Letter from the Editors!
What began for most, including ourselves, as a guilty pleasure quickly evolved into an undeniable obsession that has left fans throughout the nation on the edge of their sofa and on Twitter begging for more. Every Thursday at 10pm ET, women and men tune in to ABC for the latest episode of Scandal and simultaneously plug into Twitter to chime in on the social media discussion. Critics have extolled the show as must watch television, with headlines such as “‘Scandal’: Preposterous, Unmissable, Important” and ‘‘Scandal: One of the Craziest—and best—Shows on TV”. It is obvious that Scandal is a fan favorite, but what is it about this show that has made it America’s new favorite pastime?
Scandal is centered on the life of Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington), who is television’s 21st century heroine and role model for teen girls and women alike. It is no secret that Olivia has it all: from the ideal job to countless men lusting after her, and of course, we could not forget to mention her impeccable wardrobe. She is fearless and is never afraid to go to the absolute extreme in order to protect her clients. Her strong character embodies the show’s infamous tagline “Gladiator, in a suit”. Through Olivia’s internalization of this tagline, Scandal masks itself as a show that empowers women to transcend gender boundaries within the public and private sphere.
Perhaps it is this romantic twist of female empowerment that makes the melodrama just so irresistible to viewers. The show manages to create this modern, idealized woman that is Olivia Pope without straying too far from actual expectations of gender roles in modern society. This inconsistency between the show’s assertions of political progressiveness for women and its actual representation of women has serious implications on the 10.5 million viewers who faithfully and unknowingly consume this show’s message about female gender role. Despite Scandal’s attempts to use Olivia as a challenge to hegemonic gender expectations, the show ultimately reveals that her masculine exterior is a façade and by doing so, reinforces the relationship between power and masculinity through Olivia’s character, her relationship with Fitz and her wardrobe.
Let’s take a look.