Blake Bonkowski Due: March 17, 2013 COM387 Battles Pretty Little Liars: Femininity, Queerness, and Conformity

Pretty Little Liars is a serial melodrama aimed towards teenage girls. Besides the occasional stunt and a mediocre sense of thrill, Pretty Little Liars does not stray from the main ideas behind its genre. As an extremely popular show, its effects on its target audience are great, and the representations that it provides need to be taken seriously. In this essay, I will discuss the genre of melodrama through an examination of Pretty Little Liars, and how the representations of gender and sexuality that are portrayed shape our understanding of ourselves. In her article, Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess, Linda Williams explains that melodrama can encompass a broad range of films marked by "lapses" in realism, by "excesses" of spectacle and displays of primal, even infantile emotions, and by narratives that seem circular and repetitive. (pg. 3) As predicted by Williams, Pretty Little Liars is shows an abundance of emotion, particularly sadness displayed with ecstatic woe, and crying. (pg. 9) The liars (Emily, Spencer, Aria, and Hanna), their families, their partners, and their friends are constantly upset and in fear. This over-emotional portrayal of women angers feminists, as women are rarely portrayed anything other than weepie and weak. (pg. 4) Pretty Little Liars does little to stray from this stereotypical representation of women. The liars have fierce personalities, but fail to get much accomplished. The only contradiction to this is Alison, who in the first three episodes can already be perceived as manipulative and cold. Villainizing a young woman does not do well for the representation of women, especially joined with other stereotypical female characters.

There is one thing that is made clear from the first episode of the show: The majority of the women in this show are powerless. They are being stalked and blackmailed by a mysterious A, one of them is already dead, and they are completely afraid. This is not surprising for a melodrama, considering a similar lack of power in soap operas. In Gendered television: femininity from the book Television Culture, John Fiske explains that, The powerful women in soap operas never achieve a settles state of power, but are in continual process of struggle to exercise control over themselves and others. (pg. 184) The most powerful women in the first three episodes of Pretty Little Liars are Alison and Hannas mom. Alison is constantly trying to cover her tracks and blackmailing others to try to keep her power. Hannas mom makes various efforts to save herself and Hanna by attempting to manipulate Detective Wilden. She uses sex to control Wilden, but soon fails to make any impact on the situation. While a physical power dynamic is key to the show, such as the scene in the third episode where Emilys boyfriend tries to sexually assault her in the locker room (and then the other girls ask if she is really done with him) it is important to understand that power is much more than just an aggressor and their victim. Foucault understood power as a system, and viewed knowledge as a regulatory function which allowed us to categorize people. (Gill, pg. 61) A primary example of this is the categorization of people into either man, the holder of power, or woman, the powerless. Power can be expressed through obvious physical acts, such as stalking or attacking, but it is also emotional and systematic and is often expressed through policy, stereotypes, and social requirements. One example of this social power structure is the need for confession when one is breaking social norms. Foucault examined the need for confession on television. The encouragement to confess on TV or anywhere else is a fundamental part of modern systems and

regimes that govern sexuality (Probyn 1997a). (Gill, pg. 62) Much of the initial plot of Pretty Little Liars is about confession. The characters are being questioned by Detective Wilden, who wants them to confess in the most literal way: confessing to murder. Hannah is debating whether or not to confess to stealing, Emily is debating whether or not to confess to liking another woman, and all of the girls are unsure whether or not to tell someone about what really happened to Jenna. As an example of systematic oppression by confession, I would like to focus on Emily Fields. Emilys powerlessness is particularly interesting because it plays on the common cultural phenomenon of the flashy end-all-be-all explosive coming out moment. For the majority of the first season there is tension building as you wait for her to make some kind of grand statement finally admitting her attraction to women. Coming out is seen in the media as a one-time action that happens once a person is sure of their sexuality, while it is actually a process that is lifelong. You expect from the first episode that at some point, Emily will spill her guts to her parents and friends, and they will either completely embrace her or completely shut her out. We do not expect anything in between. This fear of complete abandonment is oppressive within itself, but it only exists due to oppression on a larger scale through homophobia and heterosexism. We must ask ourselves, why do we expect this big coming out moment and what does it say about our attitudes towards queer people? (And yes, this includes the attitudes of queers towards queers.) If homosexuality or gender non-conforming were seen as normal or acceptable, there would be no need to come out (at least not in some kind of heart wrenching production). It would be a passing thought; a brief mention of a partner, crush, emotion, or activity. However, we do make a big deal about homosexuality, and we are obsessed with defining people (real and characters) by their sexual orientation. When a character on TV is LGBT, is typically becomes their defining factor. Emily, for example, will always be the gay one first, and then her other

