Sex Toys for Women with Arthritis: From the Golden Girls to Grace and Frankie
Sex Toys for Women with Arthritis: From the Golden Girls to Grace and Frankie

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this work is to perform a comparative analysis of how women’s sexuality is displayed in both the American TV show Grace and Frankie (2015-present) and The Golden Girls (1985-1992) using a post-feminist optic (Genz and Brabon 2018). The post-feminist rhetoric, which surged as a result of the economic boom of the 1990s and 2000s, optimistically embraces consumer freedom, choice and empowerment (Genz and Brabon 2018) and presents women as assertive beings who enjoy their sexual freedom and financial agency. Analyzing two shows that feature senior women as their main characters, whose pilot episodes aired thirty years apart can shed some light on how media have changed the portrayal of senior women and their sexualities. The Golden Girls and Grace and Frankie share enough features to enable us to trace similarities: the leading characters are all white women, middle-upper class American, for instance. Analyzing the two shows can shed some light on how the television space regarding women and their lives—including sexuality—has been altered over the years.

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