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Reagan Argo

Golden-Wave Feminism
Introduction
In the mid-80s to early 90s, the infamous show The Golden Girls had a historic sevenyear run. I use the term historic in conjunction with a television show commended for its
light-hearted comedy because the social issues addressed on this show were far ahead of its
time. Homosexuality, AIDs, sexual harassment, and domestic violence were all common themes
of the show, which has become known for taking uncomfortable topics head-on and addressing
them for the hundreds of thousands of viewers following the show. For my final research project,
I will be delving into a few of the prominent social issues represented in this television show,
namely, the representation of second-wave feminism and, even more specifically, themes
involving womens age and sexuality in this time period.
Literature Review
To begin, I feel that it is important to define exactly what second-wave feminism is.
There is no true to form definition for each wave of feminism, but each wave is defined by the
characteristics and goals that they were based on. Second-wave feminism, as defined by
Boundless U.S. History, is a period of feminist activity that manifested in the United States
during the early 1960s, lasting through the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Whereas first-wave feminism
focused mainly on overturning legal obstacles to gender equality, second-wave feminism
broadened the debate to a wide range of issues: sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive
rights, de facto inequalities, and official legal inequalities (Second-Wave Feminism, 2015).
The Golden Girls first premiered in 1985, seemingly between feminist waves. The second wave

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dates range from the 1960s to early 1980s, while the term third-wave was not even introduced
until 1992 (Head, n.d.). While the TV show is right between these two waves, my main focus
will be on the representation of the second-wave of feminism in the television series. For the
purposes of this study, I will just be researching deeper into the characteristics of sexuality,
sexual harassment, and reproductive rights.
Sexuality can be simply defined as the quality or state of being sexual or the sexual
habits and desires of a person (Merriam-Webster Online, n.d.). Despite the Sexual Revolution
of 1960s, by the time the era of The Golden Girls arrived, women were not openly talking about
their sex lives. As a writer for the Huffington Post cleverly said, what has changed since the
eighties is that now women talk frankly about sex over coffee in a work break, in the kitchen at
home, or when choosing lingerie at an Ann Summers gathering (the modern equivalent of a
Tupperware party) (Conran, 2012). What is so revolutionary about The Golden Girls is that in a
time when women talking openly about sex was so taboo, they were doing exactly what Conran
claims they should not have been doing, except substitute coffee for cheesecake.
To this day, women are still advocating for equality in the workplace and defending
themselves against sexual harassment in the work environment. One topic that The Golden Girls
lights on is sexual harassment, in the workplace and otherwise. Until 1980, sexual harassment
was never officially defined, so reporting cases was a no-go (Turner, 2013). Before and during
this time period, the great majority of women who work are still employed in clerical positions,
factory work, retail sales, and service jobs or, more accurately, they were delegated to jobs that
were deemed too domestic for men (Womens History In America, 1995).
In an article titled 10 Things That American Women Could Not Do Before The 1970s,
there were two things that caught my eye, until the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978,

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women could be fired from their workplace for being pregnant, and the fact that, in most states,
women could not have an abortion (Turner, 2013). One other topic I would like to touch on when
discussing the second-wave feminist movement and The Golden Girls is reproductive rights.
Method
As I have stated in the previous sections, for my final research project, I will be
formulating research about The Golden Girls. As there were over 170 episodes aired during the
shows seven-year run, I decided to pick a small selection of episodes, over the course of the
shows run, that I felt exemplified the themes that I will be conducting my research. Though I
have watched multiple episodes from every season, I have selected four episodes to highlight the
points that I will try to make throughout this paper. The four episodes I have chosen are as
follows: Season 1, Episode 20, Adult Education, Season 3, Episode 13, The Artist, Season 4,
Episode 15, Valentines Day, and Season 5, Episode 3, The Accurate Conception. The
Golden Girls aired from 1985 until 1992, but the episode selections I have made range from
February 1986 to October of 1989 (IMDb, n.d.).
In my analysis, I will be recording the representation of second-wave feminism in the
television series, The Golden Girls. More specifically, I will narrow down the second-wave
feminist movement to just a few of the characteristics of the movement, highlighting on
sexuality, sexual harassment (specifically in the workplace), and reproductive rights. In addition
to highlighting on those few characteristics, I will be observing three of the four main characters
of the show (Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche) and describing ways in which they uphold or represent
these characteristics that I have selected. With this in mind, I ask, how do Dorothy, Rose, and
Blanche exemplify and compare to characteristics of the second-wave feminist movement in a
time when these ideals were not necessarily welcome?

