In this weeks class, we continued to discuss how the role of television has progressed throughout the years. We talked about how the presence of women in television, specifically in comedies, transformed T.V. for the better. We watched an episode of Pioneers of Television called Funny Ladies, which highlighted these ladies like Carole Burnett, Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy, and Mary Tyler Moore. My parents absolutely loved Carole Burnett and watched her a lot growing up. Her humor was revolutionary for the time and she left a huge legacy for female comics to follow. Mary Tyler Moore and Lucille Ball held a high reputation as well for the humor they displayed. Women weren’t as respected as men back then in the business, so by having strong women leads who were actually funny, was a huge game changer. These women did an amazing job at breaking down stereotypes of woman at the time and helped pave the way for more independent women but also more realistic woman in the home.

We also discussed an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy is an average girl who kills vampires, and this show was simply iconic. From the fashion to the characters, this show was a staple of 90’s culture. In class we focused on the episode called Hush, in which all the characters are forced to communicate in a nonverbal way because their voices are taken by monsters who invaded their town. Buffy, her friends, and all of us watching were reminded that speaking is not the only form of communication. Communication is the backbone of forming and keeping relationships, and if speaking doesn’t work, the want of understanding between people should be strong enough to force them to get creative on how they talk to one another. Everything about Buffy is post-modern, in the way that it has a strong female lead focusing on issues of her life which is more of a career, and thanks to people like Luciell Ball, we wouldn’t get those shows.

In the reading called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer– Using a Popular Culture Postmodern Text in the Classroom” discusses the trend of shows in the postmodern era. Gender roles, what is deemed “funny” and genres all fall into this category, and shows from the postmodern era all reflect some kind of change in the norm that questions stereotypes. I can’t help but wonder what movement is next if we are done with the post modern era. The arts have been completely challenged at the beginning of the 20th century which brought on post-modernism, but what movement are we in now? Post-post modernism? What does that even mean? I don’t know what I would call the next movement, but I for sure see the arts becoming more unique and just fully embraced by society, or completely rejected. It’s fun to think about! What is your prediction for the next big movement.