Female Roles in Media

This paper focuses on the comparative analysis of three fictional characters, the female lawyers of the American TV series The Good Wife (CBS, 2009-2016), Suits (USA Network, 2011 – present) and Damages (FX; Audience Network, 2007-2012). Set in the male-dominated environment of North-American top-notch law firms, the stories of Alicia Florrick, Jessica Pearson and Patty Hewes emerge as exemplary cases of media discourses centered on the representation of American ideology and feminist politics. In order to achieve and preserve leading positions within the firms they manage and for which they work, these women end up acting according to a set of moral values that can be labelled as ‘questionable’. This definition, however, holds different meanings and implications when applied to each case of the three under examination. Indeed, Alicia, Jessica and Patty represent three possible variations of the “empowered heroines, single career women, and professionals struggling with family commitments and occupational demands” (Lotz 2006). In this sense, it is worth analyzing the array of similarities and differences that substantiate the development of the three characters with a particular focus on:

- The conquest and preservation of power in the workplace and what this process entails, specifically with regards to the balance of work life and private existence;
- The relations of antagonism/alliance with other women and/or with men;
- The use and relevance of language as an expression of power in the interaction with others, in particular with men;
- The significance of a definite fashion style as indicative of a specific role/position within the socio-cultural contexts of reference (formal relation between role and identity).

The article’s final aim is to examine these women’s different forms of empowerment in the pursuit of both professional success and personal satisfaction, ultimately reflecting on the cultural and ideological messages behind the representation of gender roles and power dynamics.