Christine Baranski

Continuing to applaud brilliant over-40 women who buck trends and defy stereotypes, I’d like to draw your attention to wonderful Christine Baranski and Juliana Margolies of “The Good Wife” on CBS TV.

In this drama, the whole law firm dynamic is realistically, if sometimes painfully portrayed. It is true to how most professional services firms decide who stays and who goes. Baranski, just written up in the NY Times: “A Lesiurely Day to Learn Her Lines,” is marvelous. The Tony Award-winning actress plays the powerful lawyer, Diane Lockhart, partner in a top Chicago law firm. When asked why she wanted to play Lockhart, she replied, “There are so many roles for women that are cringe-worthy. When you’re young, you’re the slut or the victim of the serial killer, and then as you get older, you can be the obnoxious mother-in-law or overbearing mother, or some kind of washed-up alcoholic. There are so many roles where women are handicapped human beings, and here’s a woman who’s one of Chicago’s top litigators, she’s a partner at a law firm, she’s well-dressed, she’s in control. There’s nothing pathetic or funny about her.”

I admire confident over-40 women who know and admit, many times over, without a hint of false modesty, that they are not beautiful. As Baranski stated so eloquently in the NY Times,  she never had to worry about becoming “unbeautiful.” She may believe she is unbeautiful in our current cultural evaluation of beauty,  but she is charismatic, powerful, talented, and I’d kill to have her VOICE!

Julianna Margulies

And then of course, there is the “Good Wife” herself, played by Juliana Margolies. Margolies is GORGEOUS, of course, but her character is about being the salt of the earth; remaining true-blue and loyal even though she is probably going to justifiably kick her husband’s philandering butt (Chris Noth).

It is refreshing to see the world of women and work tackled on our TV screens. So often the workplace is simply a setting for jokes, personal relationship crises, or blatant false representation. This series portrays more accurately the struggles women have in the office environment: the glass ceiling, sexism, back-biting at every level, and navigating the minefield of consequences in expressing true power as a woman.

These two talented over-40 women DARE to be real and authentic and blaze an honest trail amidst TV-land’s usual shallow celebrity tripe. Kudos to them both from the DARE-Force!

Unfortunately, Cougar Town is stuffed with silly stereotypes.  I know hundreds of women over 40 who don’t act that way—even the ones with very active social and sex lives.  Even the men on the show—the husband, the son, the teenage kids who ogle her ad, the neighbor—are cardboard cutouts.  Ridiculous and lazy stereotypes.

Although I’m disappointed, I’m not feeling sorry for the character or Courteney Cox or myself or any other women I know over 40.  I’m feeling sorry for the upper brass at ABC—I mean, what’s the use of portraying women this way?  Who is this show for?

I hope Cougar Town evolves so that Cox’s real comic talents shine through and smart women have more cause to relate to the character.