Comments

1. GEC wrote:

   I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis of the white female characters on this show, and add that the same coin, opposite side is the focus of the post about “He’s just not that into you.” Female characters who are strong, complex, and appealing throw a wrench in the script of patriarchy, so racial stereotypes are used to create a palatable contrast and balance: e.g., strong women of color vs. weak white women OR ditzy, sexually available/accommodating white women vs. strong pragmatic women of color. Either way, patriarchal men and women are validated. And that’s why bell hooks is my shero.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 12:47 pm ¶

2. Aaron wrote:

   I only ever really watched the first and second seasons, but based on those, Dr. Bailey was by far my favorite character.

   However, it did always seem to me like she was playing into the stereotype (one of those “positive stereotypes” but a stereotype nonetheless) of the Strong Black Woman. Sure, in her case, it absolutely works. It comes off as quite believable. And she is not that stereotype to the point of being one-dimensional. It makes me wonder though how “colorblind” the casting really was. Is it really just a coincidence that a black woman was cast as the strong, tough loving, woman?

   (Again, keep in mind, I mostly just watched seasons one and two, and maybe half of three, in case the character has changed much since then.)

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 12:50 pm ¶

3. aimerrouge wrote:

   I stopped watching Grey’s when the storylines got ridiculous. I will say I always noticed and was pleased with the diversity of the cast. In hindsight, what really pleased me as a woman of color, was that the non-white characters were strong. I really didn’t really focus on the weaknesses of the white characters (though I did focus on Meredith and McDreamy). Maybe I have some soul searching of my own to do…

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:07 pm ¶

4. and1grad wrote:

   I completely agree with this synopsis. Also, I think the show would be better if there were a female character, of any race, that could go head up with Bailey.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:10 pm ¶

5. Paz wrote:

   I stopped watching Grey’s once Izzie and George hooked up, but it’s funny. I guess I was distracted at my amazement at the portrayal of POC that I didn’t see how pathetic the white people seem. Lol.
   But I was so proud watching that show of how the POC hold the authority positions, or that Callie is Senior Resident, above Meredith, Izzie, and friends. And there will regularly be patients who are POC or with interracial families.
   I’ve read that one reason that Hollywood doesn’t like to have interracial pairings or POC as main characters is that they feel like they have to explain why they are that way. In other words, how in the world did a black woman become a doctor? How could a white man and a black woman be together? They think that with POC there is automatically an extra layer of drama or struggle, or that there needs to be an obligatory “very special episode” on racism. And Shandra Wilson instead presents POC sort of matter of factly.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:39 pm ¶

6. Meredith wrote:

   Dr. Bailey is awesome, but yes, too much of the strong black woman stereotype. However, one of my favorite moments in the show was when the chief decided to have everyone fill out a form listing who out of the hospital staff they’d slept with, and when he neglected to give a form to Bailey, she got pissed at him for not seeing her as a sexual being. She said something like “I’m a strong black woman, therefore I couldn’t possibly have sex??” The show needs more moments like that.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:53 pm ¶

7. blossom culp wrote:

   From what I recall from reading some Shonda Rimes blog posts, Dr. Bailey’s character was actually written as a petite, abrasive blonde woman in an attempt – I’m guessing here – to put the blonde woman stereotype on its’ head. It just so happens, Chandra Wilson auditioned and blew everybody else out of the water.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:58 pm ¶

8. Redstar wrote:

   I watch this show religiously, and I can’t decide if I agree with you or not. Not about the white women, who I agree are all nuts, but about the supposedly strong women of color. It seems to me Callie is painted as a dithering mess, with her bed hopping and wimpering about it and doubting herself. It seems Bailey has been getting weepier and weepier, not just in the last 3-story arc, but over time.

   Can you give me your examples of how you think they are strong in comparison to their white counterparts? I feel like Shonda (creator) can’t deal with her strong women archetypes for too long, and always ends up sending them over the cliff.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 3:06 pm ¶

9. Valerie wrote:

   I think your take on the show is spot-on EXCEPT that Brooke Smith’s character was, IMHO, a fantastic character and one of the first accurate portrayals of a lesbian coming out to herself, and I think she was axed out of blatant homophobia. I don’t think of her as just “another white woman” but as a strong portrayal of a queer woman. She went well beyond the antics of the other white ladies on the show.

   Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 3:34 pm ¶

10. soreal789 wrote:

    this show lost me some time ago when that dude with a bomb inside his body was in the ER and Meredith decided it was a smart idea to stick her hand inside of him….ugh!

    instead of trying to analyze this show and its pathetic white cast, maybe we should switch focus to another ABC Drama, Lost! 1/2 of the losties who made it off the island are people of color and everyone on the show has complex and developed story lines. No pathetic characters as most of those have been killed off the show (but, as we know, being dead on Lost is relative and you can still come back and haunt people)!

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 4:05 pm ¶

11. Bo wrote:

    I completely agree and often wonder about this myself. I remember reading a post a while ago (was it here?) about how it’s awesome and uncharacteristic of mainstream television for black men to be heads of anything medical (James Pickens, Jr. as the Chief, and formerly Isaiah Washington as Dr. Burke).

    And while I really enjoy the multiple dimensions given to the women of color on the show (esp. Callie and Christina), I’ve fallen off the bandwagon as of late as more and more airtime has been filled with Ellen Pompeo’s inane, not-so-inner monologues.

    I like GEC’s analysis of the use of race and gender combinations to create complexity, but it bothers me that Meredith’s one-note drama exists to create “cohesion” or drive a story that would otherwise be replete with interesting and natural storylines. To me, Meredith’s sheer existence as a narrator and focus normalizes the failures of female characters and makes the strong, complex women of color seem too exceptional–as in GEC’s analysis, where race serves as some kind of “explanation” for a strength belied by gender.

    I’m all for seeing the women characters, regardless of race, become stronger–so long as it’s not at any other storylines’ expense. To make Meredith less self-involved and whiney would most likely dilute other characters’ stories since her issues get central play; but to stop Izzy’s slide down the slippery slope of token blondeness wouldn’t likely have the same detrimental effect, in my opinion.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 4:37 pm ¶

12. maggie wrote:

    @aaron:

    i would say that dr. bailey’s character has changed a lot since then. we’ve recently seen a much more emotional and vulnerable side to her, whereas in the beginning of the series, when she was an authority figure over the interns, she did take on the sort of stereotypical “tough lovin’” black woman that you describe.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 4:43 pm ¶

13. MinxL wrote:

    oh wow!
    now that’s a very direct title for today , eh?

    Grey’s anatomy has GREAT writing, but maybe the writer are concerned strong white women will take away from the other characters of color.

    I notice, whenever the media talks about GA, you hear about Sandra Oh, Sara Ramirez, and Loretta Devine. THEY are the female STARS!

    and wasn’t it Miranda who had that dance sequence and was first reluctant because of her size? It was such a topic.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 5:05 pm ¶

14. Roxie wrote:

    @#6: HIGH FIVE! Yes, I remember that episode so clearly and I was so glad that she did NOT let that go!

    “Addison Montgomery was spun off to her own show in LA and seems to have lost her compass”

    I was absolutely incensed when this happened. Addison had been one of my favorite characters and when I saw the first episode of “Private Practice”, I was extremely disappointed.

    On Grey’s she had been this strong, self possessed doctor, who, even if her personal life was going to hell, didn’t let that damage her work.

    Then on PP, she’s suddenly talking to a voice in a elevator and possibly thinks she’s talking to God?

    WTF, PPL?

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 6:30 pm ¶

15. Aaron wrote:

    Blossom culp, thanks for the info.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 7:09 pm ¶

16. Harriett wrote:

    “Addison Montgomery was spun off to her own show in LA and seems to have lost her compass”

    Actually, Private Practice is loads better (in my opinion) since that horrendous premiere: Addison is much more like her original strong character now, the plot lines are rather soapy but still kind of thought-provoking, and I *love* Taye Diggs and Audra MacDonald–their characters and their on-and-off relationship are among the best television depictions of African-Americans right now.

    But Grey’s? Please, Meredith always grated on my last nerve, and the pairing of Izzy and George was the last straw. I really think they need to make another spin off with just the strong women of color, because they’re the only thing keeping that show afloat now.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 7:48 pm ¶

17. Myles wrote:

    i’m not sure how to say this in a way that doesn’t sound stupid to me, but

    Do you think that the non-white women are seen as being somewhat masculinized compared to “true” femininity embodied by the helplessness of the white female characters?

