HW Week 8

 We used to squeeze together. The four of us. My family. Mother, father, brother and I. We would finish lunch or dinner and simply sit on the couch and watch a movie on TV and eat dessert. Looking back this is probably one of the reasons I was obese for most part of my life. Watching television had always been a way to escape. I would avoid doing homework, studying, going for a walk, doing anything creative, even hanging out with my friends. The TV helped me when I was alone at night, scared of the dark, it kept me company while I ate, it filled my space with white noise. It numbed me, hypnotized me. I cannot say that i have overcome this addiction, no. It only shifted to my phone. But at least I can take my phone with me and live a more active lifestyle than I did when I was a child. The TV mostly stays off these days. When I feel like watching a show or a movie I go on Netflix or the Internet, but all this on my laptop. I honestly would feel uncomfortable watching TV, probably because the screen is too far away. I have got used to something glowing directly in my face. But it has its benefits. Now I can watch whatever and whenever I like. Even though unlike with the TV, watching shows has become a lonely event in my life. Now I only watch shows when there is nothing better to do, or if I am procrastinating. There is something nostalgic about that old TV in my living room, we have been through a lot. It used to occupy every aspect of my home life, and now I feel a bit more liberated. Even though I am currently chained to my laptop because of online classes, it brings me solace knowing it is only temporary. Hopefully.

I will not talk about how things were done in the past, regarding the roles women played in popular television. Everybody knows. I could not possibly say anything that has not already been said. Female characters were either supporting characters, comic relief if they were ugly, or extremely sexualized main characters, pleasing both male and female audiences. That used to be the majority of cinema. Now we have popular shows, often poorly written, which try to push the feminist agenda by force, in a plastic and aggressive manner. I, being a woman, cannot enjoy a show that portrays female characters whose role is simply to show that women are amazing, powerful, strong, etc., without actually providing the character with any depth, weaknesses or faults. I do not care about the feminist agenda, if this is the only way it is being served. I am personally traumatized (read annoyed) by these stock characters, which only serve a political purpose. Mind you, my favourite cartoon is Mulan, but she is not omnipotent, she is not uninterested in love, she is not fighting alone. Now, it would be wrong of me not to mention a handful of shows where female characters actually push this feminist agenda, but in a positive, untraceable way. The last show I watched was Dark, the plot of which I could never be able to explain. There is time travel, religion, parallel universes, philosophy, you name it. This show provides the viewers with a plethora of female characters of different age groups, personalities, sizes and looks. The characters are diverse in that sense. They have depth and a purpose in the plot. Not once did I feel as if a character was unnecessary or flat. Not even once did my guy friends complain about the amount of unsexualized, serious female characters. They usually complain if they feel a hidden agenda behind a character. They did not even notice that women made up more than half of the cast. No one had a problem. This is feminism done the proper way. This is something that I stand by. I do not care about the new wave of popular shows, no matter how important feminists claim they are. Another amazing show is Mindhunter. Even though there are not a lot of women in the cast, I find that this show brilliantly portrays female characters. Given that the plot is set in the 70s, it comes as no surprise that there are few women among the cast. But even so, the small number of female characters are developed so immensely, that I honestly forgot it was a show. It seemed more like a long film. The leading female character is a lesbian, but this information is introduced naturally, without a lot of fanfare and fuss, and the end result is just what you want - acceptance. The audience becomes so involved with the character, that it does not matter that she is gay. This is exactly what I believe is the best way towards tolerance. Those with prejudices eventually get used to diverse characters, once they get to know them.