Every Thursday night at the Women’s Center, a small group of students can be spotted lounging on the couches and sipping coffee while watching this week’s episode of one of Shonda Rhimes’ primetime television shows. At first glance, the event appears to be a fairly low key evening in the cozy Center, which allows students to decompress after a hard week’s work. Although the atmosphere is certainly a relaxing one, it becomes almost immediately apparent that there is much more to this event than what meets the eye. What appears on the surface as a carefree evening of mindless television also proves itself as a clear opportunity to discuss race and the underrepresentation of minorities in mainstream media.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies Professor Ariella Rotramel and Joey Mercado ’16 developed the idea for Shonda Rhimes Night, and both are actively involved in the Gender and Women’s Studies department here at Connecticut College. Rotramel, a confessed “Grey’s Anatomy” fan, has been wanting to do a screening event dedicated to Shonda Rhimes for quite some time. Fortunately, the perfect opportunity presented itself when it was announced that three television shows created by Rhimes, “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away With Murder,” would be premiering on the same night.
The need for this event became increasingly evident after New York Times reviewer Alessandra Stanley was placed under fire for an article discussing Rhimes’s work. The head television critic of the newspaper began her review of Rhimes’s television series by stating, “When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called ‘How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman.’” Although the review gave Rhimes significant praise for the success of these three shows, her positive critiques were largely overshadowed by racially controversial remarks that accused Rhimes’s characters of color as being “unoriginal.”
Unsurprisingly, Stanley received immediate backlash for her article, including from celebrities and “How to Get Away With Murder” star Viola Davis, who responded by stating, “Shonda is a black woman, and I understand that that’s a part of what people want to write about when they write about her. But here’s the thing: After you write about that, write about something else. Write about her vision, write about her courage, write about her talent, write about the fact that she’s been able to achieve something that very few people have been able to achieve. Write about that.” Many other celebrities and fans also took a stand for Rhimes on social media in criticism of the controversial opinions expressed by Stanley.
Additionally, many individuals were surprised that the New York Times, an infamously liberal paper would publish such a racially insensitive piece. “We treat our media as though the New York Times is on the far left but it is clearly for people of a very specific class and race. Our media does not reflect the socioeconomic and racial diversity within our country,” Profesor Rotramel explained.
This clear issue of underrepresentation has similar connotations throughout mainstream television. In movies and on television, individuals of color are often placed in the role of sidekicks. This presents an enormous problem within our media and society, as it conveys to individuals of color do not have the power to achieve as leaders.
Rhimes’s series, all of which are featured on ABC, give hope for a brighter future on television. “The network is recognizing they finally need to feature people of color. I like that on Rhimes’ shows it is not completely diverse, but there is more cross-racial representation. That, in my eyes, is what’s really important for change,” Rotramel described.
Although it’s true that Shonda Rhimes Night was developed to be an event for students to enjoy quality television with friends, Rotramel explained that it is also an important opportunity to discuss these essential topics. “It’s a consumer product, and I want students to critically think about that. We’re still in a moment and you’ll be able to find the stats. We don’t have representation on TV, and the creators of these shows do not reflect the representation of status and race. It really shows- what are we expected to be? How are we supposed to matter?”
Throughout the evening, Rotramel often provides insightful commentary and will commit commercial breaks to discussing these important issues in a comfortable and open environment.
Rotramel further argues that although it is great to praise Shonda Rhimes for her success in television and for her triumph in bringing characters of color to their deserving place front and center stage, it is also important to highlight the unrealistic portrayal evident in Rhimes’s “soap opera-esque” creations.
“Grey’s Anatomy, especially, is a fantasy. It presents doctors of backgrounds that are not as represented as they should in the medical field and portrays an unrealistic picture of how the world really functions in terms of race and opportunity. It’s not fair”. Although it is true that our society has certainly paved a far way for racial equality, this fantasy vividly illustrates the road ahead in achieving equality for all.
Overall, Shonda Rhimes Night is a fantastic opportunity to see some great entertainment while addressing important issues surrounding race and media in a manner that is both informal and accessible. If you’re interested in getting involved in this excellent event, contact Professor Ariella Rotramel or Joey Mercado and make sure to stop by every Thursday at the Women’s Center from 8:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. •