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 7:55 pm ¶

18. Orville wrote:

    I disagree Dr. Bailey is offensive she is a negative stereotype of black womanhood she is the nurturing asexual black mammy. It is surprising that Shonda Rhimes a black woman would allow the ONLY black female character that is a lead on the show to be a negative stereotype of black female sexuality.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 8:54 pm ¶

19. 172 wrote:

    Wow this TV show must be a real bore. It’s not aired in my country and I’m really missing nothing.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:54 pm ¶

20. Amused0472 wrote:

    I like Dr. Bailey, but still think she borders on stereotypical in that she is essentially sexless. Although she had a bit of a storyline with a husband and child, she could not hold onto her man. They could make Meredith learn what a healthy relationship looks like. They should pair Sandrah Oh with a male who does not have extreme emotional problems. I like Lexy because she was strong enough to break a penis (LOL), but I would like to see her mature. I can’t talk about Izzie’s “I see dead Denny” storyline without banging my head against a wall.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:39 pm ¶

21. Leila wrote:

    @ #17. Myles,
    Not at all stupid-sounding. It’s a very astute observation.

    My first thoughts on reading the article was that these characters seem to fall into a highly patronizing stereotype. The strong woman of color is non-threatening to the White patriarchical authority because she is not really seen as an autonomous sexual subject to begin with.

    The identification is almost that of a child, wherein self-interest and a strong will are simply lovable character quirks. These same qualities, however, would be considered unbecoming of the more aptly “feminine” (and therefore “desirable”) white women.

    It is also why women of color need not conform to the current societal standards of beauty, but damned if every white female doctor/lawyer/aerospace engineer on television doesn’t look like malibu barbie.

    @ #10. soreal789, well said when it comes to LOST. Some of the poc on the show are among the most intriguing, well-developed characters on television: white, black, brown, smoke monster, or otherwise.

    Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:58 pm ¶

22. Myles wrote:

    21. Leila

    Kind of like how Yang’s speech to Berke about how messy and “not-girly” she is makes her more of a human being than just the “ultra-perfectionist Asian” stereotype.

    And the fact that Berke was extremely clean, and I think he also liked to cook, kind of associated him with being more feminized because he was concerned with matters of the home.

    It gives them an “Oh, how cute! Minorities do such funny, non-normative things!” gloss to them that is seen as potentially making them easier for mainstream White America to accept, and root for. Like a child, as you said.

    Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 1:15 am ¶

23. texascowgirl wrote:

    Miranda Bailey’s character was originally supposed to be a blonde white female, thus the “Nazi” nickname.

    Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 3:56 am ¶

24. Evie wrote:

    @ texascwgirl

    Are you sure that the “Nazi” nickname was ever intended as a reference to Bailey’s character being blonde and white? If Bailey had ended up being a blonde white woman, surely it would have been intended as a reference to her authoritative personality, in much the same way as Seinfeld used the term with the “Soup Nazi”.

    In any case, I really wish people would get a new adjective. I mean, yes, someone may have spoken in a strident tone, or the local council may have put parking fines up, but I wouldn’t say these things could be compared to Nazism.

    Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 10:48 am ¶

25. allheavens wrote:

    I’m just amazed that anyone watches Grey’s Anatomy. I have never been able to make it through an entire episode, so I just gave up after Season 1.

    With the exception of Chandra Wilson’s character, I was taken aback that any of these idiots would be allowed to practice medicine, let alone be allowed anywhere near someone with a surgical instrument.

    Don’t get me started on Ellen Pompeo, I hope homegirl is saving her money.

    Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 5:29 pm ¶

26. MoeHailstone wrote:

    Talk about losing its compass. This show lost its compaass when Isiah Washington, and that sexy Addison left, any sense of maturity seemed to be gone from the show. Those first 2 seasons I watched religiously and when these two characters were removed the show spun into an MTV for twenty somethings with ridiculous plot lines and George needs to be written off. He’s just not a lead no matter how hard you try.

    Even though the women of color are very strong they seem to be atypical when it comes to stereotyped behaviors. That bugged me…they did try to work on it but now its like every other show. Anyone not white has no love interest or their partners are rarely seen. Phuck that..its what turns me off about mainstream television. So now the Sandra Oh just plays the stereotyped asian perfectionist with no love interest while the hospital is an orgyfest all around her. Stop! “Nah you white kids go on and party, I’ll just sit here and watch the door” Get the phukk outta here with that its insulting.

