art as being feminist? What about a television show? What about a character? Sarah Worth published an essay on the inherent feminism of Elaine Benes in the collection Seinfeld and Philosophy, a series of essays on different characters and episodes from a philosophical standpoint. Worth delves into the ethical feminist analysis of Elaine’s character. Worth believes there are guidelines to defining feminist characters in television and movies — specifically on Seinfeld. She wonders, “Does [Elaine] practice feminist ethics even though she is not a feminist?” Then, she goes on to wonder whether or not she would fall into Gilligan’s ethics of care model. However, she delves into this without disproving that Elaine is, in fact, a feminist character.
Seinfeld — a show about nothing — but with a lot of feminist potential. This potential is encapsulated in a character that was not even supposed to be on the show — Elaine Benes. Elaine was written in when Jerry Seinfeld claimed the show “lacked estrogen.” She was originally supposed to be a girlfriend but, instead, was written in as the ex-girlfriend — creating a tension-filled relationship between Jerry and Elaine that drew the viewer in. She was not to be an object of affection for the men of the show, rather, she was presented as an equal — and one that was not interested in any of the men in her friend group. The addition of Elaine offered an interesting opportunity for writers and viewers alike — Julia Louis Dreyfus brought wit, sass and brass to the character. She was funny, successful at her job (more so than any of her male cohorts), and driven. Worth argues, however, that Elaine’s inherent feminism is not so much feminist as, simply, “one of the boys.”
In essence, Elaine would seem to have achieved all the aims of a liberal feminist agenda…[but] being the smartest one of the bunch does not make her a feminist. For Seinfeld, it just makes her one of the boys…[and] one of the boys does not a feminist make. (29)
Gilligan’s ethics of care promotes the division of male and female schools of the idea. She argues, in her 1984 book In a Different Voice, that men and women have different ethics — women abide by the ethics of care, which argues that they are innately wired to have more caring and attentive qualities than men, centralizing around the fact that women are meant to be mothers. This idea of women being more caring is something that has been criticized since the book’s publication as being rooted in female stereotypes. Woman as caretaker; woman as mother. By Gilligan and, ultimately, Worth’s standards, if a woman does not abide by these ethics of care it is impossible for her to be a “good woman” — it is impossible for her to be a feminist.
Worth’s exploration of the ethics of care in regards to Elaine follows archaic notions of what it means to be feminist. Worth judges Elaine not by the content of her character, but by her adherence to Gilligan’s ethics of care — which claims that women who act outside of the ethics of care are not, in fact, feminist. This would not be problematic if it weren’t for the fact that under Gilligan’s ethics Elaine’s sexual behavior, her brassy attitude, and her overall spunk would be classified as outside of the ethics of care. This not only seems incorrect, but it seems closed-minded to three-dimensional characters in television and film, and does not allow for women to classify themselves as feminist if they fall outside of this rigid, archaic set of rules.
With the third wave of feminism in the nineties, women were not only no longer homemakers, but they weren’t going to sit down and shut up. Third-wave feminism brought with it hopes of changes in the media, government, and major institutions. This extended into television — the 90’s feminist icons of the era were brassy, bold, and unapologetic. This was the era of Bikini Kill, Riot Grrl, and Guerrilla Feminism — women were taking back art in all forms. Television was no different — women wanted variety in what they were seeing. They wanted to see three-dimensional characters that reflected who they are, and who they wanted their children to be. This kind of desire to see women as fully fleshed-out, realized characters, is what drove stories to add more three-dimensional, powerful female characters. So, in walks Elaine Benes — fully flawed, sexual, and loud-mouthed. Elaine Benes was one of the first of these women — she was created at a time in which her role was a bit unprecedented. Elaine created a space for funny women in television.
Her inherent sexuality is seen in almost every episode — she doesn’t seem to really care about the men she dates outside of them being her sexual partners. She is just as sexually motivated as her male counterparts — which doesn’t make her “one of the boys,” it makes her a fully fleshed-out, sexual being. She even, in one episode, travels all over New York City to buy her favorite form of birth control that is being discontinued — the sponge. She, then, throughout the rest of the episode, must deem her sexual partners “sponge-worthy” as to not waste a sponge on a poor sexual partner. She was one of the first women in television to be this open with her sexuality.
Elaine’s inherent feminism is not only seen through her overt ownership of her sexuality, but it also translates into the workforce. Not only was she open with her sexuality, but she was also the most successful of her male counterparts. She was the only character that could maintain a job — and a high-level job at that. She was a successful when the men in the show couldn’t ever seem to maintain a seemingly-menial job. Worth argues that these reasons are not enough for her to be classified as a feminist character — her sexuality, job position, and brassy personality weren’t enough to classify her. But her definition is, still, based on a dated criteria that deems her un-feminist at the drop of a hat — Gilligan’s ethics suppose her distaste for children is un-feminist. Her desire for sex and distaste for marriage and children is what makes her a pioneering female character — she was the first to truly fill this role in television. And she’s been followed by many feminist characters that seem to take inspiration from her — whether it be Hanna from Girls, the Broad City duo, or the women, in film, in Bridesmaids. Her influence is far and wide which, to me, seems to be the biggest test of all for a feminist character.
Since its creation, television has been an accessible platform. Individuals bond over the episodes watched the night before, the game showed on the screen at the sports bar — their new favorite programs. Television reflects society. Like all art, it reflects a common, human experience. It comes as no surprise, then, that the bias seen in life would be reflected in television programs — issues of race, gender and sexuality all surface when the screen flips on. And, when the individuals in the shows and programs you watch reflect your experience and who you are, the experience is empowering. If art reflects life, and television is art, then television should reflect all of life. Elaine Benes was one of the first to change the game. She was everything a TV woman should not be — sexual, funny, loud, obnoxious, passionate and driven. By reducing Elaine to, simply, “one of the boys,” Worth removes Elaine’s capability to be a three-dimensional character. This degradation is not only un-feminist, but it is also anti-woman. Seeing women as two-dimensional, marriage-seeking, boyfriend-having, child-bearing individuals is archaic. To use this definition of what a woman and feminist “should be” is to reduce women to an unfair, two-dimensional archetype. Women should be portrayed on television as they are — opinionated, unstoppable forces to be reckoned with.
