Video: The kind of woman you want to be

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In this clip from 1989, Roseanne comforts her daughter Darlene who’s gotten her first period. Darlene hates it because she thinks she’ll have to be a girly girl now. Roseanne explains that she can be any kind of woman she wants to be, and that her sports equipment are girls’ things as long as a girl is using them. I started tearing up. ♥

9 thoughts on “Video: The kind of woman you want to be”

  4. Pingback: Video: The kind of woman you want to be — Purple Sage | Tiffany's Non-Blog

  5. Excellent comment on this clip, Purplesagefem. The Roseanne Show was a rarity in television, even in the early years of the show. If you are interested, I did a long analysis of this show talking about the different female characters and how they express their feminism – and, also, how their ability to be fully liberated from men is affected by their socio-economic class. Roseanne was a lot about feminism, but a lot about class, too. Here’s the analysis from my blog: https://radicalwitch.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/radical-feminist-analysis-of-class-and-feminism-in-the-television-show-roseanne/

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      • Thank you! I really enjoyed writing that blog post. I love that show. It’s so much more sophisticated than I ever realized it was when I was watching it back in the ’90s, first run, with all the commercials. I think Roseanne Barr is a genius!

        I did one other working-class television show analysis over at that blog called, “A Radical Feminist Analysis of the Television Series, ‘The King of Queens.'” It’s shorter. There’s a lot less feminism in that show, but it’s similar with regard to showing the limitations of class on a woman’s ability to liberate herself – it seems like an update of the old “Honeymooners,” which I’m not a fan of. But, I do think KoQ is a very funny show. I point out the anti-woman programming in it, though – especially noticeable against Holly, the “dumb blonde” character.

        Thanks for reading it and telling me you liked it. I am flattered and very pleased.

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  6. Roseanne is one of my all time favorites. Her show has always been so relatable and I love that she never shied away from dealing with raw emotions, real life problems that last for months or years or decades, and to show that she had many moods and opinions and could eat crow when she had to as well as assert herself and her position when no one else would. I love how the girls’ relationships with Mark and David are so varied and how Roseanne points out when Darlene is unfair to David or when Mark is getting in Becky’s way in her attempt to get an education. And Dan gets set down by the girls when he makes chauvanistic remarks etc. Also: Jackie!!!!! I love how the kids can count on her as a go-between when they struggle in their relationships with Roseanne and Dan and their siblings or partners. Jackie and Roseanne are convincing sisters and their different relationships with each parent are very real. I adore how Dan sticks up for Jackie when she could use an ally, but also (reluctantly) takes advice and borrows money from her!

    The show is genius because it is one of–wait, no, THE–best and most realistic portrayals of human relationships I’ve ever seen.

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  7. You wonder if this would even be aired today. The transphobia of periods!!! Just think of all the transwomen who be killed instantly, all across white, middle-class America!

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