The Golden Girls
A Cultural History
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- $45.99
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- $45.99
Publisher Description
"This book is a much-needed addition to the growing body of scholarship around this beloved sitcom. An essential read for The Golden Girls fans and media studies scholars alike." — Library Journal, Starred Review
Over the course of seven years and 180 episodes, The Golden Girls altered the television landscape. For the first time in history, Americans (and, later, the rest of the world) were watching sexagenarians—and one octogenarian—leading active, vital lives. These were older women who had careers, families, lovers, and adventures, far from the matronly television characters of the past.
In The Golden Girls: A Cultural History, Bernadette Giacomazzo shows why this iconic sitcom is more than just comedy gold. She examines how, between all the laughs and the tales of St. Olaf, these women tackled tough issues of the time—issues that continue to resonate in the twenty-first century. From sexual harassment, ageism, and PTSD to AIDS, inter-racial relationships, and homosexuality, Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia weren’t afraid to take on topics which were once considered taboo.
This first-ever cultural history of The Golden Girls explores how the show forever changed the world’s perception of what it means to grow older, and showed us the healing power of friendship, community, and sisterhood. It gave the voiceless a new voice and unveiled all the possibilities of what “family” can mean—no matter one’s race, religion, creed, or sexual orientation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Giacomazzo (In Living Color) takes a rewarding deep dive into the titular 1980s comedy series. Besides tackling taboo social and political issues, the show was the first to depict "sexagenarians—and one feisty octogenarian—leading active, vital lives as complete, full women," Giacomazzo writes. In doing so, it pushed past reductive TV depictions of women as either young college graduates or homemakers tending to husbands and children. Instead, the four women—Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Betty White), Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur), and Sophia (Estelle Getty)—lived together in Miami to save money due to skimpy pensions, and forged a new definition of what family could look like. According to the author, the show confronted controversial Reagan administration issues such as poverty, immigration, and homelessness; challenged rhetoric about AIDS patients (in one episode, Blanche takes direct aim at pastor Jerry Falwell's claim that the disease was a "punishment for the world's sins"); and featured interracial relationships at a time when they were rarely seen in TV or films. Giacomazzo also devotes sections to each character and their best episodes, and ranks the show's top 10 story lines. There's a wealth of fun, up-close celebrity detail to satisfy fans, and it's well-balanced with Giacomazzo's careful cultural analysis—much of which touches on issues that are still salient today, from addiction to doctors gaslighting women's health concerns. Pop culture fans will rejoice.
