The Golden Girls: A Cultural History (The Cultural History of Television)

About this book

"This book is a much-needed addition to the growing body of scholarship around this beloved sitcom. An essential read for The Golden Girls fans and media studies scholars alike." Library Journal Starred Review Over the course of seven years and 180 episodes The Golden Girls altered the television landscape. For the first time in history Americans (and later the rest of the world) were watching sexagenariansand one octogenarianleading active vital lives. These were older women who had careers families lovers and adventures far from the matronly television characters of the past. In The Golden Girls: A Cultural History Bernadette Giacomazzo shows why this iconic sitcom is more than just comedy gold. She examines how between all the laughs and the tales of St. Olaf these women tackled tough issues of the timeissues that continue to resonate in the twenty-first century. From sexual harassment ageism and PTSD to AIDS inter-racial relationships and homosexuality Dorothy Rose Blanche and Sophia werent afraid to take on topics which were once considered taboo. This first-ever cultural history of The Golden Girls explores how the show forever changed the worlds perception of what it means to grow older and showed us the healing power of friendship community and sisterhood. It gave the voiceless a new voice and unveiled all the possibilities of what family can meanno matter ones race religion creed or sexual orientation.