From Feminism to Heart Break, 'The Bold Type' Brings a Little of Everything
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From Feminism to Heart Break, 'The Bold Type' Brings a Little of Everything

The Bold Type does its best to show how 20-somethings really live.

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From Feminism to Heart Break, 'The Bold Type' Brings a Little of Everything
Freeform / YouTube

Spoiled. Entitled. Narcissistic. Lazy. Clueless.

These are only some of the words Millennials say they've heard. This generation is usually seen as a self-centered generation. Everything is handed to them. Technology rules the world, and they don't pay attention to what's going on in the real world.

They say there are plenty of people who criticize them and blame them for everything wrong in the world.

A poll from Reason-Rupe poll showed, when Americans on landlines and cell phones were asked, 65 percent say the word “entitled” describes millennials very or somewhat well. 70 percent also say the term “selfish” describes millennials very or somewhat well.

A new show on ABC's Freeform tries to get rid of those stereotypes.

"The Bold Type" is the newest television show trying to put Millennials in a better light. The show stars three 20-somethings trying to navigate their way through the magazine world. They've worked for Scarlet magazine for four years. Jane is a writer, Kat is the social media director and Sutton is the fashion department's newest assistant.

The show is set in New York City and shows the work and social lives of these three girls. It shows their work assignments, love lives, friendships and problems.

Based on the magazine Cosmopolitan, Joanna Coles is the executive producer of The Bold Type. Coles was the editor in chief of Cosmo and is now the chief content officer of Cosmo's parent company, Hearst Magazines.

Coles says that many of the things shown on the show have actually happened during her time at both Hearst and Cosmo. "I have hundreds of anecdotes that I've kept in a journal throughout my time at Hearst and Cosmo."

What sets this show apart is its realness. It allows us to see the good, the bad and the ugly of the girls' lives. We see the steamy highs and the heartbreaking lows of their love lives. They have financial issues just like we do. They make mistakes and get into trouble.

Just because they live in New York and have jobs in a popular magazine, does not mean they have glamorous lives. They live in tiny apartments. Sutton even considers turning down an offer to be a fashion assistant — which is her dream — because it pays less than what she makes now.

They deal with immigration and homosexuality. There is a Muslim lesbian photographer named Adena El-Amin and she has to deal with a man yelling "dirty towel head" at her. Kat also grapples with the fact that she has always liked boys but is experiencing feelings for Adena. Kat even goes to jail for a night because she punches the man in the face for Adena.

The girls face trouble and fears. One episode shows Jane having to write a story on a doctor performing double mastectomies on 20-something-year-olds to prevent breast cancer. Jane is completely uncomfortable with this story. We learn that Jane's mother died of breast cancer when Jane was just four years old.

After hearing this, the doctor tells her she should get the BRCA test. At first, she says no but eventually does get the test. We see her make a video as the doctor is taking blood where she talks about how she is afraid but is still doing it. We then see her get the results and her face go blank as the doctor tells her she has the breast cancer gene.

The girls' friendship is also real. Millennial girls on television are often viewed as catty and backstabbing. These girls are so close to each other. They often meet in the fashion closet at work to gossip. They celebrate wins and deal with loss together. They fight and make up with each other. Jane and Kat even remind Sutton that they are her safety nets if she chooses to turn down her contract for the fashion assistant position.

Jacqueline is also always there for the girls. Whenever Jane has a problem with a story Jacqueline knows what to say. She bailed Kat out of prison and gave her relationship advice. Even when Jane accuses Jacqueline — in front of the whole staff — of not sharing anything personal with anyone, she does not fire her. Instead, she tells Jane to come to her house where she meets Jacqueline's husband and kids. Jacqueline always encourages her staff to think outside the box and push boundaries.

"We always see on television the women who are tough and not rooting for other women to succeed, and that's not the kind of mentors I've had in my life," Creator and showrunner Sarah Watson said. "I've had incredible female bosses, and I wanted to show someone one wants to bring up the next generation of strong women writers."

Watson also spent time at Cosmo before writing the pilot episode. She says she even spent time with some interns in Cosmo's beauty closet. She wanted to get a feel for how a magazine in the 21st-century works.

The Scarlet office is sleekly designed with a homey feel. The furniture is modern and a bright white. The walls are a warm off white and tan color. They are adorned with photographs framed in black skinny frames. In the room are big windows overlooking the city. On one wall hangs previous issues of the magazine and on the other a board where a copy of the current cover and issues hang so you can see how the finished product will be. The writing department is filled with cubicles. The desks are filled with office supplies, paperwork, a phone, a black desktop and personal pictures. The phones constantly ring. Assistants run around trying to please their bosses.

In the back of the floor stands the conference room. This room, with its walls made of glass, is where all the staff meetings and board meetings take place. A black conference table sits in the middle of the room. At one end of the table stands a white board where ideas are written on. Next to it stands a monitor where presentations are made.

The fashion department is always a buzz with activity. Beautiful gowns hang on racks. Models stand still as Oliver, the head of the fashion department, decides what to change and what is acceptable.

The legal department is on the floor above. There everything is dimly lit and quiet. The walls are not made of glass and are painted an ordinary tan color. The furniture is either black or a dark shade of gray.

The show aims at merging capitalism and feminism. The editor in chief of Scarlet Jaqueline Carlyle calls their approach "stealth feminism." The point they want to make at the magazine is you can go far and wear the amazing new eye shadow. The trick is to not wear it because you want to please someone else. You wear it because you want to please yourself. Watson says "We always joke that the tagline of the show should be 'Searching for the right shade of lip gloss to wear while smashing the patriarchy.'"

Jacqueline solidifies Scarlet Magazine's place in the 21st-century in one speech at the end of the first episode.

“A few years ago, I read the application of a young intern and her words have always stayed with me. When asked why she wanted to work at Scarlet, she said because ‘when I needed it, Scarlet was like getting the advice of an older sister that I always wished I had.’ No matter how many years pass, no matter how the world changes, Scarlet will always be that older sister and we will always be there for girls who need it," Jacqueline says.

She then instructs the employees of Scarlet to raise their glasses. "You are the women and men who work at Scarlet. Sixty years ago, this magazine set out to redefine the rules and now that responsibility falls to each one of you. And I want to make sure that you understand what I expect. I expect you to have adventures. I expect you to fall in love, to get your hearts broken. I expect you to have sex with the wrong people and have sex with the right people. To make mistakes and make amends. Take a leap and make a splash. And I expect you to unleash holy hell on anyone who would hold you back. Because you don’t just work for Scarlet, you are Scarlet.”


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