Marie Tyler Moore died, leading to the usual post-mortem parade of people commenting on her life and times. When asked about her influence, Larry King grumbled into the mic about her role on The Dick Van Dyke Show: “She was one of the first to appear in pants, one of the first TV housewives; you can’t imagine how revolutionary that was.”
As someone who strives to fare la bella figura (and may be too concerned with its cult), the ways in which people present themselves through fashion fascinate me. From Sparta’s “controllers of women” to today’s debates over whether or not to free the nipple, how women present their bodies has been heavily policed. The 1960s represents an interesting period in that women (the affluent, at least) had made significant strides in control over their presentation, only to see many of their gains reversed after the war. Women, despite their service during the conflict, were largely shepherded back into the home or confined to lower-paying jobs that fit into the category of women’s work. The feminine mystique as identified by Betty Friedan settled over society, culminating in an environment in which a woman in trousers seemed shocking.
For all of the challenging of gender roles featured in the episode we watched in class, I was struck by the reason Mary Tyler Moore’s character gave for needing time to herself: she needs time to make sure she looks good for her husband. It illustrated how even as the character pushed boundaries, she remained boxed in by them. Her clothes allowed her to assert a modicum of independence, yet her conception of why she should look a certain way was still very much founded on pleasing men (her husband specifically).
Jerome Krase
March 29, 2017 — 4:38 pm
Probably not the best episode for making the point of her role in “chaning” the image of women on television. It was chosen randomly but your point is well-taken. Most important lesson is how personal appearance continues to be interpreted as an indicator of moral and other “character.” I’m sure you and the other students think I only have one shirt for example and that somehow “means” something other than sartorially about me. My wife also comments when I leave for class, “You’re not going to wear that shirt again.” — Like a mother (RN/BS/MSPH/EDD) who is afraid it will reflect badly on her as she (like MTM on the DVDS) is somehow responsible for dressing her charges. Note that Hill was held responsible for Bill.