characteristics will be listed. This is particularly frustrating considering Emilys sexuality is not made to be such a spectacle in the Pretty Little Liars books. Her sexuality is also more fluid in the books, as is her femininity. However, on screen Emily is portrayed as a lesbian who dumps her boyfriend in the first few episodes to go run off with Maya. In the first scene of the show, Alison makes a joke about Emilys homosexuality, which only Alison knows about at the time. Emily is strictly gay and strictly feminine throughout the majority of the show. This type of binary representation is typical for teen melodramas. It is important to look at representation in its complex nature. Morrow & Battles discuss this complexity in their chapter Visibility. They explain that, Representation itself becomes a form of power, portraying certain social relations as natural and justifiable. If we do not see LGBT people in the media, then at the least, we might not even be aware of their existence, which might cause special pain to queer youth trying to make sense of their experience. Such symbolic annihilation might also indicate to straight and gay audiences alike that homophobia is justified, as any group that does not deserve representation likewise does not deserve recognition. (pg. 45) Through this logic, it is simple to say that Emily and Maya are a solution to a problem of invisibility. However, not all representation was created equally, and there are both positives and negatives to Emily and Maya as representatives for the queer community. Emily is an athlete, but she is very feminine. She is occasionally seen in athletic attire but it is always low cut and/or very tight. This is not necessarily completely negative, she should be able to express herself in any way she wants, but it should be noted that she is portrayed as a typical woman in a binary view of gender (her athleticism is in no way masculinized, and is toned down significantly for the show up, to the point where she eventually ends up quitting the swim team). Maya is also rather feminine: her one masculine attribute being her attitude.

Maya is highly independent and goes after what she wants. She doesnt take no for an answer. As with Emily, Maya presents as one with a binary view of gender would see as a typical straight woman before you realize that she is queer. It should be noted that Emily and Maya are both perceived as women of color. Troian Bellisario, who plays Spencer, is half African-American, but she is perceived as white on the show and it given a white family, wheras Emilys family is obvious not white. It is common for television shows to choose one character as the diversity representative, making them responsible for every non-majority demographic that the shows feels a need to touch on. While we do see Maya and Emilys family as other individuals of color, they are not main characters. However, compared to other shows, Emily is not particularly disadvantaged. She is not poor, in a broken family, being abused, etc. The misfortune is somewhat spread out amongst the characters which makes it possible to appreciate Emily and Maya as queer women of color: a demographic that is often underrepresented. What I personally find fascinating about Maya is the actress who portrays her. Bianca Lawson is currently 33 years old, which means during the shooting of season one of Pretty Little Liars she was approximately 30 years old. Maya St. Germain is in high school (we are never really told the exact age or grade of any of the characters). While the other actresses also have age gaps between themselves and their character (The four main liars are currently 23, 23, 25, and 27, while Sasha Pieterse who plays Alison is only 17) none are near as extreme as the difference between Bianca and Maya. This is particular disturbing considering the target audience of Pretty Little Liars is teen girls. Having actresses in their mid-twenties portray high schoolers provides an unrealistic image for teenage girls to attempt to live up to. Lets face it: these girls are remarkably attractive, and part of this attractiveness comes from the fact that they

