Betty encountered many obstacles on Mrs. America Season 1 Episode 4, which she endured alone.
The mom of second-wave feminism demonstrated how troublesome it may very well be to steer a motion, particularly if it looks like no person is in your facet.
However Betty didn’t surrender, even when the world gave the impression to be in opposition to her.
However the principle message of the episode was not perseverance within the hardest of instances, although it was nonetheless important. The primary message of “Betty” was ladies are stronger collectively when they’re on the identical workforce.
Phyllis and Betty won’t ever be on the identical facet, however there was numerous heavy rigidity between Gloria and Betty as properly.
Issues have been rocky between Gloria and Betty since Mrs. America Season 1 Episode 2 when Betty disagreed with how Gloria went in regards to the ladies’s liberation motion.
It has solely gotten worse.
The 2 ladies barely talked to at least one one other. And after they did, it was solely to disagree on how you can deal with Phyllis Schlafly and her Cease ERA marketing campaign.
Betty reluctantly agreed to not go after Phyllis, however she couldn’t assist herself. She felt that Phyllis was a threatening power that they needed to cease.
Gloria felt that tearing down different ladies, even those that disagreed with feminism, was not the answer. They needed to struggle the inherently misogynistic patriarchy as a substitute.
Natalie: Betty is aware of what she’s doing.
Gloria: It is simply all of us agreed on a—
Natalie: Who agreed? You and Bella?
Gloria: We try to work along with her however she could be… she has a troublesome character. Possibly you do not see that facet of her since you’re associates—
Natalie: Oh no, no, Betty is unattainable. However with out her, there is no NOW, no Ladies’s Political Caucus, no NARAL. We get to do what we do as a result of she risked every part. So earlier than you inform her what she will and can’t do, contemplate simply saying thanks.
Occasions unfolded by observing how Betty and Gloria every went about transferring ahead. They each thought they have been proper and that the opposite was mistaken, however in the long run, each of their plans backfired.
Betty realized that she wanted a extra systematic method to Phyllis. She needed to be extra organized as a substitute of simply ranting away, and he or she wanted her feminist friends to again her up.
Gloria realized that there have been some battles she couldn’t struggle on her personal. Typically, males have been simply going to be crude and sexist, and telling them off for one commercial wouldn’t change something in regards to the system.
By the tip of the hour, Betty knew she wanted extra assist on her facet. Gloria knew she needed to assist Betty. Each of them knew that in the event that they needed to maneuver ahead with the ladies’s liberation motion, they needed to work collectively.
They’re on the identical facet. They don’t seem to be preventing one another. They’ve a a lot larger struggle to fret about, and as a substitute of letting little disagreements destroy their relationship, they should put their variations apart for the sake of the ladies’s liberation motion.
We are able to solely hope that on future episodes, Betty and Gloria overcome their variations and work collectively to advance the Equal Rights Modification and second-wave feminism.
You have been proper. We do not get to determine how the battle strains are drawn, or how the male press portrays us. I’ve been eager about the primary time I learn The Female Mystique. Why ought to ladies settle for this image of a half-life, as a substitute of sharing the entire of human future? I do not know if I ever advised you… your e book modified my life. Thanks.
Gloria
A secondary plot revolved round black feminists, corresponding to Margaret, Flo, and Shirley, attempting to suit into the ladies’s liberation motion.
They created a secure area at Flo’s home for black feminists to fulfill each Sunday, however it’s a lot tougher for them when it got here to the ladies’s motion as a complete.
There can be no Lavender Menace bullshit right here. Lesbians are welcome. Horizontal hostility isn’t.
Flo
As a result of even when Margaret pitched an thought about tokenism within the office, her white feminist colleagues instantly jumped on her. They insisted that she couldn’t be speaking about her fellow writers at Ms. journal.
In line with Margaret’s white co-workers, they may not presumably be racist as a result of they only had a black lady on a current challenge of the Ms. Journal.
By the point Gloria advised Margaret to inform her if she felt they handled her that method, it was too late. Gloria might have appeared comforting, however her tone advised one other story.
On the surface, Gloria needed to look like white ally, however her tone advised Margaret that if they’d any downside of racism on the workplace, they’d ignore her. So, it could be pointless for Margaret to say something.
After all, that pushed Margaret elsewhere. The dialog shut down the opportunity of really feeling secure within the ladies’s liberation motion. She felt it was a white ladies’s liberation motion, and there wanted to be a secure area for black ladies, too.
In the end, Margaret, Flo, and a few of their different friends created the Nationwide Black Feminist Group. Sunday conferences at Flo’s was good and all, however they needed to make it official in the event that they needed individuals to listen to their considerations. They needed to do it themselves.
Betty: The ERA is in peril, and everybody is simply too busy fawning over Gloria to take heed to me, it is absurd! Are they so blinded by all of the hair?
Natalie: So make them pay attention. You are Betty Friedan, for Christ’s sake.
Shirley even determined to be the primary keynote speaker for the group. They don’t seem to be leaving the ladies’s liberation motion anytime quickly, nor are they slicing ties with white feminists.
However Flo, Margaret, and Shirley determined to take a stand and do what’s greatest for black ladies, they usually wanted an area for themselves. Superb job, girls!
So Fanatics, what did you consider the newest installment of Mrs. America? Have been you impressed by Betty, Margaret, Flo, or Shirley? Do you’ve gotten any expectations now that it looks like Gloria and Betty are lastly aligned?
Tell us your ideas within the feedback under!
Sarah Novack is a employees author for TV Fanatic. Comply with her on Twitter.