How many movies, and shows exist where the main female characters work for a magazine? There are a few (you can think some up I’m sure) and they always portray this lush, fabulous life for its characters. People who are beautiful and lusted after, they clink their champagne glasses, cry over boys, their articles always about love. These characters, although tough in their own way, are always given the same rabbit hole to explore in the duration of the movie or the years of the television show.
We finally have something diverse, different, proactive: ‘The Bold Type’. A Freeform original starring Katie Stevens as writer Jane Sloane, Aisha Dee as social media director Kat Edison, and Meghann Fahy as assistant Sutton Brady. These three female leads work at Scarlet Magazine (inspired by real life mag Cosmo) and face plenty of real world issues. So often we see characters in an environment like this fussing over every miniscule thing, but “The Bold Type’ really allows us to see a different side of not only this kind of workplace but also young people handling the issues in their life.
We get a glimpse of Sutton’s fear of failure, which is quite literally all of us when it seems like our dreams are too far to be possible. Kat’s ferocity and determination is makes her a tough character that people can see themselves in. Jane is the character I feel I relate to most, she is feisty, but she also feels strongly.
When it comes to romance, ‘The Bold Type’ deals with plenty of it (i.e. relationship drama). But it deals with romance in different ways, while Sutton and Jane deal with boy (man? male?) issues, Kat finds herself on a different boat, cue Adena. Kat meets Adena in quite literally the first episode, and she begins to question her sexuality. See, Kat always believed she is straight, but is she?
Now lets not forget about the friendship issues. Just like in any friendship Kat, Sutton, and Jane will sometimes butt heads but it never keeps them from each other. Exemplified perfectly by Jane and Kat who upset Sutton and proceed to tell her, the next day at work, that they are her “safety net”. How refreshing compared to so many other shows where women are brutal to one another, trying to climb above using the shoulders of another. ‘The Bold Type’ gives its viewers a broad taste of similarities they can draw from and relate to in their own life.
‘The Bold Type’ covers so many bases (i.e. LGBTQ+, exploration and discovery of sexuality, immigration, friendship, love, cancer, loss, fears, dreams, success, work, LIFE!) in a way that portrays its characters in a light very different to shows and movies like it. It gives young people of this generation something that not many other shows or movies give, and that is a healthy portrayal of working women and men.
The three women of ‘The Bold Type’ are there for one another, they celebrate each other’s victories and support one another when they face upsetting difficulties. They are dreamers, hard workers, they strive to achieve their ultimate goals and never give up. Sutton, Jane, and Kat make us constantly envious while simultaneously proud.