are developed adults. There is an obvious physical difference between a sixteen year old and a twenty one year old, otherwise we wouldnt all be embarrassed to look at our high school pictures! The only actress on the show who is near the age of the characters portrayed the pure evil villain who ends up dead, therefore she is seen less and when she is seen it is a primarily negative experience for all of the older and physically mature characters. The other female characters on the show are also frustratingly standard. They are all strictly on the gender binary, and represent different types of teen girls (the alternative one, the popular one, and the smart one). They are almost always seen in skirts and dresses (occasionally short shorts), especially in the first few episodes. They are extremely well dressed, even when they are in pajamas or lounge wear. This is not helpful for teenage girls, who are being instructed that what society considers femininity is more than just preferred; it is their only option. In his book, Gaga Feminism, Jack Halberstam expresses his frustration over the lack of progress being made to break down gender barriers. He explains that queer theorists understand gender in a more complex sense, that both men and women are culturally constructed categories, as are the terms masculinity and femininity, but that, unfortunately, this is not understood by the majority of modern society. (pg. 71) Both the men and women on Pretty Little Liars are undeniably congruent with these narrow views of gender. The men on the show are also not immune to traditional gender norms and stereotypes. While the focus of show is clearly on the women, there are a few men in the first few episodes. The most prominent male figure is Detective Wilden, who is a hyper-masculine police officer. Arias brother and Ren, Spencers sisters fiance, are both star athletes. Mr. Fitz is a professional who wears a suit and tie, and is arguably the most feminine as he is a writer who is aware of his emotions and feelings for Aria. The masculinity of the male characters is made clear, but is not

as over the top as it would be in a show aimed towards a male audience. It should be noted that the man with the most power is the most hyper-masculine, while the men who are in trouble or emotionally suffering are not masculinized to the same extent. This is not to say that men do not experience problems with patriarchys construction of masculinity: they certainly do, Fiske explains, but they are not truly oppressed. (pg. 198) However we should not ignore the fact that many young men struggle to live up to the expectations set by both mens and womens programming. In conclusion, Pretty Little Liars does not offer many ways of thinking about ourselves. It reinforces the everyday notion that there are two genders, and that sexuality is simple. It gives power to men, and looks down upon women who try to manipulate that system. It provides young girls with unrealistic expectations of their bodies, their genders, and their potential sexualities. The show highlights the victimization of women in a variety of contexts, and does not offer much critical thought about our roles in society. While this is a show I have enjoyed for years, I am disappointed in its lack of diversity and its contributions to feminism. References Fiske, J. (2010). Television culture. (pp. 179-197, pp.198-223). Routledge. Gill, R. (2007). Gender and the media. (1st ed., pp. 42-72). Cambridge, England: Polity. Goldstick, O. (Writer), & Keene, E. (Director) (2010). To kill a mocking girl [Television series episode]. In Pretty Little Liars. ABC Family. Retrieved from http://movies.netflix.com/ WiMovie/Pretty_Little_Liars/70180057?trkid=2361637

Halberstam, J. J. (2012). Gaga feminism: Sex, gender, and the end of normal. (pp. 65-94). Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Hilton-Morrow., & Battles, K. (n.d.). Visibility. In (pp. 1-27).

King, I. M. (Writer), & Glatter, L. L. (Director) (2010). Pilot [Television series episode]. In Pretty Little Liars. ABC Family. Retrieved from http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Pretty_Little_Liars/70180057?trkid=2361637 King, I. M. (Writer), & Friedlander, L. (Director) (2010). The jenna thing [Television series episode]. In Pretty Little Liars. ABC Family. Retrieved from http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Pretty_Little_Liars/70180057?trkid=2361637 Williams, L. (1991). Film bodies: Gender, genre, and excess. Film Quarterly, 44(4), 2-13. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1212758?origin=JSTOR-pdf&