    Grey has always sucked and been luke warm at best. The ensemble and the diverseness of the cast was what the show first set sail with. Now I don’t know what happened at sea but this ship lost its compass and is a shell of what it once was. Completely unwatchable buffoonery now.

    Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 1:14 pm ¶

27. Zahra wrote:

    I’m not a Grey’s fan, but my girlfriend was until she gave up on it this fall. In my infrequent views,
    Bailey has always seemed very much a stereotype of the strong black woman to me–aw, look, isn’t she cute and comforting and funny?–driven home by the fact that (as my gf points out) she doesn’t get a love interest. This show is basically a romance drama, and not letting Bailey have one effective demotes her character to sidekick.

    And while I don’t watch Grey’s very often, every time I see it Bailey has some horrible line that seems racially problematic, at the very least.

    Like the time she delivered a take on King’s “I have a dream” speech along the lines of “I have a dream that a major trauma victim will walk through those doors.” Not funny; tacky; and sounding awfully like Designated Black Character Line to me.

    Or the time she delivered an elaborate speech to Callie based on an analogy between having sex with a woman and visiting Africa (!). I thought this was weird beyond words. And then my gf, who’s a prof of African-American lit, explained that there’s a long, racist, imperialist tradition of describing Africa in terms of women’s genitals (dark, mysterious, needing to be conquered, blah blah racist blah blah sexist blah blah), and this speech was using a lot of those ideas.

    Ew. Grey’s not only promotes this, but they put it in Bailey’s mouth? Double ew.

    Grey’s has the chance with its diverse cast to be something different, but it’s just same old, same old–helpless white straight women, a strong black mammy, a Latina bisexual who fulfills a double stereotype by being oversexed and dithering, a black male authority figure who’s increasingly portrayed as incompetent.

    And then there’s Erica Hahn, a strong white woman who gets cut , in a ridiculous, out-of-nowhere plot twist, immediately after coming out as a lesbian. GA’s already tried your suggestion about pumping strength into the white women, and they (or their homophobia) didn’t like the results.

    Audra McDonald on Private Practice is worth the entire GA cast.

    Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 1:47 pm ¶

28. Orville wrote:

    I know this won’t sound PC but Chandra Wilson is definitely a negative stereotype of black womanhood. Notice also that compared to Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl that Wilson is an overweight black woman.

    I kind of wonder why didn’t Rhimes hire an attractive and sexy black actress like Vivica A Fox, Gabrielle Union, Megan Good, Sanaa Lathan, or Robin Givens?
    Since Wilson is overweight and unattractive it is kind of like Rhimes is saying her love life doesn’t matter.

    I realize television is fantasy but shouldn’t overweight women like Bailey deserve love as well to be represented on television?

    I think Shonda Rhimes made Bailey’s character into another mammy stereotype. Notice how whenever the white characters have relationship program mammy Bailey always is there to listen. Also notice that mammy Bailey has no love life. Is Rhimes trying to say Bailey is too fat or too black for love?

    Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 3:22 pm ¶

29. Cynthia wrote:

    @ Orville: I haven’t seen Grey’s in a while, but I’m pretty sure Miranda Bailey is (or at least was) married.

    Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 3:57 pm ¶

30. Melinda wrote:

    Zahra and others make some great points.

    I want to expand on something mentioned in comments. Sorry, it’s long.

    The original post claimed Erica Hahn and the actor’s firing as an example of the “pathetic white women of Grey’s Anatomy.” That analysis, I have to say, is pretty off. If anyone in the “Callica” relationship was pathetic, it was Callie, who had never-ending freak-out moments and continuously changed her mind about everything.

    The executives said that the character “wasn’t working” for them, but the reason they and some viewers disliked her was not that she was pathetic. On the contrary, it was that she was a serious, no-nonsense, assertive sort of woman who, not fitting stereotypes of femininity, would probably be labeled a bitch. She wasn’t liked because she didn’t come off as very likable. But as her relationship with Callie developed, Erica’s softer, friendlier side began to show, along with a more complex understanding of the character. However, it was in the development of this relationship that she started to identify as gay — a problem for the executives and perhaps some viewers.