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Findings
For this section, I will introduce each previously mentioned episode chronologically, give
a brief synopsis, and analyze it, including data from outside sources. First up, we have the 20th
episode of Season One, Adult Education. In this episode, the main storyline follows Blanche
Devereux, who currently has her sights set on a promotion at the museum she is working at.
However, in order to get the promotion, she has to complete her degree, and, in order to do that,
must pass a Psychology course in which she failed the midterm. Blanche goes in to discuss
possible alternatives with her professor, who proceeds to hit on her. Heres my home number, if
you really want that degree, youll use it. Catch my drift? (Berg & Zimmerman, 1986). While
Blanches situation does not occur directly in her workplace, sexual harassment from a superior
is quite common. The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) conducted a
survey in 2008, the topic being sexual harassment in the workplace. Of the people who
responded, 27% said they experienced sexual harassment by a colleague, and 17% said it was by
their superior. Of all the respondents, 79% of the victims were female (Research Study on
Workplace Sexual Harassment, 2008). Now, in the case of Blanche, who is a very sexual
woman on a normal day, actually considers the idea, as she really wants the promotion. From the
prompting of her friends, however, she goes in to the Deans office to report the sexual
harassment; the response she receives is not exactly encouraging. The Dean, who we learn is
only three days in to the job, initially responds, Dont do this to me (Berg & Zimmerman,
1986). After Blanche tells the Dean that there were no witnesses, he quickly shows her to the
door, telling her that there is not anything he can do if no one else saw or heard what happened.
In a shocking survey conducted by Cosmopolitan, of 2,500 plus respondents, one in four women

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stated that they had been sexually harassed at work, verbally or otherwise. Of that fraction,
however, 71% said they did not report the incident (Ahn & Ruiz, 2015).
In the Season 3 episode The Artist, the womens sexuality is the main topic. In this
particular episode, a famous artist recruits Blanche to pose for him, naked. He ends up going
behind her back and asking Blanches two best friends, Dorothy and Rose, to pose for him, as
well, making them promise they would keep it a secret from each other. Eventually, of course,
they all find out that every one of them has posing nude for this man and, when asking whose
frame would be used in the final sculpture, the artist says he has not decided yet. This episode is
rife with sexual innuendos and just general discussion about sex with friends and with semistrange men. Though Rose is always slightly horrified about the discussion, the other characters
and, more specifically, the women characters are perfectly comfortable talking about it. Another
thing to note about this episode is that all three women were extremely comfortable posing nude
and not one of them passed judgment about that fact. The only cause for judgment was for being
secretive with one another. A man easily pits these three women, whom are both good friends
and roommates, against each other. In the end, the artist reveals that he has decided to use bits
and pieces of all the women to create the perfect woman, one that is strong, sexual, and sweet.
Sexuality is a common theme in many of these episodes. In the Season 4 episode
Valentines Day, viewers are witness to several flashback scenes, almost all of which has
something to do with sexuality one way or another. In one flashback, we get to see Blanche,
Rose, and Dorothy going away together for a weekend in the mountains, only to find out that the
hotel Rose has booked for them is clothing optional. In a moment of excitement, the women
decide they are going to embrace the nudist camp and attend dinner without any clothes. Though
nervous, they eventually make it down to dinner only to find out that for dinner, clothes are

