A genre that has recently become popular over the past decade is teen drama. Shows such as Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, Euphoria and Gossip Girl, to name a few, have established cult followings from young fans and older viewers alike. Generally, these shows are characterized by a young cast and a high school setting. Despite these written circumstances, these shows typically star older actors and handle mature topics. The oversexualization of female characters in these television shows often stems from a misinterpretation of agency and increasing complications regarding feminism and empowerment. To resolve this, having a more balanced writer’s room could address the problem at its root.
One of the main things we need to define in order to decide whether or not women are being oversexualized in the media is the difference between agency and exploitation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, agency is typically defined as the capacity to act or exert power. When a character has a choice to act, they are using their agency. On the other hand, exploitation is an issue in television. Characters who have been cornered into a situation, thereby making them make a compromising decision, have lost their agency and are, instead, being exploited. For example, in Sam Levinson’s Euphoria, seventeen year old Maddy hooks up with a college student to make her on-again off-again boyfriend Nate jealous. Although it is her choice to do so, it falls under a larger plot of abuse, demonstrating that she, perhaps, did not have the agency she thought she had.
In regards to a new wave of feminism being brought to the silver screen, mixed definitions can lead to different interpretations. Every person has their own definition of what it means to feel empowered. To an older generation, it may look like standing up for oneself in the workplace. To Generation Z, to which sex has arguably become more destigmatized, freedom as it relates to sexuality can be liberating. Determining whether or not having sexualized or sexually active characters in television shows aimed at teenagers is negative, and ultimately, subjective. However, if we are defining feminism as the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes, one thing becomes clear: the way that male and female characters are portrayed on screen is not equal.
In terms of solutions, changing the composition of the writer’s room can prevent overt sexualization of female characters. According to the UCLA School of Social Science’s annual Hollywood diversity report, 67% of scripted television shows that aired during 2016-2017 were composed of less than 11% of women in their writer’s rooms. Female characters get written into compromising situations because, in part, they are not being written by women. Without having women to provide their input in a show’s creation, men, sometimes unknowingly, put female characters in situations that end up objectifying them.
The sexualization of young female characters in cable television shows have become a noticeable topic of discussion within the past few months. Audiences are not dormant. With a breadth of information at their fingertips, they know who is making their favorite shows, and they’re not afraid to criticize or ask questions. To be clear, this is not a call for censorship in art. Each showrunner, writer, and director is entitled to share their vision with the world. However, it is important to consider how wide-spread media can affect a generation of consumers. These shows do not represent real life, but they can influence it, no matter what the setting may be.