The Place of Intersectionality in American TV Shows : Diversity in the universe of Shondaland 1/3

Temps de lecture : 11 minutes

The Place of Intersectionality in American TV Shows : Diversity in the universe of Shondaland 1/3

June 24, 2021

Written by Lysiane Colin
Translated by Bertille Fitamant

Who hasn’t heard of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, or How to Get Away with Murder ? These three series have brought millions of American viewers in front of their screens every week. What do they have in common? Shonda Rhimes and her intention to represent an intersectional world^[1]The terme “intersectionnality” was developped by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. It allows to define both the experience and the identity of any individual at the intersection of several … Continue reading. This article is part of a dossier on the representation of intersectionality in the contemporary American television business. It will go over some figures of televisual representation, before focusing on the particularity of Rhimes’ universe. This article will analyze all three series under a gendered, racial^[2]The terme “race” is to be understood as a social category of analysis used in an American context and not in its broadest sense in French and sexual aspect through examples of fictional characters. The key issue of this analysis is: How does the universe of Shondaland represent a novelty in scriptwriting and an example of intersectionality in current television narratives?

The issue of diversity on American screens

In recent years, representation on the small screen in the United States has become more diverse. Through series like Jane the Virgin, Black-ish, Master of None or Shondaland’s productions, diversity has become increasingly popular in televisual representations^[3]Dino-Ray Ramos, « Study Finds Diversity In Television On The Rise, But Not Representative Of American Population », Deadline, 24 April 2018. Shondaland is Shonda Rhimes’ production company, an African-American woman who wears many hats: producer, writer, director and CEO.  She has notably directed Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. As underlined in Dino-Ray Ramos’ article^[4]Dino-Ray Ramos is a journalist and editor at Deadline Hollywood, a news website., these programs have helped diversify the American TV scene. Before studying these, and in order to understand what distinguishes them from other current series that exist, it is important to come back to the general context of televisual representations in the United States.

A study from TVLine^[5]TVLine is a US-based app that allows access to many statistics on TV series audiences., which analyzes the favorite television characters of a mixed audience aged 18 to 34, shows that there is still a problem with minority representation regarding the population in the United States^[6]Ibid. Between 2015 and 2017, racial minorities have seen their representation in the population increase from 15% to 18%, yet, only one actor reaches the top 10^[7]Ibid. As regards LGBTQ+ characters, the figures increase from 7% in 2015 to 11% in 2017, but none of these characters are in the top 10^[8]Ibid. At last, the number of female characters has been decreasing : they represent 6 of the 25 most popular characters in 2017, compared to 10 in 2016, the first of them barely having made the top 10^[9]Ibid. At the same time, the US population shows a very different reality : 50.8% of women, 23.1% of people of color and 4.8% are members of the LGBTQ+ community^[10]Ibid.

According to TVTime^[11]TVTime is another app that generates numbers on the best series and characters based on users’ votes., in 2020, the diversification engaged in the previous years continues, while remaining far from reality. The top 10 includes only two women, these being the only LGBTQ+ characters on the top and the only person of color for one of them^[12]Natalie Burris, « Top Characters of 2020 », TVTime,https://www.tvtime.com/article/top-characters-2020.. Therefore, they both represent the categories mentioned above; these signs revealing their intersectionality.

Why should we highlight this disparity between fiction and reality? Because media representations influence identity buildings. Medias are part of socialization tools and influence how people perceive themselve^[13]Roxanne Asare, « ‘The Shonda Gaze’: The Effects of Television and Black Female Identity in the UK », Journal of Promotional Communications, vol.5, n°3, 2017, p.342-343.. Therefore, representation has an impact on their audience: a series with characters from diverse social categories will have a different impact than a series with standardized characters. It is then essential to think about what is shown in medias. A lack of representation leads to the invisibilization of part of the population. To Patricia Hill Collins^[14]Patricia Hill Collins is an African-American sociologist and academic who is part of the Blackfeminism movement. She has written extensively on the intersectionality between gender, race and sexual … Continue reading, the perpetuation of stereotypes in medias leads not only to the naturalization of socially constructed stereotype, but also to a harmful influence on a person’s perception of themselves and those around them^[15]Ibid, p.345.. This is especially the case for women of colour who, because of stereotypes throughout history and in the medias, have seen their voices invisibilized as well as racial and gendered discrimination perpetuated to this day^[16]Ibid, p.342-343..

