Throughout the history of television, women have been portrayed minimally, especially in the friendship department. One genre, however, has permitted women in Hollywood to push the envelope and write their own stories: comedy TV. Shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I Love Lucy, and The Golden Girls paved the way for women in comedy and show business. In today’s age of Hollywood, women are more involved in every aspect of television and film. Actresses are intimately part of the process from directing to producing to costume design. The shift away from men being in charge to women leading the way are visible on the screen. A recent show that was canceled after two seasons is a product of this legacy.

From writers Jordan Weiss (Harley Quinn), Hallie Cantor (Arrested Development), and Grace Edwards (Insecure) is a show called Dollface. The show stars WandaVision scene-stealer Kat Dennings as Jules Wiley, an IT tech at the beauty and wellness corporation spearheaded by a woman named Celeste. Portrayed by Malin Akerman, Celeste is a mockery of LA socialites who are out of touch with many women’s struggles, but try their best to be a “girl’s girl.” Jules’ best friends are Madison (played by Brenda Song), Stella (Shay Mitchell), and Izzy (Esther Povitsky). Her friends know all about being true girl’s girls and are helping Jules to be a better, more supportive friend after being attached at the hip to her ex-boyfriend for five years. Here’s how Dollface illustrates the way in which women friendships should be written on TV.

A Gem of a Friend

Some women on TV are written to be hyper focused on one of two things: relationships or their job. Jules represents this in that she was wrapped up in a relationship and forgot her friends. Yet, as women headlined behind the camera on Dollface, this idea of a relationship-focused woman had to be challenged and changed. Writer and creator Jordan Weiss and the lead actress Kat Dennings echo the sentiments of sacrificing their girlfriends for a relationship in an interview with Variety. Jules, like Weiss and Dennings, had to not only face the friends she abandoned but also herself. Her friends gave her guidelines on being a good friend, making her feel like she had to choose sides. In the end, she eventually realizes that being a good friend starts and ends with showing up for your friends.


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Mad About Feminism

The friend scorned the most by Jules’ absence, Madison was the most reluctant to let Jules back into her life. She set hard boundaries with her friend and if Jules strayed, Madison became angry. Madison is dedicated and smart, but has to be in control, or ‘the bitch’. The way ‘the bitch’ was challenged was through Madison having an affair with a married man. Doctor Colin Brooks (Goran Višnjić) is older than Madison by at least 15 years. He tells Madison he’s separated from his wife, but when the truth comes out Madison has to reevaluate who she trusts. In an interview with W Magazine, Brenda Song recalled the casting process, “They were like, ‘Do you want to play the bitch?’ I was like ‘Yeah! But like, the bitch has been hurt a lot.’” Many times ‘the bitch’ uses her harshness as her armor to prevent herself from being hurt. Madison’s hurt doesn’t fuel her harshness, but makes her fiercely loyal friend. She definitely has armor, but it wasn’t forged out of her hurt but rather out of love for her friends.

Being a Stellar Support

One way women become typecast, especially when they’re not white, is to make them ‘the slut’. Her Campus writes that ‘the slut’ is especially derogatory: “There are many toxic tropes about women, but what makes this one especially terrible is its ability to confidently characterize a woman as nothing more than her sexual experiences. Usually, this trope takes form in a woman who throws herself at anyone who wants her. She’s promiscuous and everyone around her knows it.”

In Dollface, Stella is the free-spirited ‘slut’. As this is a huge trope to tackle, the writers embraced it through Stella’s free spirit. During season 2 of the show, she has a relationship with Liv (Lilly Singh) and helps Stella accept that she may want children. After their break-up, she re-embraces her singlehood after falling in love.


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A Real wIzz-kid

In Dollface, Izzy has an extremely cheerful disposition to hide her anxiety and abandonment issues. Naturally, a relationship “solves” this problem. When Izzy enters a relationship in season 2, she remains anxious, even tells her boyfriend how she can’t believe he loves her. Izzy is the anxious woman’s dream come true: she’s in a group of people who love her and want the best for her, and she has this gorgeous fiancé, Liam (Jayson Blair), who simply adores her. For every woman who is anxious, Izzy is a breath of fresh air.

Celestial Affairs

Star of The Aviary, Malin Akerman portrays CEO of Woom Celeste in Dollface, who is perfect as a Los Angeles socialite who tries every procedure to remain young. Despite Celeste coming off as the antithesis of a feminist, she represents the type of woman who almost gets it. In this case, “it” means the importance of supporting every woman. She has several moments where the struggles of others seem to confuse her, but she’s also quite wise. Her first appearance is in Season 1, Episode 2, where she tells Jules, “It is so important to have women in your life that you can rely on.” Celeste serves as a sage, even if it comes from a place of not understanding all women.