A recent The New York Times article about Shonda Rhimes went horribly wrong. Alessandra Stanley said Rhimes should title her autobiography, “How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman.” When I read this, I was personally offended. The fact that this article was published blows my mind. Stanley did not have to focus on this idea of being an angry black woman but instead could have showed how strong and independent the characters Rhimes creates are. I feel genuine outrage on behalf of Shonda Rhimes because these are the shows we need in today’s society.
When Rhimes found out she immediately started tweeting and made a correction. In the article Stanley stated that Rhimes was the creator of “How to Get Away With Murder.” When in reality it is a former “Grey’s Anatomy” staff writer Pete Nowalk, a white male. Rhimes tweeted, “Confused why @nytimes critic doesn’t know identity of CREATOR of show she’s reviewing. @petenowa did you know u were “an angry black woman.”
She poked fun at the situation and had the help of her shows’ casts. Ellen Pompeo, the star of “Grey’s Anatomy”, tweeted, “Didn’t Meredith Grey (Medusa) and Christina Yang also terrify and intimidate medical students?” That was in regards to when Stanley called Bailey an African American character, “a brilliant surgeon that terrorizes interns.” Josh Malina, of “Scandal,” also tweeted, “Wow. Did I just read a @nytimes piece that reduced my brilliant, creative, compassionate, thoughtful, bada** boss to an ‘angry black woman?’” The support was endless because it is obvious that Rhimes deserves far more credit than The New York Times gave her.
I applaud Rhimes for creating strong female leads and having them kick butt. It’s refreshing to see woman like; Olivia Pope, Mellie Grant, Christina Yang and Annalise Keating just to name a few, take control. They show that women don’t have to hide in the shadows. These women are varying in race and age and those are people that need to be on television. What America needs is a female character to root for that is relatable and flawed and that is exactly what Rhimes gives us show after show. Rhimes never gives you the cliché cookie cutter mom. Yes, they get angry, but so what? They should be angry because they have to deal with people that don’t believe in their capabilities. People that don’t think they can handle the same things as men and time and time again these women prove them wrong. I would be angry too.
You can’t blame these women for being angry and their race should have nothing to do with that. They are going through complications, vulnerability and work in stressful work environments (hospitals, The White House, criminal law). That would be enough to cause anyone to snap on occasion. They are human beings after all. These shows portray women that are empowering. They aren’t just some pieces of meat for men’s entertainment anymore. They have real problems that our generation needs to witness on television. In Stanley’s article she doesn’t even grasp the big picture. She called Olivia Pope a mistress and doesn’t even acknowledge the fact of all the good she does and the people she helps. Annalise Keating terrifies students and cheats on her husband according to Stanley, which yes is true. Though she disregards the fact that she is a high power lawyer who teaches her students how to conduct proper trials and prepares them for the real world, all while handling her marriage that is falling apart.
As for Rhimes, I would never classify her as an angry black woman, but rather a beacon of hope and inspiration to women everywhere that watch her shows. This should give hope to future female writers that want to create shows much like myself. When I turn on my television Thursday nights I look forward to the characters she created because they are raw, real and female.
The New York Times apologized to Rhimes and rightfully so. What Rhimes does is remarkable and should be inspiring to both males and females. So let’s all take a minute this Thursday to watch the thoughtful, beautiful and powerful characters Shonda Rhimes created and #TGIT.