The 1980s was a pivotal decade in television as related to the portrayal of women in popular shows. Shows like The Dukes of Hazzard, Cheers, and Laverne and Shirley depicted women in a positive light, as it showed how women can be independent and strong in society like they never were before. It helped women to expand their specialties from being simple housewives to being successful in any career field they chose. Also, the 1980s encouraged women to be more comfortable with their body image and introduced characters that demonstrated that comfort and confidence through the shows. These shows best emulate the positive aspects of women as depicted in television:
Cheers (1982-1993)
Cheers was a very upbeat and hilarious sitcom, that took place mostly in the bar of the same name. The main women characters in this show were depicted as strong and independent, all communicating regularly with the male characters as friends. The female characters that were not regular on the show, however, were very gullible and tend to not be as intelligent as the main characters, making them more susceptible to the charm of the main character and bartender, Sam. To be more specific, the characters Diane, Carla, and Rebecca deserve to be examined in light of their portrayal.
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First, Diane Chambers, introduced in the Pilot episode of the show, is first seen as a very dignified woman ready to get married to a prestigious professor in Barbados. However, in the first episode, she is left by the professor for another woman, and is found at Cheers down on her luck and without a job. Sam then offers her a job at Cheers, but she refuses due to the highly distinguished attitude she carries herself with. As the show progresses, Diane becomes closer to Sam and the people of Cheers, and becomes a moral and intellectual compass for Sam, as well as his romantic pursuit. This presentation of Diane shows that she is an independent woman, who is both more intelligent and more aware of the situation than the bumbling men of the show. She is a light for women to strive toward in reality because of her great level of intelligence and her level of independence and self-reliance that she carries with her.
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Next, Carla, the experienced waitress at Cheers, has a completely different personality than Diane, but still portrays the independence of a woman in the day and age. To describe Carla in simple terms would be to call her "one of the guys", meaning that her tom-boyish personality allows her to interact well with the male characters of the show. Her love of baseball and passionate support of the Boston Red Sox distinguish her from other women of the show, who show no interest in any sports whatsoever. Carla's temper is also a differentiating factor, because she tends to resort to physical violence or verbal confrontation to resolve the problems that she has with people, in fact, she is so aggressive in one case that a customer threatens to sue if she is not fired. Carla's personality is most certainly one that may not be carried by many women, but the confidence and swagger with which she carries herself serves as an inspiration for women of all generations to do the same.
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The third major woman character in the show, Rebecca comes into the show as Diane is leaving, because the actress decided to pursue a movie career instead of continue on with the show. Rebecca enters as the newly appointed manager of the Boston branch of Cheers and immediately begins to lock horns with Sam. Her toughness and resistance to the charms of Sam resemble those qualities that are shown by Carla, but also has the beauty and grace of Diane, as she fills in to be Sam's new romantic interest. As the show progresses, Sam begins to reveal Rebecca's weaknesses, making them closer as friends, but not lovers, as she knows of Sam's seductive ways and is very resistant to them. Like Carla, Rebecca is a prime example of the grit and toughness of women, however, she also demonstrates how emotionally delicate that women are as she is hurt badly by not being able to be with her love Evan. At the end of the series, Rebecca finally gets over Evan, showing the resiliency of women, and marries, causing her to step down from her position at Cheers and pursue married life as a model wife.
A common theme among these three women is the concept of independence. These characters portrayed how it was possible for women to become their own people, and not be held down by and sexist barriers. They also showed the strength and ability to stand up for themselves against anyone who tried to bring them down, demonstrating that women could share that strength and confidence that all three of the women carried themselves with. Overall, Cheers gave a positive image of women to encourage them to be more independent in the changing times of the 1980s.
This is a comical scene in which Carla stands up on the bar and renounces herself as a Red Sox fan after a tough loss to the rival Yankees. What makes it funny is that the whole crowd chimes in and takes the words right out of her mouth because she says this after every Sox loss.
Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983)
Laverne and Shirley, a popular TV show in the 80s that was a spinoff of the hit show Happy Days, and gave the depiction of two different types of women. Laverne De Fazio and Shirley Feeney proved to be two lovable characters and complemented each other well by the way they carried themselves. The contrast between these two characters explored how some women at the time were able to be tough and independent, while upholding a lady-like manner about them. This major contrast allowed the two of them to overcome some of the intense situations that they often found themselves in.