Shondaland: a production company run by an African-American woman

Shonda Rhimes is an African-American woman, head of one of Hollywood’s most successful production houses. Founded in 2005, Shondaland has from the very beginning produced many award-winning series : Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, For The People and Station 19^[17]Shondaland, « Who We are », Shondaland,https://www.shondaland.com/about/a12258201/what-we-do/.. It’s most recent series, Bridgerton, is one of Netflix’s flagship series as of right now.

Shondaland is also one of the last production houses in Hollywood that still manages to produce series that viewers watch on television in the form of weekly soap operas, unlike the binge-watching that streaming platforms allow^[18]Robbie Myers, « Shonda Rhimes on Power, Feminism, and Police Brutality », Elle, 23  September 2015,https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/q-and-a/a30186/shonda-rhimes-elle-interview/.. Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal or HTGAWM^[19]HTGAWM is the acronyme used for the serie « How to Get Away With Murder ». brought thousands of people back in front of their little screen, week after week.

What sets Shonda Rhimes apart from other showrunners, is her perspective on the role of medias. What drives her is “the way women see themselves, and the way the world sees women, especially women of color^[20]Op. cit. Robbie Myers, « Shonda Rhimes on Power, Feminism, and Police Brutality ».“. Rhimes’ goal is to move away from narratives that are centered on the perspective of a white man in order to reject what has become the “normal” point of view. However, she does not want to give a feminine, African-American or Latino perspective. Instead, she aims to offer a diversity of ways of seeing the world because there isn’t just one but a multitude^[21]Ibid. his idea is very similar to the idea of Blackfeminism and intersectionality : women are not universal. There are instead a multitude of women, who each go through a different experience, being at the intersection of gender, class, race, sexual orientation, etc.

A look back at Blackfeminism and the concept of intersectionnality

The Blackfeminism movement is an African-American women’s movement which denounces discrimination against women of color. It was born in response to the second wave of feminism and civil rights movements of the 1960s, in order to denounce the lack of visibility of women of color within these two movements^[22]Elsa Dorlin, Black feminism. Anthologie du féminisme africain-américain, 1975-2000, édition L’Harmattan, 2018, p.10-24.. Blackfeminism therefore sees the experience of women of colour at the intersection of several social categories, which are compatible rather than binary. One of the movement’s figures, bell hooks, explains that race and class must be taken into account when it comes to the questions of gendered oppression, these different categories being interconnected^[23]bell hooks, « Le féminisme : un mouvement pour mettre fin à l’oppression sexiste », De la marge au centre : théorie féministe, Paris : éditions Cambourakis. 2017, p.103-106..

From this idea stems a concept which is at the center of current feminist concerns: intersectionality. The term is formulated by feminist lawyer Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 to denounce the lack of consideration towards women of color in feminist and civic movements. As the latter do not see the intersection between patriarchy and racism, they marginalize the experience of women of color in their specific struggle^[24]Kimberlé Crenshaw, « Cartographies des marges : Intersectionnalité, politique de l’identité et violences contre les femmes de couleur », Cahiers Du Genre, n°3, 2005, p.51-54.. The notion of intersectionality provides an understanding of a person’s experience at the intersection of multiple social characteristics. Identity must be understood by nesting these characteristics. For that purpose, it is essential to give everyone a voice in order to share experiences, and show the diversity of them.

Within the media business, and more specifically television, intersectionality has often been invisibilized. Buffy Summers^[25]Buffy Summers is the heroine of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” series (1997-2003) by Joss Whedon. , Carrie Bradshaw^[26]Carrie Bradshaw is the heroine of the “Sex and the City” series (1988-2004) created by Darren Star. or Ally McBeal^[27]Ally McBeal is the star of the “Ally McBeal” series (1997-2002) by David Edward Kelley. sre all strong and emancipated heroines of the 1990s. Nonetheless, they all represent a certain type of female character : a young white woman, heterosexual from an average socio-economic background. However, the 2000s saw a slow progression towards gendered and racial diversification, especially within Shonda Rhimes’ series. Through her productions, she highlights multiple intersectional female characters, allowing the expression of various female portraits.

Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and HTGAWM: How do these series reflect intersectionality ?

Three series created by Shonda Rhimes are being reviewed here : Grey’s Anatomy (2005-), Scandal (2012-2018) and How to Get Away With Murder (2014-2020). These are being analyzed through the prism of race and sexual orientation, always in relation to gender, in order to understand how Shonda Rhimes differs from other TV series through the representation of these intertwined social relationships. She does so through both her main and secondary characters and their evolution.

