Amazon Prime came out with a new series that has sparked the interest of many Mad Men fanatics, especially the women. Good Girls Revolt is about women employed at a magazine called News of the Week (subtle subtweet @Newsweek) during the 1960’s, where they do all the work and the men get all the credit. Totally unbelievable, am I right?The women in the show are hired as “researchers” but are designated to find the information, gather sources, and essentially make the story. Then, their male counterpart looks it over, slaps his name on it, and turns it in.
Unfortunately, although News of the Week is technically a fictional magazine, the story is based off a book called “Good Girls Revolt,” written about a true, very similar discrimination case at Newsweek magazine.
Not only are the women given unequal pay and no credit for their excessive work on the magazine’s stories, but they are also harassed and disrespected by their male coworkers. The ladies are often found fetching coffee or fulfilling the sexual endeavors of the men in the office.
Although the show shares lots of similarities with Mad Men, there’s definitely huge contrasts in the direction each show decided to lead. While Mad Men touches on workplace discrimination with many instances where women are treated with disrespect, it’s not the overarching theme of each episode like it is in Good Girls Revolt.
Discrimination and sexual harassment unfortunately are still problems in today’s society, so while the series shows how far we’ve come, it also shows how far we have not come. Women are still fighting for equal pay, benefits, and treatment.Although I love the idea behind the series, I didn’t find myself instantly drawn or attached to the characters or plot during the pilot episode. But, the whole first season is officially on Amazon Prime, so there are many more chances for my opinion on Good Girls Revolt to change—and if I know myself at all, I’m sure I’ll become emotionally attached in no time.
If you’re a woman in journalism, or just someone who believes in achieving equality between men and women, I recommend you give Good Girls Revolt a chance!