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always worn. In this particular scene, the women are privy to blatant ageism by the waiter.
Ageism can be defined as a form of discrimination and prejudice, particularly experienced by
seniors (ALFA, n.d.). Though most people are shocked by the fact that the women showed up to
dinner in the nude, the waiter makes an ageist comment in the form of, Im sorry, ladies, but we
always dress for dinner. And, in your case, wed appreciate it if you did for all three meals
(Grossman, Fanaro, Nathan & Speer, 1989). Ageism is prevalent in the previously mentioned
episodes, as well, in comments made in passing. Another theme in conjunction with sexuality to
briefly take note of in this show, particularly in the episodes I am researching, is sexual
orientation. In another flashback of the same episode, we see Blanche eating at the restaurant that
her late husband proposed to her at and she entices a young man who is on the verge of
proposing into conversation. Blanche tells the story of the proposal by her husband and is
shocked to learn that the man she has been talking to has been waiting for his boyfriend, rather
than girlfriend, which is followed by audience laughter. In The Artist, after the women have
been lobbying for the affections of the artist, in a much similar situation to Blanche at the
restaurant, they found out that he is gay, once again, queue the audience laughter.
One of the largest contributions made by the second wave of feminism is the fight for
reproductive rights. After looking into a brief history of the birth control pill, I found that it was
not legalized for all U.S. citizens until 1972 regardless of marital status (A Brief History of
Birth Control in the U.S., 2013). That is only discussing the pill, but other contraceptives have
been in (legal) use for much longer. In yet another flashback of the Valentines Day episode,
we see Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy at a convenience store, purchasing items for an upcoming
trip they are taking with the men they are currently seeing. Blanche decided to purchase a box of
condoms, for precautionary reasons, and Dorothy and Rose follow suit. Each woman is equally

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embarrassed at first, but they decide that the cashier will be discrete. They are sorely mistaken, of
course, when he asks for a price check over the intercom system. Blanche quickly gets over her
embarrassment and makes a speech about being morally and socially responsible, saying,
Havent you ever seen three vibrant, healthy, sexually active women before? After Blanches
own speech over the intercom, Dorothy and Rose then pretend like they do not know who
Blanche is (Grossman, Fanaro, Nathan, & Speer, 1989).
The fight for reproductive rights stands on the basis of being able to take control of a
womans body and right to choose, which brings me to the next episode. In The Accurate
Conception, Season 5, Episode 3, Blanche gets a visit from her daughter. After several days of
bonding, her daughter breaks the news that she has decided to get artificially inseminated. In the
1970s, the artificial insemination industry was commercialized, but it was not until the 1980s that
over 170,000 women were artificially inseminated. However, it posted some legal and religious
issues associated with artificial insemination (Artificial Insemination History, n.d.). The
reactions to Blanches daughters desire to go to a sperm bank are generally the same. Dorothy
and Roses responses are both ew, accompanied by disgusted looks, while Blanches was a bit
more extreme. Why would you do something like this just to hurt me? [] Why dont you wait
until you get married? [] Then at least wait until Im dead (Parent, 1989). Rebecca, Blanches
daughter, exclaims that she just wants to take control of her own life and family, but it is not until
the end of the episode that her mother comes around to the idea. On the day that Rebecca wants
to go to the sperm bank, she brings her mother and mothers friends along to her appointment, in
which Blanche offends the doctor, talking about how it was embarrassing for her to even be seen
there. Even though Blanche shows support, as soon as her daughter leaves the room, she, too,
gives an ew and a disgusted face thinking about the concept of it.

