Women and Soap Opera: A Cultural Feminist Perspective

Women’s soap opera viewing has long been thought of by feminists and non-feminists as an unproductive waste of time. The author of this study takes an opposing view, arguing that women’s indulgence in these programmes is actually liberating. In overcoming the social opposition to the stigma attached to the feminine content and style and engaging in soap opera viewing, women celebrate their femininity, particularly their gendered identification with romance, relationality, intuitiveness, talkativeness and other aspects of emotionality.