Inspired by real events, Good Girls Revolt tells the story of women working as researchers in a 1960s newspaper who sued their employer for gender discrimination. This show is an especially poignant watch this week, as the women in this Amazon original are fighting the very same glass ceiling that has just denied America its first female president.
It brings everything we expect from the 1960s: the fashion, the hairstyles, and the institutional sexism. With women being restricted to the role of researcher, whilst their male counterparts write articles, women do all the work, and men get all the glory. And viewers are not allowed to forget this, not for one second; constant reminders of female oppression are present in every scene.
Whilst the show’s evocation of the era is as powerful as the women it was inspired by, it is just not as slick as everyone’s favourite 1960s drama Mad Men. It does not feel as real, and is not nearly as subtle.
Consequently, it lacks the intrigue and compelling draw of Don Draper’s domain. But, take away this comparison and Good Girls Revolt stands alone as an explicitly feminist remembrance of the 1960s.
Image: nicoleleec @ Flickr