For the much-anticipated season 2 premiere of The Bold Type, Freeform blessed us with not one, but two, new episodes (“Feminist Army” and “Rose Colored Glasses”) of our favorite series following three badass magazine staffers who also happen to be BFFs. The episodes were filled with moments that made us wish we were friends with Jane, Kat and Sutton—in addition to many touching, inspiring and thought-provoking moments. Basically, what’s not to love about The Bold Type?
*CONTAINS SPOILERS*
In the series premiere, we saw Adena owning her sexuality and having an open conversation with Kat about it, Kat struggling with her biracial identity and Sutton dealing with slut-shaming at work. There were also many scenes that were especially relatable if you’re a journalism major…
When Jane runs into Jacqueline at awkward times
Jane always seems to be trying to impress her former editor, even though she no longer works at Scarlet. She awkwardly runs into Jacqueline with a shirt stuck on her head, then tries really hard to make the work she’s doing sound impressive. Journalism majors can definitely relate to constantly wanting to impress their editors—and sometimes running into them at not-so-convenient times.
When Jane goes to her first pitch meeting at Incite
Ahh, pitch meetings. Sometimes you love them, and sometimes you feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. We can totally relate to Jane’s first pitch meeting at Incite, where her editor doesn’t appear to be a fan of the idea Jane had been so in love with.
When Kat tries to explain social media to a room full of older men
The media industry has changed, and we all know social media is huge, but sometimes we find ourselves surrounded by people who haven’t quite caught on yet. Kat does an incredible job speaking up during a meeting with board members because honestly, speaking up in a room full of older white men can be intimidating. Kat pushes them to take more risks with online content, inspiring journalism students everywhere to speak up and share their ideas during meetings. “Sorry, old guys,” Kat says after the meeting (although, not to the men directly). “Time to let someone else talk.” #goals
When a story takes an unexpected turn
We’ve all experienced the moment when you think you’re almost done with a story, then a source hits you with some information that changes the entire thing. Your thought process is something like, this is the real story! But wait, what about my old story? Wait, I’m on deadline. Ahhhhh. Jane was working on a story that was meant to be an empowering feature about a woman who started a charitable menstrual cups brand. Then she finds out from a source that the menstrual cups have caused health issues for low-income women. Yikes.
When Jane’s story is changed completely without her knowledge
Jane wrote her story only to later see that her editor published a completely different story—with Jane’s byline—without running it by her. This is a pretty extreme example, but journalism students can relate to the feeling you get when your story is published and doesn’t look much like the one you turned in. We get it, edits are necessary, but can we get a heads up? Especially in Jane’s case, where the published story had a completely different angle.
When Kat struggles to write her bio
Jacqueline asks Kat to write a bio, but Kat only has social media bios and doesn’t know what to include in a professional bio. #Relatable. She researches her parents’ bios in attempt to write her own. As she struggles to write it, she also questions whether she should include that she’s the first black woman to hold her current position.
When Sutton deals with slut-shaming in the office
Unfortunately, this is something women in all fields deal with. Sutton is accused of “sleeping her way to the top,” then starts to doubt her own abilities. This is a stereotype we’ve seen over and over again, especially in portrayals of women who work in the media—that they sleep with sources or coworkers. We are constantly questioning our own abilities, but like Sutton did at the end, we should recognize our strengths and stand up for ourselves. “We don’t tear each other down, not as women and definitely not as women of Scarlet,” Sutton says. Truth.