Archetypes, Me Too, Time’s Up and the representation of diverse women on TV

 Rocío Garrido, Sevilla (Spain)

 Anna Zaptsi, Seville (Greece)

https://doi.org/10.3916/C68-2021-02

Keywords

Feminism, Me Too, Time’s Up, archetype, stereotypes, TV serials

Abstract

The feminist movements Me Too and Time’s Up have showcased the power of the audiovisual industry and social networks denouncing sexual harassment and promoting gender equality. Nevertheless, women in the media –and, specifically, on TV– continue to be underrepresented and stereotyped. Then, according to Time’s Up, it is urgent to increase the number of women in front of and behind the cameras, as well as to embed social movements’ influences on media productions in order to broaden the archetypal models used for characters' design/analysis. Despite the benefits of archetypes in storytelling, they are based on patriarchal and ethnocentric myths that undervalue female diversity. In response, this paper explores the transference of these feminist movements in terms of female presence and representation on TV series broadcast in the Peak TV era. From an intersectional approach, 25 feminist series were identified, and good practices in the portrayal of female characters are presented as useful role models for co-education which can contribute to egalitarian attitudes in youth. These female characters amplify typical archetypes (i.e., Knower, Carer, Striver, Conflictor, Everywomen) by defying stereotypes. This study concludes that there is a feminist trend in streaming platforms’ content, especially in series with a high female presence on-screen/off-screen (many of them linked to feminist movements), that sheds light on a more egalitarian and inclusive television landscape.

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Fundref

This study was framed within the project “Liberarte II”, financed by the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Seville (2019-2020).

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Technical information

Received: 27-01-2021

Revised: 30-12-2020

Accepted: 15-02-2021

OnlineFirst: 15-04-2021

Publication date: 01-07-2021

Article revision time: -28 days | Average time revision issue 68: 37 days

Article acceptance time: 19 days | Average time of acceptance issue 68: 78 days

Preprint editing time: 109 days | Average editing time preprint issue 68: 168 days

Article editing time: 154 days | Average editing time issue 68: 213 days

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