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Laverne De Fazio represents the tough and resilient part of a woman at the time. She is able to deal with many tense situations, like the dismissal of her dim-witted friends Squiggy and Lenny, with the power of her words. Her tom-boyish attitude is similar to that of Carla, from Cheers also attracts her to the "macho" men characters of the show, especially Arthur Fonzarelli (aka Fonzie from Happy Days) who makes a guest appearance on the show from time to time. With all of these features and attitudes that make Laverne seem like she is a complete tomboy, she also has some attributes about her that remind the viewers that she is still a lady, and is able to carry herself as such. One of these attributes includes the trademark "L" that is sewn into all of hew clothing, to distinguish it from all else. This shows that, in light of all the toughness and grit that she shows on the exterior, she still can maintain herself and carry herself like a proper lady of the time.
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Shirley Feeney, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of Laverne, which is why the two are such close friends. She is very kind and lady-like to all the characters in the show, and likes to solve conflicts not by words or harsh remarks, but by talking things out and understanding a person's feelings. This approach, paired with Laverne's assertive nature often is the right combination needed to deal with the problems that the two face as friends, and also the issues that they help others to deal with as well. However, Shirley has a hardened side to her and uses it only in situations in which she desperately needs to, for instance, when Laverne is feeling down, or hurt by someone. This sudden burst of toughness and vigor is an inspiration to women in all time periods because it shows that one can maintain an outward appearance of an ideal woman, but also have a fight inside of them to stand up for what they believe in.
This video depicts the strength and vigor of women in the 80s through Laverne and Shirley. In the scene, Laverne and Shirley have just survived the contest in which they are put up against men in surviving on their own in the wilderness. The Sergeant gives them a speech on how they proved that women can be stronger than men in anything that they try to be.
The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985)
When one imagines the Dukes of Hazzard, he or she may think of Bo and Luke Duke, and their misadventures and conflicts with Boss Hogg and their bond with Uncle Jesse, but the other main character that a person will most certainly think of is one that changed the way that women carry themselves and dress. Her name is Daisy Duke, and her impact on both television and cultural history has been instrumental in shaping the way women are today. Her portrayal in the show encouraged women to be like her in her actions, and, most critically, the way she dressed.
In the show, Daisy's trademark is the way she dresses. This portrayal suggests that all women should be comfortable with their bodies, as Daisy is constantly flaunting herself in revealing clothing, especially in the shortly cut jean shorts that bear her own name in today's culture. Also, in several episodes, she is depicted in very provocative and revealing clothing in order to distract people for Bo and Luke. Her example allowed for television networks and shows alike to realize that sex appeal was a very enticing way of getting viewership for their respective programs. This concept has carried forward into today's society, as many television shows, advertisements, and other forms of media reflect sex appeal in order to better convey the message that they want to get across to the viewership.
The second way that women can follow the example of Daisy Duke is by mirroring the way she carried herself through action. Daisy was a loving cousin and niece to Bo, Luke, and Uncle Jesse and emulated the supportive family life by treating them with respect and dignity. The strength of her family life is attributed to the death of her mother when she was very young. Also, going along with the overlapping theme of women in the 80s, she is cunning and uses her attractive appearance to often help Bo and Luke out of tense situations with the law.
In the show, Daisy's trademark is the way she dresses. This portrayal suggests that all women should be comfortable with their bodies, as Daisy is constantly flaunting herself in revealing clothing, especially in the shortly cut jean shorts that bear her own name in today's culture. Also, in several episodes, she is depicted in very provocative and revealing clothing in order to distract people for Bo and Luke. Her example allowed for television networks and shows alike to realize that sex appeal was a very enticing way of getting viewership for their respective programs. This concept has carried forward into today's society, as many television shows, advertisements, and other forms of media reflect sex appeal in order to better convey the message that they want to get across to the viewership.
The second way that women can follow the example of Daisy Duke is by mirroring the way she carried herself through action. Daisy was a loving cousin and niece to Bo, Luke, and Uncle Jesse and emulated the supportive family life by treating them with respect and dignity. The strength of her family life is attributed to the death of her mother when she was very young. Also, going along with the overlapping theme of women in the 80s, she is cunning and uses her attractive appearance to often help Bo and Luke out of tense situations with the law.