Desperate Housewives Aren't Really All That Desperate

When we were discussing examples of other, more recent, television shows that are examples of featuring a strong, independent, and thus a feminist-perspective-supporting female lead, one of the shows that I thought of was the example of Desperate Housewives.  I feel as though this example is a perfect example of our discussion in class.  The story line is a perfect example of Girl Power! in my opinion.  Some may not support me in this feeling.  Some may see the show Desperate Housewives as a show that yes features women as the lead, but is not one that portrays Girl Power!, nor the feminist perspective.  I can understand why others may think this.  Much of the plot is concerned with the women finding a romantic partner, them experiencing the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship, and them making messes in their lives and then scrambling around to try to clean up the messes they make.  However, even though they do spend a lot of the show and plot line concerned with these issues, I feel as though they do it in a way that is the essence of the Third Wave of feminism.  The Third Wave of feminism is concerned with feminists being very feminist but at the same time still being very feminine simultaneously. 

 

All of the women go through extreme circumstances on the show, being a dramatic prime time evening show.  How the women handle themselves during and through those circumstances, no matter how “girly” those circumstances may seem to be, are still in a way that can be seen as independent, strong, and feminist based.  To me it seems as though the women may want to be with a man, they do not absolutely have to be with a man in order to be happy and in order to be okay to get through though times.  I will admit that the women all may not have started out like this.  But quickly past the first season of the show, the women all became independent and strong.  Bree Van De Kamp did this when her husband died and she became a widow, forcing her to be a single parent.  She also became an entrepreneur by starting her own catering business.  Lynette Scavo always seemed to be this way in that while she was a mother of five kids she was also a top-dog in the business world and portrayed as even better than her husband and other men at times.  Susan Mayer became a portrayal of the feminist perspective by also becoming a widow and living a life on her own without a man to take care of her.  Finally, Gaby Solis was the a perfect example of Third Wave feminism in that she had a career as a fashion model, an extremely feminine career, but also never let any man take advantage of her, and also became the primary caregiver and provider for her family when her husband became blind, thus showing a flip-flop of roles for males and females on a television show.