“Ela disse que o feminismo tomou o controle”: a representação da mulher em Gilmore girls e The marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Abstract

Women as lead characters who have stories that go far beyond their romantic relationships. This could be the definition for the characters in the work of director and screenwriter Amy Sherman-Palladino, the first woman to win the Emmy awards for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series and for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series in the same year. However, while developing a research with the objective of analyzing the representation of women in two of her tv series, Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-now), it is possible to identify plots that do not dialogue with the reality of most women. Based on literary theories, Cultural Studies and intersectional feminist theories, we propose a reflection on how serial fiction narratives contribute to the propagation of stereotypes attributed to women. In the discussion, topics such as series created by women and their relationship with female authorship in literature are addressed, as well as in what ways it is possible to relate these theories to the authorship of Sherman-Palladino. Based on debates about motherhood and the universe of work in the series, the analysis focuses on how the identities of women in Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel could be connected to exclusionary feminisms. The differences between the two productions still serve as a basis for a reflection on how feminist discourse appears or fails to appear in both shows.