Freeform’s new show The Bold Type is like Sex and the City meets The Devil Wears Prada, but in the best way possible. It stars three young women living in New York City and working for Scarlet magazine (a magazine loosely based on Cosmopolitan). Under the control of editor-in-chief Jacqueline (Melora Hardin), Scarlet is rebranding itself as a feminist publication, as opposed to just a sex and fashion magazine. The show focuses on three main characters, Jane (Katie Stevens), Kat (Aisha Dee), and Sutton (Meghann Fahy), as they attempt to navigate their way through the worlds of fashion, feminism, and journalism; learning how each of these worlds can coexist within one magazine.
While the show is honest about the challenges that women in a male dominated industry tend to face, such as presenting to a board of all men or facing sexist backlash on social media, a large portion of the show’s in-your-face feminism revolves around the recurring character Adena (Nikohl Boosheri). She is a Muslim, lesbian artist, who works closely with Kat on an article for the magazine.
It all begins in a morning meeting, where it is mentioned that Adena’s article will not be published in the upcoming issue of Scarlet. Kat takes the exclusion of the article as an opportunity to prove the magazine’s newfound feminist status to Adena, who chose to pull her article because she felt that the magazine was not the platform she wanted to use to display her art and her story. Kat is ultimately able to convince Adena that feminism can be found in more than just riots and academia, but in fashion and the ability to own your femininity; for yourself, not the male attention. During this time, a relationship between the two begins to blossom, putting Kat’s sexuality into a not-straight grey area while we attempts to navigate her feelings.
Side note: this gives the show two potential LGBTQ+ characters, who also happen to be women of color. Assuming that neither of them are killed off before the end of the series (I’m looking at you, Bury Your Gays trope), this could be a win in representation of women, people of color, and lgbtqia+ people.
The show continuously reminds us that feminism is found in different forms, whether it be standing up against an oppressive government through art or having your first orgasm.
The Bold Type is on Freeform every Tuesday at 9/8c. Tune in and continue to support women in media, so we can continue to thrive!
Photo Credit: Freeform
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