The diversity of racial representation among female characters

Several elements bring Grey’s Anatomy^[28]Grey’s Anatomy tells the story of Meredith Grey and her fellow doctors at a hospital in Seattle, mixing work and love stories. Grey’s Anatomy is a 17-seasons drama series., Scandal^[29]Scandal eatures Olivia Pope, a young African-American woman who’s in charge of her own crisis management and public relations firm in Washington DC. The drama series aired from 2012 to 2018 and … Continue reading and How to Get Away With Murder^[30]How to Get Away With Murder is a six-seasons judicial series. It traces the story of Annalise Keating, a professor of criminal law history and lawyer in her own firm. When she invites a few of her … Continue reading together. First of all, they all feature a female protagonist : whether it’s Meredith, Olivia or Analise. Secondly, they all place their intrigue in a neoliberal sphere with characters earning very good salaries^[31]Alexander Stoffel, « Emerging Feminists, Is Shonda Rhimes a Feminist? », The Feminist Wire, 14 March 2016,https://www.thefeministwire.com/2016/03/emerging-feminisms-is-shonda-rhimes-a-feminist/. One is a doctor in a large hospital in Seattle, the second one has her own crisis management firm and will become a member of the President’s office, and the third one balances her life between her prestigious law firm and university as a professor. One of the criticism directed at Shondaland therefore concerns the restriction of a universe to a liberal world. According to Alexander Stoffel^[32]Alexander Stoffel is a young English man doing a PhD on queen theories., this universe does not take into account the experiences of all women (and especially women of colour), which perpetuates class oppressions, liberalism and patriarchy that form the basis of American society^[33]Ibid..

However, we must not forget the positive and innovative side of these representations. All three series represent the opportunity for women of colour (African-American, Latin-American and Asian-American in those series) to access these upper classes, to those job that were previously not accessible for them. These depictions show the breakdown of historical stereotypes, which placed African-American women in three kinds of stereotypes : “Mammy” (the overweight mother and servant), “Jezebel” (the fatal, seductive and manipulative woman) an
d “Sapphire” (the angry woman)^[34]Op. cit. Roxanne Asare, « ‘The Shonda Gaze’: The Effects of Television and Black Female Identity in the UK », p.346..

Even if Rhimes does remain in the American neoliberalism, it is essential to remember the importance of her characters : the rupture with stereotypes, the possibility for the audience to have another vision of women of colour, the influence that these characters have on young women in the way they see themselves, the possibility of seeing their goals fulfilled and the positivism that will result from it. The characters of Miranda Bailey, Olivia Pope and Analise Keating helped reconstruct different positive, strong and nuanced images of African-American women on television^[35]Alessandra Stanley, « Wrought in Rhimes’s Image », The New York Times, 18 September 2014, … Continue reading. Rhimes chose the path of diversity by representing women of colour who shatter television stereotypes. While they can get angry or have a sex life, their personality and life far exceeds these aspects. Miranda, just like Olivia and Analise, are women who are gifted and respected in their professional life, who do not let people walk all over them, while still keeping a softness and fragility at certain times. These heroines are complex, with strengths and weaknesses; they sometimes have to fight to keep their position and to be heard, but they know themselves and know who they are^[36]Ibid.. These characters are nuanced and evolve throughout the seasons; they are full-fledged characters that cannot be defined by a single quality. These women embody the complexity of the human being.

However, we can see the evolution of Shonda Rhimes in the representation of intersectional female characters. Her first series, Grey’s Anatomy, focuses on Meredith, a young white and heterosexual woman, while the character of Miranda, an African-American woman at the head of one of the hospital department, occupies a secondary role. A few years later comes Scandal, a series whose protagonist is a young African-American woman at the head of a firm that is in contact with the President of the United States. Finally comes the character of Analise from HTGAWM, an older, African-American and bisexual woman, recognized in her field and having affairs outside her marriage. We can thus see the progress of the producer, from a secondary character to a main character, adding to each series a layer of intersectionality^[37]Ibid..

Women from racial minorities and LGBTQ+ community: The intersectionality of Callie and Analise

Another important part of the depiction of intersectionality in Shondaland concerns LGBTQ+ female characters. There are still few female from racial minority and the LGBTQ+ community characters in television shows. However, Shonda Rhimes’ series feature two : Callie Torres (Grey’s Anatomy) and Analise Keating (HTGAWM). 

