Let me set the scene…
The 1970s, a time that birthed Second Wave Feminism, a time when women were fighting back against the patriarchy, burning bras, Roe v. Wade, and Laura Mulvey had just begun writing her essays on feminism and film. Minx (2022) was primed to tackle some great issues during that time, and our time.
For those who haven’t yet seen the series, it follows the main protagonist as she attempts to sell her feminist articles to some of the biggest magazine producers in America at the time. She fails in the beginning, but instead of selling her ideas to a reputable magazine, Doug, the owner of Bottom Dollar, a porn magazine publisher, approaches her. He offers her her magazine produced by his company but with a catch, he intends to sandwich her article in between nude photos of men and ads for sex toys, cigarettes and alcohol, as he sees it, the female reader is an untapped market in the porn industry.
Joyce Prigger, played by Ophelia Lovibond, is the protagonist of this series, she is a well-educated woman who dedicated her entire life to creating a feminist magazine. Joyce comes from a place of privilege, she owns her own house and she is part of a country club. She also goes to Vassar, a liberal arts college, which Joyce likes to bring up quite a bit whenever she is questioned. We are first introduced to Joyce when she attempts to teach a construction worker how his use of catcalling is offensive. Which is all well and good but let's be real, it backfires. Joyce’s view of the world is that she is some kind of vagina messiah here to teach backwards, bigoted men how to treat women and that her word is gospel. That her ideas are the only ideas that matter and that no matter how screwed up the world is, it's her sole purpose in life to make it better. Which is a noble cause, I’m not saying it isn't, what I am saying is that her approach is too academic, she dismisses anyone who disagrees with her or even anyone who does not fit into her perfect ideals of how a person should act. It's a very privileged approach, honestly.
Minx, Joyce tries to argue with a catcaller, Episode 1, Season 1.
Joyce might be a book-smart feminist, but when it comes to applying those ideas in the real world, she is totally lost. Joyce has to figure out how to balance her idealistic views with the messy reality of life. She's on a journey to learn how to compromise, to see that the world isn't always as black and white as her academic books make it out to be. It's a journey of growth and self-discovery as Joyce navigates the challenges of putting theory into practice. She fights with Doug a lot, she is uncompromising and that in the end is what causes her the most grief. However, not her books, but her learning to trust others and their life experiences that help turn her into a better publisher and a better feminist.
Doug, played by Jake Johnson, is the owner of Bottom Dollar, and is one of the more feminist characters in the whole show, albeit by accident. He is the first one to see that women want to be sexually liberated and want to read feminist articles, and he wants to capitalise on that. Doug reads the books and articles that Joyce recommends to her team, he protects Bambi when he is asked to “throw in a night with her” to seal a deal with an advertising client.
He continuously has to battle Joyce on her naïve approach to feminism and has to battle the other men in his office to fight for his magazine Minx. He quells a “men’s rights movement” that begins in his publishing house when the other male workers feel that he is giving Minx too much sway at Bottom Dollar, he negotiates with the mobsters that distribute his magazines when they find out their wives are reading feminist articles and look at nude male models. He knows this industry and he will do whatever it takes to make Minx a success. He sees the world as it is and what it can be marketed as, with a little bit of elbow grease and repackaging feminism into a more marketable resource.
In the end, Doug is not without reproach. His relationship with Tina is problematic…
Tina, played by Idara Victor, is a strong, business-minded and loyal woman but she is a footnote in the introspection of this TV show. Her character is undermined by Doug, who only views her as his mistress and his secretary, meanwhile, she is the only person keeping Bottom Dollar afloat. Anneke Smelik’s article Feminism Film Theory (2016) analyses the patriarchal ideology in the representation of women in cinema. Smelik (2016) highlights that women in Hollywood cinema only exist about men, with their identities constructed in proximity to male characters rather than being portrayed as individual human beings.
Tina is not portrayed as a human being, she is only an extension of Doug and his company, she is a sexual conquest, a mistress and a secretary, for all of Tina’s unbridled passion for her magazine and all her bravery, she is not allowed to be anything more. “Behind every great man, is a great woman”. The phrase originated in the 1900s, a time when the substantial contributions of women to assist men in business and other pursuits were frequently overlooked as Tina is frequently overlooked. Tina has been working for Doug for ten years as his secretary and has never been allowed to move up in the industry.
There is a huge juxtaposition in this show in which Doug treats Joyce as a person, they even have a bit of chemistry with their back-and-forth banter, but Tina is always second fiddle. Overlooked. Used.
Minx, Doug explains Tina’s relationship to him, Episode 1, Season 1.
Now, let's talk about Bambi, played by Jessica Lowe, I love Bambi. Bambi was a popular model in Bottom Dollar’s arsenal but Doug assigned her to work on Minx as a “centrefold coordinator” (a title that she made up). Bambi is a great example of a woman who is comfortable with her sexuality, she marches around the office while packing a whole lot of sexy in her tiny wardrobe, and she proudly shows Joyce her picture on the cover of “Bodacious Butts”.
As a narrative foil to Joyce’s well-educated, prudish and upper-class character, Bambi is loyal, kind and sexy, and she is the dictionary definition of a bimbo. But as opposed to Joyce’s rigid and unwavering ideals, Bambi is eager to learn more about everything. She devours Joyce’s book recommendations, she quotes feminist ideals to sexist men as a reverend would quote scripture. Bambi is adaptable, while Joyce has to become adaptable and it’s a hell of a long road for her. Bambi’s comfortable nature eventually rubs off on Joyce, helping her become more flexible in this new world of sex and pornography. This friendship helps Joyce look at the world through new eyes, seeing not only the worth in this kind of work but also feeling deeply for the women who are more victimised by the patriarchal society she has tried so hard to fight. Defending Bambi against the men who want to use her as a sex puppet.
I love this show, for all its faults and all its shortcomings. It does things that are rarely seen. It portrays complex and imperfect female characters that can and should grow. They aren’t perfect and they shouldn’t be, they all have different perspectives and have learned different lessons that they have to share. One cannot understand the other without compromising. All these characters can learn from one another, about adaptability, struggle in class, struggle with race, and struggle with gender.
The fact is, Joyce is written as a fish out of water character, her whole arc is to learn from the more worldly characters that are put there to help her. This is a fantastic example of someone being a well-read and academically qualified social justice warrior while facing a lot of real-world issues that cannot be learned from a book or a classroom. Joyce quickly learns how valuable everyone working on Minx is to her, once she takes her stick out of her ass, she realises that she needs to be teachable.
Excellent review.