Women in "Cagney and Lacey"

Paper Summary:

The paper argues that Julie D'Acci's article "Defining Women: The Case of Cagney and Lacey" successfully employs testimony from individuals to illustrate the clash between portraying women in the feminist light and broader social and/or political limitations. The paper highlights the weaknesses of D'Acci's article and concludes that while her general argument is a strong, worthy one, she does not offer a truly balanced perspective.

From the Paper:

"To begin with, Julie D'Acci writes that the 1980s was the decade in which the "working woman" rose to prominence. "Cagney and Lacey" was one of the television series from this decade intended to reach out to that affluent new audience, and D'Acci argues that the show was meant to not only reach out to a new consumer demographic, but to also show women in a new light - a light created by the rise to prominence of the modern woman's movement. Unfortunately, D'Acci proceeds to point out that the initial promise of "Cagney and Lacey" went unfulfilled insofar as the show had to temper its message in the face of a broad-based backlash against the feminist movement."

Sample of Sources Used:

• D'Acci, Julie. "Defining Women: The Case of Cagney and Lacey." Pp.169-200

More papers on Women in "Cagney and Lacey":

• Article Review # 133427 : "Women on TV: The Case of Cagney and Lacey"
• Research Proposal # 95019 : "Women in Television Drama"
• Essay # 87715 : "Women in Christianity and Hinduism"

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