New Feminism When I Started

New Feminism

When I started reading the abstract of this article, I was particularly struck by the phrase "monstrous maternal," and how it was mentioned in almost the same breath as the phrase "feminist insights." Although I am not a regular Law & Order fan or even an occasional viewer, I was intrigued by this assessment and looked forward to the insights that the article might offer. I was most intrigued by the way the article seemed to generalize the show's depiction of women as either violent to the extreme or non-emotional. The article, for example, generalizes the criminality of the women depicted by claiming that "the criminal women" depicted, i.e. all of them, without exception, use their power in the home to harm those closest to them, and in particular their children. Although I have not watched the show, I find it a little difficult to believe that every female perpetrator in every episode was guilty of this kind of crime.

Another generalization is that feminist elements are generally negatively portrayed in the show, by means of (1) the depiction of sexual assault and (2) women on powerful positions, i.e. those working alongside their male counterparts to solve the crimes in questions and to prosecute the perpetrators.

The authors' claim of negativity in terms of the first is that women are portrayed either as helpless victims or heartless and "monstrous" perpetrators of crime, mostly against their own children. In terms of the second, the authors claim that the women in power are portrayed as somewhat cold and distant, as well as being unable or unwilling to form deep or lasting connections with each other. In other words, this is a departure away from the general conception of women as warm and emotional entities.

My problem with these claims is, once again, that they are a narrow interpretation, without taking into account the context of the show. The first important thing to keep in mind is that it is unlikely that "SVU" was created with feminism at the forefront of its goals. The purpose of the show is, according to those closest to it, to create a realistic and sympathetic view of women and the various ways in which they can be victimized by crime and indeed by society in general. This, to me, is an attempt to be realistic rather than feminist. Today, women are increasingly viewed, and portrayed by the media, as strong, independent creatures who can make decisions, pay bills, and "even" drive cars. They do, however, experience crime in very specific ways, and this is what I believe the show has set out to do.

In terms of women in power, the context of the show is once again ignored in favor of a claim that women are negatively portrayed because they do not form emotional attachments. The nature of the workplace and context provided preclude such attachments. There is, for example, no consideration of how the men in power do not form emotional attachments, either to their female partners or to the other men in the show. This, I feel, is not feminist, but rather sexist.

Sexism can be defined as an unrealistic, preconceived idea of a gender paradigm without taking into account the surrounding circumstances or the inner qualities of those representing such gender. It seems to me that this is what this article does. The nature of the SVU show requires that it televises women in certain context; as either victims, perpetrators, or prosecutors of criminal activity. This is exactly the same roles that are portrayed by the men. This does not mean that the show indicates that all men are either murderers or cold-hearted lawyers and police officers. These characterizations are what the show require.