Upon discussing Chapter 63 in Gender, Race, and Class in Media, “Showtime Thinks, Therefore I Am” today in class, I found myself very skeptical of Kelly Kessler’s argument. Her article was published in 2011, whereas the Showtime television show, The L Word premiered in 2004—a difference of seven years. What was viewed as standard in 2011 was probably considered controversial in 2004, which means that The L Word was most likely considered revolutionary. In my opinion, this is one of several reasons that it is unfair of Kessler to make this show the victim of her critique. Sexuality is a very sensitive topic for many, and especially where the television industry is concerned. While there seems to be an increasingly fast turnaround time for what is considered too taboo for show business, it seemed to me that Kessler disregarded this key fact when forming her argument. The time of production is also pertinent to the fan websites that she speaks out against. She writes, “Electric Sheep Company and the folks at Showtime appeared to have had little concern about tweaking the interface such that visitors could easily assume the appearances flaunted in the ad. … On my arrival, I fussed with the avatar options attempting to settle on a cyber-me that remotely represented the (relatively computer literate) soft-butch I am” (604). Again, I believe that a large part of these shortcomings are due to the time period the software and website were created during in comparison to the time period that the critic was using/viewing them from. Additionally, Kessler complained that the television show was restrictive of lesbian personas and communities and hypersexualized, stating that it’s “unrealistic or narrow projection of the lesbian community… Not so removed from straight-targeted lesbian pornography or the show’s soap opera foundation, traditionally hot/heteronormative women cavort, swim, and have liaisons (occasionally with men) in sexy LA” (602). Some of these criticisms are valid, however, The L Word is said to be derived from the creator’s own experiences and lesbian community in Los Angeles, California. While I think it’s fair to have a problem with the show’s “soap opera foundation,” I don’t see validity in complaining that someone else’s reality is not up to Kessler’s standards. After watching the first episode of the series for myself, I can say that I didn’t take issue with the representations The L Word put forth. Yes, there’s sex, but what else is to be expected from a premium cable network? When it rains it pours, and where there are no restrictions on sex, you’ll find lots of it. I admit that I am not a member of the LGBTQ community and may not have the same exposure/experience as Kessler does, but as the audience for her article, I wholeheartedly disagree with these points of her argument.
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