Shonda Rhimes is currently the most powerful person making television. That's really saying something when we’re talking about an industry dominated by white men. It also means about 18.7 million collective viewers tune in for their weekly dose of Shondaland — myself included — and we’re all hopelessly addicted. She has created an amazing platform to inform millions of Americans on important issues, and she hasn’t taken that at all for granted. Every show she has created gives voices to those marginalized and informs audiences on subjects the public is afraid to talk about. Anyone addicted to Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and/or How To Get Away With Murder understands that they’re walking away from each episode with more than just an hour of good drama and well-developed characters; each episode sheds light on important issues and opens minds to different perspectives in society. Let's see how she works her magic:
1. Powerful females in leading roles
Meredith Grey, Olivia Pope, and Annalise Keating — all fierce women you would want your daughter looking up to. Shonda refuses to continue the trend of focusing a series on either a man, or a women dependent on a man. Of course these women have their love interests and invest a lot of time into them, as most people do, but they’re also not afraid to put their careers first. These women are all driven, intelligent, and willing to put men aside in order to strengthen their personal success. Having female characters with such independence and strength on television is extremely refreshing.
2. Relevant political references
Her scripts have touched upon issues like gun control, women’s rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, domestic abuse, and terrorism. If you don’t watch the news, it’s easy to ignore these very real problems and pretend that they don’t affect you. It is a national conversation, and everyone should constantly be a part of it.
3. Strong feminist messages
Female roles in Shondaland all promote feminism in one way or another. They all crush the myth that women are always supposed to prefer romance over sex and absolutely need men in their lives. They prove that there's no problem with the woman having more professional success than the man in a relationship. These are truths that are important to be shared with the public — male and female viewers alike. It makes people more comfortable with the gender-related reality in the modern world.
4. Avoiding commonly accepted stereotypes
Shonda creates characters that are as real as all the people around us, crushing stereotypes often shown on television. She shows women when they're strong and men when they're weak. Yet, she shows that there is nothing wrong with either. She avoids the stereotypical depictions of the LGBT community, because other shows often include the LGBT community by using stereotypes like the "feminine gay man" or the "butch lesbian." Shonda alternatively portrays members of the LGBT community as the same as their peers, such as having LGBT characters raise families and have intimate scenes, thereby creating a more inclusive perspective.
5. Realistic Diversity
Shows shouldn't always have white actors as leads and minorities as minor characters. All Rhimes' shows include members of all races, backgrounds, ages, and sexualities. Rather than having black woman as the lead's best friend, she often takes the leading role. Instead of having one gay man provide sexuality diversity, there are gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters alike as main characters, representing the significant number of Americans part of the LGBT community. Some people are taken aback by the large amount of diversity present in Shonda's series in comparison to other television shows, but she says they shouldn't be; she's simply representing the world as it is. Shonda Rhimes' take on diversity in television isn't abnormal, general Hollywood's is.
So, next time you feel bad binge-watching one of Shonda's masterpieces, just remember you're supporting a movement that's opening minds throughout the nation.