    Gay women are far less frequent than bisexual women in mainstream television. There are a lot of theories about this. Perhaps they represent less of a “threat” to male viewers, because they fulfill the male fantasy of girl-on-girl without the girl being “off-limits.” Perhaps they appear more relatable to straight female viewers. As far as the writers are concerned, bisexuality opens the character up to more relationship possibilities. Whichever explanation you go with, gay women aren’t as popular on TV as bisexual women (unless it’s a specifically lesbian show, in which case it’s the opposite). Homophobia played a big role in the sudden disappearance of Erica Hahn — the character had no proper farewell, simply seen walking to her car in her last episode.

    Another issue brought up in the Hahn firing controversy was the nature of the relationship between Erica and Callie, which did not fulfill the “two young, slim, glamorous women together” look marking the “desirable” lesbian relationship of TV. Some commenters also brought up the fact the characters discussed their sex life — not something new on the show, but “explicit” because it was sex between women, and not for the purpose of arousing fellow male characters, or presumably, viewers.

    So, no, the executives didn’t like Erica Hahn. But not because she was a “pathetic white woman.” That analysis should be focused on other characters — Meredith, Lexy, Izzy perhaps? Because chalking up Smith’s dismissal to “patheticness” completely glosses over the real issues involved in the character’s story.

    Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 12:17 am ¶

31. zoe wrote:

    I used to love Grey’s, but from the second half of season 3 it completely went downhill for me. That said, I do think it offers complex characterizations of women of color, and also of men of color (though less so).

    I loved it in the first season when Izzie asked Cristina to translate for a Chinese patient and Cristina yelled back: “I’m Korean. Oh, and the only Chinese I know is from a Mr. Chow’s menu.” In another episode, a patient played by Michelle Kruseic who’s supposed to be Hmong tells Meredith something like (I forget the exact words) “spare me the white girl cultural divide” and then proceeds to let Meredith know that she’s as American as Meredith herself. I also like the interracial families or patients of color and there’s no big deal made of it. The big one was the relationship between Ellis Grey and Chief Webber–their relationship wasn’t problematic because of race but because they were both married. I don’t see Bailey as asexual either. In the second season we see her dressed up to celebrate her anniversary with her husband. I don’t think Shonda Rhimes has a problem with sexy black women because look at Audra McDonald over on Private Practice.

    I agree though that all the white girls are pathetic at this point, particularly Izzie.

    Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 2:21 am ¶

32. Orville wrote:

    Audra McDonald looks like th girl next door there is nothing sexy about Audra McDonald.
    In terms of looks McDonld is not beautiful certainly not as as beautiful as Gabrielle Union, Vivica A Fox, Sanaa Lathan, or Megan Good.

    Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 10:53 am ¶

33. Chelsea wrote:

    A little late to the party, but I completely agree with this. From the first episode I couldn’t understand why people (mostly white women) 1) are so obsessed with the show and 2) love meredith gray so much. I find her pathetic, needy and hopeless. She makes me rip my hair out. I don’t watch anymore.

    What really bothers me, though, is that this isn’t an isolated event. I think the first time I really noticed it was when I was into my Saturday morning cartoon phase, watching That’s So Raven… Her white-girl sidekick makes me sick.

    I love powerful female characters, and I really look for those characters in the programs/movies I watch, but why does power have to run down racial lines? In programming with a majority of characters of color, the power lies with color and the weakness lies with white. And vice versa. Why can’t real people of different colors all be powerful?

    But then again television makes its money off of stereotypes one way or another.

    Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 5:19 pm ¶

34. Monia wrote:

    I think Audra is quite beautiful and talented…Ms. Ramirez too….both classically trained singers and great actresses. I guess I don’t think too deeply about PP and GA, cause I love both shows! They can be silly at times, but I appreciate getting to see so many successful, beautiful, complex women and men of color depicted on tv….it’s rare to get that in the movies, so the two shows (and Lost) fufill my needs for now….and I also don’t think Bailey’s character is that problematic…folks act like strong black women are just sterotypical characters….I know plenty of women like her. Just cause you have seen the chararcter type before doesn’t mean it should just cease to exist. There is room for all types of black women on screen, imo…not just “beautiful”, smart, sexy, “perfect” black women….

    Posted 05 Feb 2009 at 2:32 pm ¶