Good Girls. . .Still Revolting
#savegoodgirlsrevolt
This article is a part of a new column exploring modern culture through a female lens.
“On a Monday afternoon my friend texted me about a show her mom told her about, based in New York in 1969 at Newsweek magazine.
“It’s called Good Girls Revolt,” she said. “It’s about women fighting for equality. The main character reminds me of you. She’s a journalist and has a bohemian apartment where she lights candles and plays records and smokes a joint in the bathtub. She’s the one gathering the women in the office and recruiting them to join the revolution, to file a lawsuit against the company for paying women one third of what they pay men. It’s you I swear it is.”
When I went to watch this show, I had no idea of the 1969 class action lawsuit women filed against Newsweek (called News of the Week in the show.) I self-indulgently tuned in for Patti, played by Genevieve Angelson, the researcher with red hair, boots and gusto. What I didn’t expect was how this show would mirror modern life.
There’s a scene in Season One when Patti is in the glow of her New York apartment when (it seemed like) Finn Woodhouse, played by Chris Diamantopoulos, the magazine editor came knocking at her door after she got home.
As #MeToo wakes up the interview unleashing personal stories we’ve tried to forget, the scene brought me back to a late night in my Seattle studio. The associate publisher of the magazine I was working at sent me a series of texts saying he wanted to see me. The next morning walking into work, he sent more messages, saying he’d seen my photos (on Instagram.) And wanted to see more (like I didn’t get what he meant.) That morning he passed my desk smiling, as I sat there, like so many of us, expected to act as if nothing happened.
Earlier that week, an after-work happy-hour conversation quickly turned into questions about my personal life. I sat confused, wondering how the topic got so personal so quick. I watched as he slugged his drinks and ordered more, getting me a glass of red wine when I hadn’t touched my cocktail. So this is the way it goes, I thought. A white man, in a position of power, thinking he can get away with anything. In those moments ones realizes the naivety in thinking all men have our best interests at heart.
As we watch the depths of sexual harassment bubble to the surface in society, we face questions about how to move forward. Will men be held accountable in every industry? Will the outpouring of women’s stories be enough to incite longterm change?
Moreover, will women finally be depicted with truth in film and in television. Will storylines revolve around the real struggles we face, in our lives and the workforce? Will women in film rise to make up more than 11 percent of directors? We are 51 percent of the population, and real stories are not being told across film and television.
Forty years later, former Head of Amazon Studios, Roy Price’s ubiquitous decision to cancel season two of Good Girls Revolt (despite a cult-like audience and 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes) demonstrated the shows plight in real life. He was fired weeks after the Weinstein story broke for alleged sexual harassment towards women in work environments.
A recent finding in San Diego State University’s annual Boxed In report published this September revealed a “startlingly high” percentage of shows employing zero women in behind-the-scenes roles. Furthermore, it showed television still shows women playing the mother and wife roles, “and are less likely to be seen actually working.”
Although Good Girls Revolt had a female creator and writer, Dana Calvo, as well as strong female leads, the presence wasn’t enough when it came to decision making. There were not enough women at the table. This lack of female presence reveals how one of the only shows touching on real female narratives got cancelled in the wake of a global women’s movement. Price, like many men, must feel womens realities are too uncomfortable to face.
But discomfort is an indication of the problem. If we want anything to change — to really change — we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Over the past two weeks women have spoken. And if we haven’t, we are remembering. We’re digging into the depths of our hurt and stepping into the wilderness of truth to share stories with courage. We do this not because it’s comfortable, but because it’s necessary. We know our stories hold the power to catalyze change.
The comments, the touches, advances, the wondering how-did-things-escalate-so-quickly are never comfortable. But we’ve lived too long under the guise of comfort.
As Joan Didion said, “we tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Stories are the way we find common ground and understanding. Right now, we need stories of women coming together to find strength in community and stand up for equality. We need stories like Good Girls Revolt.
To men, I pose the question: How are you participating in this conversation? Do you dare brave your own wilderness, as we have, to speak your truth? Are you willing to stand up for what you know is right, to divert from the pack when no one else is? Are you open enough to find empathy for the ones you have hurt, and humility in admitting you were wrong?
This show is more than a buzzy feminist period drama. This show, 40 years later, is a mirror into society. For men, it’s a window into the issue, an opportunity for awareness and discussion. For women, it’s a reflection of our own unspoken experiences. An opportunity for reflection and understanding. A reason to not feel so alone.
Media offers mirrors into society. A show about women’s plight for equality in the workforce getting cancelled weeks after its successful premier indicates a pervasive societal problem.
These past weeks have not been easy. As we do the work of bringing our whole selves into harmony, the best thing we can do is give ourselves permission to begin again. The gift of a fresh start. We must forget everything we thought we knew, and allow ourselves to relearn. Good Girls Revolt, also, deserves the opportunity to begin again.
