Young Women are a Centerpiece of Modern Television
When I think about the shows that I know my parents grew up watching, very few of them spotlighted young womxn protagonists. However, when I look at some of the most popular shows now, I am excited to see a growing number of them that prominently center narratives about young womxn.
Although the new streaming economy is not without its faults, there is a clear benefit, in that stories that were not previously explored are now able to make it to the small screen. With the rise of streaming, television shows don’t need to appeal to broad, prime-time audiences any more in order to get traction. On streaming platforms, they can appeal to niche audiences and build followings without needing to convince a network that advertisers will want to buy slots during their shows.
I, for one, am grateful that modern media has begun to embrace the wealth of stories that young womxn have to tell, and I wanted to use this chance to highlight a few young-womxn-centric shows that have rocked my world in the last year and added complexity to my views on feminism. As April showers approach us (thank goodness for Spring!), I hope readers can enjoy some of these shows as a rainy day binge.
The Bold Type | Freeform / Hulu
The Bold Type follows the lives of three ambitious young women starting their careers in New York City. It tactfully tackles social topics — like sexuality, race, politics, and more — by exploring them through the daily lives of our main characters, who have uniquely different lenses on life based on their backgrounds. On top of the thoughtful episode themes, it has juicy drama and comedy that balance out the viewing experience.
The Bold Type is a wonderful portrayal of the power of having a group of best friends at your back to support you through both trials and successes, and it captures the flailing feeling of being a career-driven young womxn in your twenties incredibly well.
Insecure | HBO
Insecure, created and starred in by the one and only Issa Rae, is a funny and thoughtful show about a group of young Black women as they navigate their ambitions, romantic relationships, and friendships in Los Angeles.
Insecure is able to tell authentic stories that feel real and dramatically satisfying at the same time, which is often a hard balance to strike. Season 4 had a plot line involving a rift in one of Issa’s lifelong friendships, and it is an honest and raw portrayal of how it can feel to grow apart from a friend. This thread, interwoven with a plot around Issa pursuing one of her dreams, felt incredibly relatable as a young womxn; the experience of balancing friendships with career ambitions can be really tough in your twenties while you are still figuring out what you want from life.
Dark | Netflix
Dark is a hidden gem on Netflix that wrapped up its final season in 2020 with some truly crazy plot turns. This sci-fi piece explores intergenerational relationships through time travel, and if that isn’t an interesting enough premise for you, I’m not sure what is. Sometimes, it can get a bit convoluted and complex, but the twists and turns are a really exciting aspect of what makes the story so compelling.
One of our supporting characters, Martha, starts the show in a seemingly irrelevant role of the love interest of the main character, but she slowly works her way into the narrative as a major player in the plot. Martha’s character experiences both tragedy and growth over the course of the series, and her thoughtful portrayal of the strife of grief and self-acceptance is absolutely moving.
Derry Girls | Netflix
Another foreign hidden gem on Netflix, Derry Girls is a British comedy hit that portrays the lives of a group of young Irish high-schoolers in the 90s. These girls are funny, self-assured, and curious, and those qualities get them into all kinds of shenanigans.
Too often, stories about teen girls are highly dramatized and center around their relationships with boys, but this show puts female friendship front and center, and it’s a breath of fresh air. The portrayal of female friendship in Derry Girls feels authentic, regardless of the fact that it is set decades ago in another country. The ways that these girls support each other, goof off, and hold one another accountable feels extremely true to my experiences of female friendship in high school.
The Great | Hulu
A comedy-driven take on the experiences of Catherine the Great in 18th-century Russia, The Great stood out as a quirky exploration of womxn’s leadership. Elle Fanning’s portrayal of Catherine the Great was endearing, conveying a self-assured young woman who was thrust into shadow leadership in light of her husband’s incompetence.
Although not every aspect of the story is rooted in truth and no historical figure is without their faults, I found myself really enjoying the experience of reveling in “girl power” and learning more about Catherine the Great through this show. It was funny, dramatic, and exciting all at once.
One More: The Wilds | Amazon Prime
I wrote a whole separate review on my love for The Wilds, and you can catch it here. It is bingeable, thoughtful, and entertaining, and I can’t recommend it more highly.
Follow @ZillennialWomen on Instagram for more content about stellar young womxn putting in the work now to make a brighter future!
