“We All Have Feelings for Our Girlfriends:” Progressive (?) Representations of Lesbian Lives on the The L Word

Abstract

The Showtime series The L Word (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)) marked one of the first dramatized representations of prominent lesbian characters. While many popular culture scholars are focusing attention on the recent ''gaying'' of television narrative (e.less attention is given to non-romantic interpersonal relationships surrounding main characters in these narratives. Sexuality scholarship notes that lesbian individuals must negotiate their self-disclosure to heterosexuals (Dindia in Dialectical approaches to studying personal relationships, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., Mahwah, NJ, 1998), and that this can be challenging for forming relationships and maintaining identity (Meyer in Communication Quarterly 51: [262][263][264][265][266][267][268][269][270][271][272][273][274][275][276] 2004). Ultimately, this essay argues that despite the gains in visibility and even in intimacy, The L Word articulates an ideology of avoidance whereby the underlying problems of heterosexism and homophobia are left unchallenged.

Manufacturing a Messiah

“…Normalized narratives are stories embedded within society (Lee & Meyer, 2010)stories that everyone of a particular culture knows or should know. These narratives generally speak to foundational aspects of a particular culture (Lee & Meyer, 2010).…”

“…Normalized narratives are stories embedded within society (Lee & Meyer, 2010)stories that everyone of a particular culture knows or should know. These narratives generally speak to foundational aspects of a particular culture (Lee & Meyer, 2010). As Fisher (1985) posits, humans are uniquely storytelling beings, communicating with each other and understanding the world through stories.…”