Why We’re Tuning in to “Good Girls Revolt”
We’re proud to be working with Amazon Studios on its original series “Good Girls Revolt.” Drawing from the memoir of the same name by journalist Lynn Povich, the story begins in 1969 and chronicles the journey of women working as researchers at a weekly news magazine as they become increasingly aware of differential treatment based on their gender, an awakening that ultimately affects their careers, their friendships, and their romantic relationships.
Inspired by the true story of a sexual discrimination case female employees brought against Newsweek in the 1970’s, which led to a wave of similar class-action lawsuits, the series features characters based on real-life writer Nora Ephron (played by Grace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (Joy Bryant), who in her pre-Congresswoman days was a civil-rights attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union and represented these women in their legal action.
“Good Girls Revolt” launches on October 28 with ten episodes available for streaming through Amazon Prime, but the pilot can be viewed in advance. Here are some of the reasons why we’re riveted:
It comes at the perfect time. As we’re seemingly on the verge of electing the first female president and talking collectively about the inroads women have made and gender-related injustices that still occur, the show is both interestingly historical and incredibly topical.
We have personal connections to the story. ProSocial’s Director of Strategy & Communications, Sadie, is the daughter of journalists who were both working for news media during the period when the show takes place. Her mother, who helped change unfair hiring practices at one newspaper after a male executive grilled her in a job interview about her use of birth control and commented that “a pretty little thing like you ought to be home having a baby every year,” later went on to be a writer at Ms. magazine. Coincidentally, Sadie also went to college (Swarthmore) in the same class as the show’s executive producer, Dana Calvo, who began her career as a newspaper journalist before becoming a TV writer.
Research has a starring role. In the pilot episode, young researcher Patti (Genevieve Angelson) makes a last-minute flight out to San Francisco to uncover untold details behind the violence at the Altamont concert. At ProSocial, the social-change strategies we produce for clients stem from months of research, so we appreciate the show’s recognition of whatever-it-takes reporting.
It shows what goes into building a movement. Back then, women were packing together in living rooms for consciousness-raising groups and using the office restroom as a place to grassroots-organize. Now, we’re lucky to have countless forms of technology to facilitate group communication around a cause, but there’s still a lot to be said for those in-person opportunities for people to share their stories and discuss their visions for change—which is why ProSocial is organizing discussions around “Good Girls Revolt” at campuses around the country, such as Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, and Columbia University in New York.
Check out the trailer for “Good Girls Revolt” here.
