Hit US sitcom New Girl arrived on British TV screens in January. The ‘girl’ is freshly heartbroken Jess (Zooey Deschanel), who finds herself sharing a house with three men. Emily Kenway and Kaite Welsh watched the first episode, to see how the show fared from a feminist perspective
Emily Kenway, explains why the show tickled her feminist fancies
New Girl is pretty simplistic as these things go, with clearly sign-posted slapstick and the obligatory heart-warming moments too. But is it feminist? That’s a far more intriguing question.
The show is riven with clichés, from the best friend who is, of course, a professional model to the sleazy, sex-obsessed Schmidt. Not to mention the biggest one of all: Jess herself. The ‘funny girl’ is as much a stereotype as the ‘hot girl’, and Jess definitely falls into that There’s Something about Mary category.
