Shondaland: In real life, women can’t have it all
There’s plenty of discussion about the intense sex in Shondaland, the fictional worlds crafted by acclaimed producer Shonda Rhimes.
Often overshadowed, however, is how Rhimes brazenly explores the consequences of sex, namely, children. She has been at the centre of the mommy wars for years, crafting domestic storylines that don’t make parenting the centre of the narrative.
Many of Rhimes’ powerful characters must balance their careers, children and love life. Unlike other shows, no one gets it all. In Grey’s Anatomy, Cristina Yang, a surgeon, chooses an abortion instead of having a child with her husband. The decision allows her to pursue her career, but it destroys her marriage. And the title character, Meredith Grey, refuses to follow her high-powered neurosurgeon husband to Washington.
This reality isn’t reflected in other shows not in Shondaland.
In Parenthood, Kristina Braverman has a doting husband, a charter school and three children — yet she still manages to stay fit and sane. On The Good Wife, Alicia Florrick returns to work as a corporate lawyer, yet still parents her two teenage children. Even Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation is running a branch of the U.S. National Park Service while raising triplet toddlers, and she never breaks a sweat. No one ever has to make sacrifices.
But in Shondaland, there’s no having it all. That’s an important message, imparted by someone who understands these delicate issues. Rhimes herself is a single working mother; she has three daughters, two adopted and one via surrogate.