stopped watching TV about seven months ago. There's only so much energy I'm willing to waste restraining myself from breaking my expensive new flat-panel TV. And as time goes on, the overwhelming urge to throw something at the screen becomes harder and harder to ignore. The vapid, two-dimensional female characters I see babbling inanities with every flip of the channel enrage me and instill despair. None of the most charismatic or powerful characters are female. Watching women on TV makes me feel ashamed. The female characters fight and bicker, compete with each other for male attention and obsess over their appearance. They're petty, catty and superficial. Admittedly, there are people like this in real life, male and female, but when virtually every representation of women on TV displays these traits, what does it say about our cultural attitudes toward women? It's not confined to the "chick" dramas either - even the female characters on the shows whose male characters I love commit the sin of stereotyping their characters according to sex, minimizing their accomplishments or making them weak, emotional or clumsy. Of the few interesting, powerful women who were the center of the script before, more and more are being upstaged or shunted off into minor roles. The result is less appealing television, especially for intelligent, educated women who seek out these qualities in the shows they watch. Further, the few examples of strong female characters that do exist are mostly confined to some science fiction or supernatural scenario. Surely a powerful, compelling woman is not that unbelievable. When smart, ambitious women like myself turn on the TV and see no indication that women such as ourselves exist, we have no reason to keep watching. Male characters inspire guys to be adventurous, daring, honest and bold. Female characters inspire women to buy more junk and betray their friends and loved ones - all for the right handbag of course. If this is reality, then give me sci-fi any day. Normally this would be irrelevant and easily dimissed - after all, producers aren't trying to cater to smart, ambitious women, they're trying to appeal to the advertisers selling products. The problem is that television is a major source of our culture and people don't see it as a "filler between commercials," but as a reflection of reality. There are millions of people living in America, the vast majority of whom you do not come in contact with on a daily basis. The one thing that connects us all is that glowing box which can be found in 99 percent of households. Television isn't just part of our culture, television is the source of our culture, and a great part of our national unity. Most people don't even recognize that slight disconnect between television and reality. So when there are no powerful, intelligent female characters on TV, there is no reason to think powerful, intelligent women exist. Viewers can write-off any woman who they know in person as an exception to the overarching "superficial, catty, and obsessed-with-men" rule. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., may be an outstanding example of a powerful, intelligent and ambitious woman, but she is not alone. There are many more, and they need to be seen by all, especially the impressionable young.
-Ruthie Kelly is a journalism junior.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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