As I enter my final year of journalism school at university, it’s difficult to imagine myself in any other program besides journalism — in a way, it’s become part of my personality. However, just three years ago, choosing journalism wasn’t part of my plan and having a TV show help me make a crucial life decision wasn’t part of it either.
Let me start from the beginning.
Even without realizing it, I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in journalism. Initially, it was as an entertainment reporter, but along the way, I found a love for basketball, and my dream quickly morphed into a desire to become a sports commentator. Becoming the next Doris Burke was one of my goals throughout high school — until I stumbled across a TV show called The Bold Type.
The Bold Type originally aired on Freeform from 2017 to 2021. The show gives viewers “a glimpse into the outrageous lives and loves of those responsible for the global women’s magazine, ‘Scarlet,’” per the Freeform website. “Together they explore sexuality, identity, love and fashion.”
According to a 2017 article by Deadline, The Bold Type is “inspired by the life of Joanna Coles, chief content officer of Hearst Magazines” and the former editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan Magazine. Essentially, Scarlet was a play on the popular women’s magazine Cosmo.
Though The Bold Type is one of my favourite shows now, as a high school student, I didn’t think it would interest me. Oh, was I wrong. I quickly fell in love with the show — from the characters to the drama — but more importantly, I fell in love with the idea of working for a magazine and writing stories.
My newfound love for wanting to tell stories quickly made me develop a quarter-life crisis. Until I had watched the show, I wanted to pursue a degree in the sports media field. Now, all of a sudden, I began to seriously consider a different program — one that would give me the chance to pursue a career I fell in love with on TV.
The show revolves around three characters — Jane, Kat, and Sutton — all working different jobs within Scarlet. While not immediate, I began to grow an attachment to Jane, a writer for the magazine, as I started to imagine myself in her shoes. Jane would write about a wide range of topics like politics, sexual assault, health and sex. In the show, her words would have a real impact on those around her. It made me realize that was a type of reporting that interested me.
So, thanks to Jane and her storytelling, my interest in journalism was officially piqued. What would be the best way for me to tell stories? Pursuing a degree in journalism.
I haven’t watched The Bold Type since the show ended in 2021 — my second year of j-school. While the show didn’t solely sway me towards journalism, it was one of the many factors.
Now, in my fourth year, I can say how happy I am with my decision to pursue a career in journalism. I’ve been able to tie in my love for sports and my desire to tell human-interest stories. I know journalism will open so many doors for me in the future — and whether I want to work in sports or work in the numerous other journalistic fields that exist out there, I’ll have The Bold Type to thank.