The Beautiful and Dangerous: A New Depiction of Heroines in North American Television Drama Series Cover Image

Zgodne i opasne: nova slika junakinja u sjevernoameričkim televizijskim dramskim serijama
The Beautiful and Dangerous: A New Depiction of Heroines in North American Television Drama Series

Author(s): Irena Sever Globan, Antonija Pavić
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Media studies, Communication studies, Studies in violence and power, Film / Cinema / Cinematography
Published by: Fakultet političkih znanosti u Zagrebu
Keywords: television drama series; media heroines; gender representation; stereotypes; media violence;

Summary/Abstract: Television drama series are nowadays one of the most common television formats in the entertainment program genre. On the one hand, heroes and heroines of these series mirror social and cultural realities and changes, whereas on the other, they offer imitation models and shape ideas about, among other things, what being male and female means. While in the first three decades of their existence television series predominantly showed stereotypical male-female relationships through active heroes and passive housewives, in the last two decades we have witnessed changes which question the stereotypical depiction of gender roles. Television started presenting new main heroines that are equally courageous, independent, intelligent and violent as their male partners although they continue to perpetuate the stereotypical depiction in terms of physical attractiveness and sex appeal. This primarily refers to the protagonists of North American series such as Buffy, Nikita, Xena, Alias, Revenge, Rogue, etc. This paper discusses the characteristics of these new heroines in the leading roles and their potential to redefine the female character.

  • Issue Year: 7/2016
  • Issue No: 13
  • Page Range: 136-151
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Croatian