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Discussion
For this section, I will attempt to answer the question formerly posed, how do Dorothy,
Rose, and Blanche exemplify and compare to characteristics of the second-wave feminist
movement in a time when these ideals were not necessarily welcome? I feel like the most
important characteristic to discuss in regards to second-wave feminism would be sexuality. There
are several different aspects of The Golden Girls that I would like to point out about this topic,
and describe how I think the show was far ahead of its time. To begin, we have four single
elderly women divorced or widowed, with children living together. Though I would not
necessarily say having roommates was uncommon, in light of lesbian feminism, I would say it
was uncommon for four single women to live together, especially women of that age. In
addition, the show talks openly about sex, and a lot of it, too. I do not necessarily think that the
sex talk is the thing that surprises me most about a show of this time period, but that it is the
women who are openly talking about it. Blanche, especially, is a very sexual woman who is
extremely comfortable showing off and using her body. Dorothy is not nearly as open about it as
Blanche, but if two characters were going to be discussing it, it would be Dorothy and Blanche.
Rose, on the other hand, is entirely innocent and always seems to get a horrified or confused
expression on her face when the other women talk about sex. One constant theme that I noticed,
that surprised me, was the prevalence of slut-shaming. Urban Dictionary, though definitely not
an academic or esteemed source, defines slut-shaming as an unfortunate phenomenon in which
people degrade or mock a woman because she enjoys having sex, has sex a lot, or may even just
be rumored to participate in sexual activity (Urban Dictionary, n.d). I was mostly surprised that,
in a show where four women talk about sex so openly and so often, that it was often these

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women that were slut-shaming one another. Most of these jokes were at the expense of Blanche,
their roommate and friend, who I previously mentioned was so openly sexual.
In the episode The Accurate Conception, the reaction of Blanche was incredibly
surprising to me, as well. For someone who is so fluid and comfortable with sexuality, the same
woman who gave a speech in the middle of a convenience store about being morally and
socially responsible by purchasing condoms, she was very against artificial insemination. Out of
all three women I have been discussing, I would think that Blanche would be the most
comfortable with the idea, since she is the one who likes to make productions of taking control of
ones own life. Dorothy and Rose, who are much more conservative than Blanche, had similar
reactions to one another. Artificial insemination was still a relatively new idea at this point in
time, and their reactions ranged from surprised to disgust in a matter of seconds, a sentiment that
was shared by Blanche even after she showed support for her daughters decision. Their reaction
did not surprise me as much, as they were the ones who pretended they did not know who
Blanche was after her empowering speech at the convenience store where they were purchasing
condoms.
The final characteristic I would like to highlight is sexual harassment and the workplace,
separately and together. The great thing about this show was that, even though it was depicting
the every day lives of four elderly women, they all held consistent jobs throughout the series. In
addition, they show drive to want to earn promotions, almost as if the glass ceiling does not
exist in their minds. Blanches determination for a promotion is the base theme of the episode
Adult Education. Despite having to go back to school to complete her degree so late in life,
Blanche is determined to pass and earn her degree to earn a promotion at work. She faces sexual
harassment from the hands of her own professor, who more or less tells her that she has no hope

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of passing unless she has sex with him. After reporting it to the Dean, she still has no solution or
help for the situation. At the end of the episode, truly exemplifying what I feel the advocacy for
the workplace in the second-wave of feminism; Blanche gives her teacher a very empowering
speech. Well, thanks to you, I studied all day and all night and whenever I felt like giving up, I
would just think about what kind of man you really are, and Id study even harder. In fact, you
made me so mad, I decided to get an A on this test come hell or high water, and I think I did. I,
sir, am a lady. Maybe not the smartest lady in the world, but I do know that my self-respect is
more important than passing your damn course. So, you, sir, can kiss my A (Berg &
Zimmerman, 1986). Despite this, Blanche reveals at the end of the episode that she lost out on
the promotion, saying that the woman who got the position, spent her money on a tummy tuck
and a butt lift, showing that sexualizing women in the workplace was ever-present in that time.
Media Advocacy
The themes that The Golden Girls touched upon varied from episode-to-episode, but all
of them were groundbreaking, things that were uncomfortable to discuss. That is what I like best
about the show and I feel that there are currently no shows that are having the same discussions.
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation, AIDs, Depression, Racism and all the other topics that are still
deemed too taboo for television or are romanticized, are not being discussed in their true
elements, like the writers of The Golden Girls had always tried to do. Especially for a show of its
time, they talked more about the same issues we face today than we do. My recommendation
would be to start talking. With the third-wave of feminism and the broadening reaches of other
movements involving racism and sexuality, there are plenty of topics to get the discussion
flowing, no matter how uncomfortable it is. Being aware and informed is the most important
thing, and the crew of The Golden Girls advocated for that in every single episode.

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