Young women discovering their own power – “The Bold Type” TV series ¦ Tiger Women

 The Bold Type is a fluffy feel-good TV show that’s like Sex and The City for millenials  which nonetheless tackles tough topics. Multimedia author Yang-May Ooi takes a look at a show that is deceptively pretty while helping young women discover their own power.

Young women discovering their own power – “The Bold Type” TV series ¦ Tiger Women

The Bold Type is a an American TV series set in a women’s fashion magazine, Scarlet, a modern era Cosmo.  In the foreground are three young women, writer Jane, social media director Kat and executive assistant Sutton. There are hunky young men flitting in and out of their lives, there’s sex and romance, girl talk, wild nights out, heartache… all the stuff of TV drama a la Sex and the City. But the show also mixes the eye-candily beautiful women and men in stunning locations with serious issues lightly handled (immigration, being Muslim in Trump’s America, harassment on Twitter, rape…).

Bubble Gum with Brains

Hard hitting issues don’t always have to be the subject of serious or high brow drama. For me, it’s a plus that the show is bubble-gummy – AND that it also deals with what is happening in the real world in a way that is not confrontational or angry, rather like the ethos of Scarlet, the magazine at the centre of the story.

Sometimes, you just want to take a break from The Guardian view of the world, which rightly takes serious issues with appropriate seriousness. Sometimes, girls – and even older women like me – just want to have fun in front of the telly.

Girls becoming women

I like that the young women in the show are proud to say out loud “I’m a feminist”.

I like that there’s a strong, intimidating yet wise and vulnerable mentor in the character of Jacqueline Carlyle, a feminist who came of age in the ’80s as I did, and who embodies the mature female power that the young friends are just beginning to grow into.

I like that the the characters are also flawed and make mistakes, that they love girly things and fashion, and that they are uncertain about their ambition and yet go for what they want.

I like that with The Bold Type, for just under an hour we can forget dreary, gritty, ugly old realism and settle down to something easy on the eye and brain – but which has a storyline that afterwards gets us talking and thinking about a current and serious issues affecting women, both young and old.

Verdict

Not for you if you like serious, gritty, grungy real life kitchen sink dramas.

Watch it with friends if you fancy something light and fun but could kick start juicy discussions afterwards about hot issues.

You can find the show on Amazon Prime.

Photo: via In “The Bold Type,” fluffy female empowerment is always in fashion – Salon.com with thanks

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Tiger Women is a multimedia project celebrating bold, fabulous women who can inspire us all.