Analysis Of Scandal

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The television show Scandal takes place in Washington, D.C and follows the life of crisis manager, Olivia Pope, while conveying the inner workings on the White House. The mastermind behind the show, Shonda Rhimes (“Shonda Rhimes, Scandal Creator and Executive Producer”), has created a show that is not only highly entertaining but also one that consistently involves several strong female characters. Scandal effectively challenges traditional female gender norms through the use of Olivia Pope 's decision not to marry and have kids, Quinn Perkins 's development as a hero, and Mellie Grant 's dominant personality. In terms of background, gender norms are defined as a set of standards society has created for each gender ("Gender and Sociology"). …show more content…

Traditionally, women are viewed as weak and delicate. Women are often portrayed to be the damsel in distress that needs saving but are very infrequently made to be the hero. Hollywood serves as a perfect example of this with its current interest in superhero movies and TV shows, most of which are centered around male heroes. Although Quinn may not have any super powers she serves as a hero on Scandal by frequently coming to OPA 's (Olivia Pope and Associates) rescue. Quinn joins OPA at the very beginning of the series and very quickly takes in interest in Huck 's role at OPA. She starts spending time with Huck, who once worked for B6-13, a secret government agency that employs trained assassins and she quickly learns how to hack into computers and track phones. She also displays a natural disposition towards the more gruesome aspects of Huck 's role and has no problem torturing people or cutting up dead bodies. Quinn uses her newly developed abilities to save OPA many times. She is often the reason they win their case, catch the bad guy or save the innocent by hacking into computers to get them the information they need. It is also important to note that Quinn not only challenges the norm that women aren’t heroes but by displaying an interest in the technological aspects of her job she also challenges the norm that women aren’t interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). "Women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and half of the college-educated workforce" (David Beede). When female viewers see Quinn 's interest in technology it could empower them to pursue their own passions of a career in STEM. Returning to the main argument, Quinn also serves as a hero to Huck specifically. When he 's kidnapped it was Quinn who came to his rescue and

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