Women's Day special: Television Series Which Have Properly Explored Feminism, Women Friendship

With the arrival of web-domain finding a suitable binge-worthy web-series or serial isn't the toughest job anymore. Most of us who grew up in the 90s had missed out on a lot of content worthy television serials such as Desperate Housewives, Sex and the City, Full House to name a few.

We were either too young to understand the gravity of their content, or too shy to watch it on television in the presence of our parents. In the era where screens can be a private mode of interaction, between the viewer and the content, here are a few web-series that have explored women's relationship. 

Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives begins with an unexpected suicide, that brings all the housewives of the Westeria neighbourhood together. All the while, in their simple wavings, noddings and exchange of a smile, the four housewives, Bree Van De Camp, Gabriel Solice, Susan Myer, and Lynnette Scavo learn that they do not know their neighbours, as well as they, think they do, and not everyone who shares a fence with them as their friends. The extended women characters are Eddie Britt and Katherine Mayfair, who enter and exit the poker gang of the Westeria Lane when they do not remain loyal to their friendly neighbours, however, they are warmly welcomed back to when they choose to forgive and forget and be a better friend to the neighbours of wisteria lane. 

2 Broke Girls

2 Broke Girls reflect a strong class divide. The American television sitcom tells the story of Caroline Channing, a girl who has seen the ultimate luxurious in life but became a disgrace ever since her father had been arrested on charges of embezzlement. She is penniless and none of her friends from her luxurious life was willing to help her out anymore. She meets Max Black who has witnessed a completely different life. The two girls, in their own separate mannerism, learn all about how to live a life while being broke.

Sex And The City

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, starrer Sex and The City is a series which should be given chance. The theme of sex lives of four different women in New York might slightly become repetitive and tiring (at times) but this series has more content in the middle of the glitzy New York. The city is treated like another female character dressed in lights, shining from the high rise offices of Manhattan and watches its people create, destroy and create again their emotional lives. The series makes you fall in love with New York in its own unique style.  

Emily In Paris 

The idea of a series such as Emily In Paris reaching the nomination category of Golden Globe and Emmy may have come as a shock, but the light-hearted content about a social media influencer, finding her way in to fit in Paris remains engaging. We quickly judge a woman who claims to be a social media influencer, with an addiction to hashtags. But Emily is a woman with beauty and brain, who fails to cope with her life in Paris, mainly because she wasn't prepared to move to a completely different city, learn a new language and mix and mingle. Her lady boss at the workplace Sylvie is too adamant about ruining her social life out of fear that she might be hijacking into her sex life. 

But Emily finds warmth in the company of Camille, Gabriel and Mindy Chen. The series also slightly shatter stereotypes in its individual light-hearted manner. It's not every day when you meet a hashtag addict, a social media influencer who is also a marketing genius.  

Elite

Elite does not open with warm greetings to the poor. In Spain's top-rated school, Las Encinas, each year three students manage to make it to the school through scholarship. The 'class divide' inside the sphere of the classroom is made on the first day itself. The lesser privileged students and the stylish rich kids make their own separate groups and verbally warn each other not to mix and mingle. But after an unexpected murder, the students of Las Encinas soon learn to befriend other people from separate circles, especially when they learn about living with a murderer in their classroom. 

The young girls of the series Elite remain harsh with each other on the first day but they soon learn to accept each other's company under various circumstances.

Riverdale

All the women in Riverdale Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, Toni, have been remarkable ever since the time they stepped on screen. They were unapologetic and proud in their own individual characters. Betty started a shy child who soon owned up to her womanhood by embracing her serial killer self.

Veronica, a self-admitted brat, chose to change her approach towards life when she stepped inside the boundaries of Riverdale. However, time and again she brought back her New York brat angry woman, when the men took unfair advantage.

Cheryl, may have been the harsh cheerleader, but she became a mature woman, a different Blosson when she chose to burn down her family house, which had too mark dark secrets. Toni never parted ways with her serpent side and fought like a lady, using physical force as well as manipulation. 

FRIENDS

It's impossible to talk about womanhood, women friendship and not mention FRIENDS. In the 90s, this was the only television series that was neither too cute nor too adult based content. Phoebe, Rachel and Monica came from different walks of life. Rachel was the high school sweetheart who later learnt the joys of being independent of Monica.

Monica had suffered most of her high school years as the fat-shamed child but in her adult ages, she became too hot to handle. She took a special kind of pride in dumping the high school guy, Chip, who once ignored her for being too fat to be his girlfriend. Phoebe meanwhile is one of a kind woman who learnt to single-handedly deal with her problems as they came her way. 

The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries may be too focused on Elena's decision to choose from the two Salvatore brothers, however, there is much more to this series than one woman choosing between two potential boyfriends. 

In the fifth season of The Vampire Diaries when Katherine turns into Elena, what she enjoys most is not the fact that all the men really love her, without even her attempts to become slutty. Katherine enjoys the female friendship with Bonnie, and Caroline. For the longest time the entire Mystic Falls family have seen Katherine as the enemy (for the right reasons), but for that short period of time Katherine had genuinely enjoyed the joys of being loved, having emotions and friends who genuinely care for you.