Soaps: Strong Women Without Men

[Andrew]

I must say there isn`t enough strong female characters on right know, there are too many women who does anything to get the man she wants some even go psycho. And So many times women are being written as weak without men, that should be the other way around more strong women, who not always need a man or a husband to lean on and love. What do you think more strong women?....

[UKBoi]

I think there should definately be more strong women in soaps, after all, isn't that what made so many soaps great? If you compare US soaps to British soaps, the women are a lot stronger...look at Ronnie, Jane, Tanya and Denise in EastEnders and compare them with Theresa and Gwen on Passions, and there's a pretty distinct difference. Soaps should be sending out the message that a man is not the most important thing in a woman's life, they should empower women and encourage them to strive for things that they want (and by that I do not mean a man).

So called 'strong' characters like GH's Carly, ATWT's Carly and AMC's Greenlee spend all of their time devoted to whining and moaning about a man, as if their sole purpose in life is related to their men. Compare this to primetime shows like Sex and the City and Cashmere Mafia, which show that a man does not have to be the first thing in a woman's life and depicts these aspirational characters that have fabulous lives and careers, and real friendships.

There arent enough strong friendships between women on soaps these days. Kendall and Greenlee are supposed to be really close friends but yet both would gladly sell the other up the river if it came to a man, and while catfights can be quite entertaining on soaps, they really should be sending out a stronger message to women that friendship comes first.

I think it's no wonder soaps are losing viewers, because no woman wants to watch other woman plotting, scheming and whining about a man. Lulu on General Hospital had the potential to be a really strong female character, but they totally destroyed that, and while GH's Maxie is one of the closest things they have to a strong female character, even she seems to revolve her life around her man.

That's not to say that soaps are lacking in strong female characters. Days of our Lives' Marlena has been great in the storyine following John's death, but now that Dena woman hater Higley is on board, that could all easily be undone, while Nikki Newman on Y&R is taking a stand and standing up to Victor and suing him, but the fact these two characters are the best I could come up with speaks volumes.

If soaps really want to reach out and grab that next generation of viewers, they should give them characters they can aspire to be, give them women they can identify with and put them in situations that they would love to aspire to. Sure, give them heartache and grief, but show that they can overcome it and live a full life. I think these type of characters are the real draw for the next generation of soap viewers, not pathetic, whiny women and contrived plotlines.

[Cat]

I must say this is a trend which has been bothering me for a while on soaps.

If you catch soaps from the 1980s and even 1970s (when women were supposed to be all backward and stuff ), it is plain to see how strong so many of these female characters are. Even those with mental problems. And not all of them needed men, either, as Elizabeth Hubbard on ATWT ably demonstrated.

Sadly, I think what is going on in soaps is an extension of what is going on in the US itself. I find that the only female "role models" around are drug-bitten, anorexic starlets like Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan. They all seem so desperate for attention, for guys, for drugs. They don't even bother working. Forget any kind of media debate on women's reproductive issues, working moms vs. stay-at-home, the glass ceiling, wage inequality etc, either.

Plus ABC Daytime in particular appears to be run by one man with very particular ideas about the kind of women he wants to see triumph on soaps...

[Noel]

That's the thing that ticks me off about soaps today is because there aren't enough strong women who can stay single for at least 10 minutes! Guiding Light is a perfect example.

Olivia- Her Rapist Jeffrey (not her fault) -> Richard -> Josh -> Alan -> Phillip -> Bill -> Frank -> Buzz -> and probably Gus.

Dinah- Cameron -> Roger -> Hart -> Rob Layne -> Jeffrey -> Jonathan -> Jeffrey -> Mallet

Cassie- Rob Layne -> all the men at the strip club () -> Hart -> Richard -> Edmund -> Jeffrey -> Josh

Harley- Dylan -> Alan-Michael -> Mallet -> Phillip -> Rick -> Gus -> Mallet -> and now Cyrus.

Those are the only ones that I can think of because my head is getting dizzy from all of this thinking.

It would be refreshing to see strong independent women on soaps that don't need a men by their side.

But, you have to keep in mind...... of the fanbases.

[JamesF]

Some really good examples there. The same goes for older women like Beth in Home and Away or in particular Susan in Neighbours. Her husband fell out of love with her after 30 years of marriage and took up with a younger woman yet the character was shown to make a concerted effort to survive without him. She had a complete makeover and moved on with other men without sacrificing her character. Compare that even to Stephanie Forrester on B&B who is probably the "strongest" woman on daytime yet still has to spend story time chasing after an errant husband when in reality she would have cut him off years ago.

These days the friendships and morality of the characters we're supposed to root for are so weak that we shouldn't mind these women chasing after each others' men. GL's 'heroine' Harley I'm looking at you.

The irony of course is that on several shows such as ATWT it's the very oldest female characters who can survive without a man and that's because the TPTB would rather lick a toilet bowl than show an older relationship forming.

[Cat]

Bwahahahaha! And so true. Isn't it sad to think these women are strong -- merely by default. By virtue of not being featured on-screen.

[stenbeck212]

Not only are the women of daytime quite submissive to the point of self-obliteration. Their male counterparts are written as charismatic and alluring despite their despicable behavior. Or maybe that's the actors' technique of telling themselves not play a bad guy, but a misunderstood one. Anyway, isn't just about every show populated with one or 2 pigs that women hurl their panties at?

Sonny Corinthos

Jason Morgan

Victor Newman

Craig Montgomery

Roger Thorpe

Etc., etc., etc.

How were we fooled into loving these creeps?

[Tishy]

I remember back in the day when on Days, Jennifer, Billie and Kristen had a great friendship. I can still remember seeing them sitting at Jennifer's house dishing about the men in their lives and just catching up. I love the friendship between GH's Robin and Brenda, even though Brenda isn't on the show, she still gets a mention here and there. But there does need to be stronger women in daytime.

I truly think that we need more strong females on daytime. More women watch daytime than men. Frankly, and I know I will get racked over the coals for this, but I wish John had stayed dead and Marlena moved on without a man. That she would go up against Stefano without a man by her side. It can be done and I think Marlena would be the perfect character to do so.

[DaytimeFan]

Jill of Y&R was a pretty strong woman without a man and when she did have a man she often used him or was the dominant force in the relationship (like John Abbott, Rex Sterling, Larry Wharton, John Silva, Ji Min Kim). That being said, the genesis of the whole character dealt with Phillip and Jill's desire for him to love her and then feuding with Kay after his untimely demise...heck there isn't a female soap character who can hold a candle to one of the British or Australian soap characters.

[Paul Raven]

Another World did fairly well in presenting women who were confident amnd independent.

I'm thinking of Rachel and Felicia in the times when they did not have a man in their life but were active characters involved with their children,friendships etc.

Frankie Frame was always presented as a strong vital woman.

Soaps need to show a cross section of characters-men/women weak/strong and then mix 'em up and let it play.