Overview

Although it may seem like the proliferation of strong women on television is a feminist achievement, a deeper look into their stories tells us otherwise. The Impossible Woman examines a variety of scripted US television series across multiple genres to show how the cultural value of television’s extraordinarily talented female characters often rests upon their ability to endure—but not overcome—sexism. Looking at Parks and Recreation, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Queen’s Gambit, Game of Thrones, and Queen of the South, Hoerl argues that these series contribute to sexist realism, or the cultural assumption that there is no alternative to patriarchy. Situating impossible women’s struggles in the context of contemporary feminist politics, Hoerl explains how the problems facing television’s strongest women illustrate mainstream feminism’s paradoxical dependence upon on cultural misogyny, neoliberal individualism, and racism. The Impossible Woman encourages readers to seek out alternative stories that might help them envision more just feminist futures.

Full Product Details

9781978842526

Table of Contents

Reviews

""The Impossible Woman provides a much-needed conceptual framework for understanding the proliferation of quality television series featuring extraordinarily talented female protagonists. Brilliantly demonstrating how strong female leads mediate and embody the contradictions around contemporary feminism, the book also exposes media entertainment's disturbing and persistent inability to imagine a truly feminist future.""--Catherine Rottenberg ""author of The Rise of Neoliberal Feminism"" ""Hoerl's rhetorical analysis of television is simply unparalleled. The Impossible Woman is a must-read for everyone interested in television's portrayals of women and the backlash against contemporary feminist politics. Working across the landscape, Hoerl demonstrates how television's competing agendas routinely defang feminism. Hoerl's work is insightful, critical, robust, and ultimately optimistic--again, unparalleled.""--Sarah Kornfield ""author of Watching Women: Femininity on TV""

Author Information

KRISTEN HOERL is an associate professor of rhetoric and public culture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the author of The Bad Sixties: Hollywood Memories of the Counterculture, Antiwar, and Black Power Movements.

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