Last week, the character of Phyllis Kroll was added to The L Word. I'm really happy about this new character for a number of reasons. I think it's fantastic that the series is including older women as cast members and showing them to be active, sexual beings.
Phyllis is in her 50s and has enjoyed a long conventional married life when she begins to reconsider her sexual orientation. I don't know what is true today, but when I first came out, it was definitely more common for women to come out after having married than before. Coming out in one's teens was not a typical experience back then, and I sometimes wonder how much things have changed. In any case, I think Phyllis's narrative is an important one to include on the show.
While it's unusual for television to promote older women as sex objects (there are exceptions, of course, like BSG's Mary McDonnell), I don't think it's unusual in terms of lesbian sexuality. In my experience, lesbians have tended to be more flexible than the mainstream about what constitutes female beauty. It's nice to see that reflected with the inclusion of attractive older characters like Peggy Peabody and now Phyllis.
But the best thing about Phyllis, in my opinion, is the casting. Cybill Shepherd's great with goofball humor, and I love her past work, including two (!) Martha Stewart TV-movies that I absolutely howled at, and her sitcom, Cybill, which dealt with a variety of women's issues. Plus anyone who dated Elvis is just inherently cool.
But my most positive associations with Cybill Shepherd stem from her willingness to participate in the 1993 March on Washington for gay and lesbian rights at a time when things were not so rosy for gays and lesbians. I was at that march and I remember the lift that it gave people to see a Hollywood celebrity in the streets with us. I will never forget it. In the complicated playbook of my affections, if an actor who plays gay gets 10 points for bravery, an actor willing to march with gays gets about 1000.
You can hear Cybill Shepherd talk about her activism for gay and lesbian and women's causes on this week's L Word podcast.
Comments (2)
Hot older women === mmm sexy. Gimme some Mama Laura, madam president. Gimme some Mama Janeway. Gimme my hot professor. In this way lesbians are a lot like the french - older = less b.s. more action. I loved Cybill as Martha, and I'm glad they pulled her onto L Word (even though I personally dislike the show and refuse to watch it). More hot sexy older women please... :)
Posted by kiri | February 4, 2007 8:04 PM
Posted on February 4, 2007 20:04
Yeah, women get sexier as they get older. Physically they are more attractive, plus the life experience makes them more exciting. And then if they're older than you, there's the whole older/younger dynamic, which is hot. And yes, the French do seem to understand that Catherine Deneuve is still sexy as an older woman.
I know some lesbians don't like the L Word. I'd be very interested in hearing why you don't like it, because I respect your opinion and I'm sure you have your reasons. Maybe because I'm an LA native my tolerance for superficiality is just much higher than normal. But I also tend to sign onto visibility at any price, let 1000 lesbian flowers bloom, etc.
Posted by Teresa | February 5, 2007 11:47 AM
Posted on February 5, 2007 11:47