All forms of media or art that have ever been produced send messages out about women: how we view appropriate roles for women, how women should behave and how women should live. Essentially, today’s media teaches audiences how women ought to be perceived, whether these influences be positive or negative. If I were to provide a list of shows that offer strong messages about the nature of women, it would be never ending; so instead, I’m choosing to focus on a show that sends strong positive messages about the capabilities of women. “That ’70s Show.”
Why would I choose “That ’70s Show,” you ask? Because the actor of Kelso, Ashton Kutcher, went to the University of Iowa, right? Well, that’s not why, but go Hawks! The foremost reason I chose “That ’70s Show” is because the 1970s is a particularly interesting time period in the history of women’s rights and feminism, which provides the groundwork necessary for characters in “That ’70s Show” to impart some important beliefs about feminist issues that are still pertinent today. Feminist idol Gloria Steinem made her debut in this era and cofounded many women’s movements, such as the Women’s Action Alliance, National Women’s Political Caucus and the Women’s Media Center. This period in history and the feminist movement is known as “Second-Wave Feminism.” A movement that started in the mid-1960s, Second-Wave Feminism’s primary focus is bring women equality outside of the home, as well as offering freedom inside the home, as the defining phrase “The personal is political” so perfectly describes. The 1970s is frequently regarded as the point in time when feminism became mainstream. Now I’ll show you how ideas in “That ’70s Show” mirror feminist debates of the 1970s but are also still important issues today.
Arguably one of the most famous feminist quotes from “That ’70s Show” is the episode where Donna tells Kelso off for critzing women that go to college. Kelso’s opinion that “College is for ugly girls who can’t get modeling contracts,” reflects the common 1970s belief that women were most adequately suited for only two things: looking pretty professionally or the domestic realm. This idea that women needed the opportunity to be fulfilled outside of the home was made popular by Betty Friedan in her famous book “The Feminine Mystique,” which examines the unhappiness of women made to stay at home and is considred to be the cataylst of Second-Wave Feminism. Although many people today may not believe that women should be relegated to domestic life, many other issues regarding women in the workforce are still present both today and in “That ’70s Show,” including equal pay and child-care roles.
If you’re an avid fan of the show, you may recall Season 1, Episode 17 “The Pill.” In this episode, Jackie has a pregnancy scare, so both she and Donna pursue birth control so that they can lead healthy, safe and protected sex lives. Donna receives much criticism from her father for her new birth control prescription, but in actuality, access to birth control is a major feminist issue. Without a doubt, access to birth control is the single most effective way to increase the status of women. The beginning of accessible birth control in 1969 corresponds with a 20% increase in female college enrollment and a 35% decrease in female collegiate dropout rates. Not to mention that one third of female wage gains are the direct result of access to oral contraceptives alone (Planned Parenthood, 2015). Today, we still fight for accessible birth control, not just in the U.S. but also abroad. An estimated 100 million women worldwide need contraceptives but are not able to access them (Feminist Majority Foundation, 2014). Even yet, many nations that do allow women to obtain contraceptive, do not effectively educate individuals on how to appropriately and accurately use birth control methods. Those who experienced comprehensive sex education were 40% more likely to use a birth control method consistently and correctly than their uneducated counterparts (Kirby, 2001). Unfortunately, ignorance on issues surrounding birth control is still widespread and prevalent today, just as it was in 1970s.
In Season 1, Episode 14 the “Stolen Car,” neighbor to the Foremans and mother of Donna, Midge Pinciotti, decides to enroll in a Women’s Empowerment class at the local community college. Despite Midge’s enthusiasm regarding feminism, her husband Bob is adamantly opposed to not only the idea of Midge leaving the home to educate herself but also to the idea of feminism. Bob attempts to persuade Midge that feminism isn’t necessary, using reasoning that he’s been a good husband to her, that she should be happy and that society does not oppress women. Bob’s problematic arguments against feminism mirror dialogue in anti-feminist movements that are still being used today. Arguments that feminism isn’t necessary still blame women for being whiny, unappreciative, holding women above men, working against their own interests, and “playing the victim” (King, 2015). Ironically, what both Bob and the modern anti-feminist movement reflect is the blinding bias of privilege. When Bob contends that Midge doesn’t need feminism because she’s happy, he is implying that because she is happy and safe, all women everywhere are happy and safe as well. It is still important to be educated about and advocate for women’s rights globally, even if sexism doesn’t affect you personally. Feminism is not now, nor has it ever been, superfluous.
Although seemingly hostile at times, the occasionally tense relationship between Jackie and Donna symbolizes conflicting roles for women that originated during the second-wave of feminism but still affect women now. Jackie represents the omnipresent notion that women should be ultra-feminine, highly sexualized, aloof and interminably fixated on marriage. Whereas Donna is the epitome of an independent, intellectual, career-focused, androgynous personality, which was an emerging ideal for women during the 1960s and 1970s. The tension between dependent/domestic and autonomous/industrial roles for women reached an impasse at the 1968 Miss America Protests, close to the time period “That ’70s Show” takes place. Feminist protesters critiqued the national pageant for enforcing unrealistic beauty standards, encouraging the domestication and objectification of women and reinforcing the Madonna/whore double-standard for women (Napikoski, 2016). This tension is exemplified in the characters Jackie and Donna by both stigmatizing Jackie for dreaming of marriage and Donna for working towards a high-profile career. Similarly, Jackie often insults Donna with slurs such as “lumberjack” for being too androgynous, while insults that Jackie is frivolous, boy-crazy and promiscuous are plentiful as well. Unfortunately, this stark contrast between the ideals that Donna represents and the principles that Jackie embodies creates a socially strict climate for woman, both in the past and in the present. Women who reject homemaker, feminine ideals are disparaged, just as women who reject professional, androgynous standards are likewise condemned.
Although many of the feminist trials and tribulations Donna, Jackie, Midge, Kitty and Lori experienced are still current in today’s culture, it is encouraging to see “That ’70s Show” provide a generation of youth (and Netflix addicts) the chance to see strong female characters on screen. I didn’t even touch on Kitty, a mother of two who single handedly supports her family while her husband is out of a job! The ability to show young girls that women are resilient and unstoppable is priceless. Thanks, “That ’70s Show,” for addressing so many women’s issues.