Callie Torres is one of the first female bisexual and Latin characters on the small screen. She appears in 239 episodes throughout 11 seasons, becoming the most present LGBTQ+ character in terms of screen time on television^[38]Manuel Betancourt, « 12 Latinx LGBTQ TV Characters Who Made Us Feel Seen », Entertainment Weekly, 9 October … Continue reading. While her character is first presented as secondary having a romance with a male protagonist, she quickly became an essential character to the narration of Grey’s Anatomy. She is portrayed as one of the best plastic surgeons in the country and radiates self-confidence. From the beginning, she represents a type of female body not very present on television : a Latina woman with curves, exuding body-positivity ahead of time^[39]Sabienna Bowman, « ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s Callie Was Groundbreaking », Bustle, 20 May … Continue reading.. Her character continues to counteract stereotypes when she claims to be bisexual, becoming the first LGBTQ+ main character in the series. Throughout the seasons, she maintains romantic relationships with both men and women. Although the portrayal of her bisexuality and Latin-American origins could have generated more dialogue within the series, Callie’s character has become an exemple to many young Latin and LGBTQ+ women, who, for the first time, see a media representation look like them^[40]Op. cit. Manuel Betancourt, « 12 Latinx LGBTQ TV Characters Who Made Us Feel Seen ».. In the television business, Callie has become a role model : a bisexual woman who works as a surgeon while having a family life^[41]Op. cit. Sabienna Bowman, « ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s Callie Was Groundbreaking »..

Analise Keating is another intersectional representation. She’s a 40-year-old woman, African-American, bisexual, with alcoholism issues, cheating on her husband and is also one of Philadelphia’s best lawyer. Her moral compass and her qualities make her one of the most complex and nuanced women of colour on television^[42]Kellee Terrell, « Goodbye to One of the Most Complex Black Women on TV », The New York Times, 14 May … Continue reading. Just like Callie’s character, Analise shatters stereotypes to offer an innovative representation. During the last episode of the show, not only do we see her admit her bisexuality in court in front an entire audience, but also reveal her frizzy hair, hidden behind her straight wig^[43]Ibid.. he character deconstructs there a standard of feminine beauty affixed to the body of African-American women in order to resemble the “typical” beauty standard of straight-haired Caucasian women^[44]Op. cit. Roxanne Asare, « ‘The Shonda Gaze’: The Effects of Television and Black Female Identity in the UK », p.347-352..

Viola Davis, l’actrice jouant Analise, montre la beauté naturelle des femmes de couleur, sans se conformer à une norme qui renie la différence et la beauté de toutes les femmes. Encore une fois, ce geste a une grande importance dans la représentation afin que les jeunes femmes de couleur puissent se reconnaitre en elle. Toutefois, Rhimes ne cherche pas à discréditer le lissage de cheveux pour les femmes afro-américaines ; elle veut simplement montrer qu’il existe plusieurs façons de se coiffer, comme il existe plusieurs manières de représenter les femmes de couleur^[45]Op. cit. Robbie Myers, « Shonda Rhimes on Power, Feminism, and Police Brutality »..

Conclusion

While female, from racial minorities and the LGBTQ+ community characters remain under-represented on US television, Shonda Rhimes’ series overturns this trend. As much in Grey’s Anatomy as in Scandal or in HTGAWM, Rhimes highlights intersectional female characters in order to show the diversity of experience and voices of women. To Shonda Rhimes, writing is a power^[46]Marion Olité, « Shonda Rhimes souligne l’importance de la diversité dans les séries à l’ère de Trump », Konbini, 22 November … Continue reading, she uses to offer new narrations and representations. She helps make the television business more diverse, offering better representation to racial minorities and diverse sexual orientations on channels watched by millions of people^[47]Ibid. Therefore she is paving the way for a more diverse the representation of female characters in today’s television business.

This analysis of intersectional female characters must be transposed to series outside of the universe of Shondaland in order to see what other current television representations are. Are they along the same lines as Rhimes? Do they perpetuate stereotypes and the invisibility of intersectional identities? Or do they propose new ideas parallel with Shondaland’s vision ? The next article will analyze other series by directors and creators of the small screen featuring intersectional women in order to continue the study of the fictional world offered by television.

To cite this article: “The Place of Intersectionality in American TV Shows : Diversity in the universe of Shondaland”, Lysiane Colin, 24 June 2021, Gender Institute in Geopolitics 

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.