The Golden Girls and Sex and the City share the same character archtypes

Today I went to church and bible study after a very traumatic month of being relocated due to hurricane devastation. I respect the pastor of that church and he has continued to check in on me so I wanted to show him (and Jesus) that I am not an ingrate, nor have I totally forsaken my faith. I am a complicated woman and one thing I'm proud of myself for is the ability to ascertain when I must take my time about who and where I should spend my time. If I feel like it's only going to make me feel worse when I'm already drowning, I take a break.

Today's bible study included the story of Ruth and Naomi which is a very interesting story to Judeo-Christian women who are looking for wise women to learn from. Of course, after we were done reading about the story, we all had comments and questions. My main question was "What is a woman's worth if she can't produce children anymore?" which I'm very concerned about since I recently went through menopause and a divorce.

While none of us at the bible study had all the answers, and I don't think God expected us to, it was a worthy question to bring to the table. And it had me thinking harder about independent women who rely on each other instead of men. I'm not just talking about lesbians. I'm talking about straight women who are not married, have no reason to get married, or are not "worth" marrying according to biblical standards because they can not produce children. As I thought about deep artworks like Heironymous Bosch "The Garden of Earthly Delights" and I thought about the t-shirt that read "Forget my past, Jesus dropped all charges", I also thought about my two favorite shows: "The Golden Girls" and "Sex and the City" which have a lot in common especially in regards to strong female archetypes. I think I get more wisdom from strong female characters watching those shows than I do from reading the story of Ruth and Naomi who were completely dependent on the goodwill of men. Naomi was just a slave. And even though she gave birth to two sons and was the great great great great great etcetera grandmother of David or Jesus, in that time period, she was worth nothing more than a slave. I find it degrading and offensive as a 53 year old woman who wants to be more than a slave. Just because I can't have anymore babies, that should not dictate my worth or my destiny.

So when I got back home I watched a few more episodes of "Sex and the City" and I began to see the parallel lines between the four young independent women in New York City, and the four retired older independent women in Florida in the show "The Golden Girls" . Let me put the magnifying glass on this in case you haven't noticed what I've noticed.

In the show "The Golden Girls" the four women are Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur), Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan), Rose (played by Betty White), and Sophia (played by Estelle Getty). The show is wonderful, funny, poignant, and gives us hope in the power of friendship and in the worth of women regardless if they were divorced or widowed or simply remained single for whatever other reasons.

In the show "Sex and the City" the four women are Miranda (played by Cynthia Nixon), Samantha (played by Kim Catrall), Charlotte (played by Kristin Davis), and Carrie (played by Sarah Jessica Parker). This show is also wildly entertaining, funny, realistic, and also provides hope to younger women who may be confused in a modern city especially after going to church.

Young or old, these fabulous foursomes have the same archetypes in both shows. Dorothy and Miranda are your Judges. Blanche and Samantha are your Sluts. Rose and Charlotte are your Models. And Sophia and Carrie are your Compasses or Stars. Each archetype represents something vital to American culture and feminism.

We need our judges Dorothy and Miranda to remind us about equality and human rights. We need our sluts Blanche and Samantha to remind us of our humanity and freedom. We need are models Rose and Charlotte to remind us of tradition and conformity. And of course we need our guiding stars Sophia and Carrie, to remind us about joy, humor, truth, love, and hope.

These archetypes are more significant to me than a story about Ruth and Naomi, whose only value was compared to what they could do for men. Well, if you can still have children then we can marry you off, but if not you'll just be a peasant servant to one who can. It's deplorable and hopeless and has nothing to do with what I grew up learning as an American. It has nothing to do with freedom and independence and everything to do with Male Domination and the burden of being a woman. It's the opposite of empowering. Sure David, Job, and Jesus get to do whatever they damn well like, but sorry if you can't be a breeder then you're just irrelevant because you're an evil woman? It does not inspire me to uphold the church going or the bible studies if that's all it has to teach me. Especially since I've already done the mommy thing and the wife thing, and I'm really sick and tired of feeling like a slave in the name of honor, duty, and moral highground. I need to know that I'm worth something as a woman beyond slavery. I need to know that I'm worth something as a Christian besides being dominated by men.

So I continue to watch both shows and keep my eyes on the archetypes that they have provided for me: The Judge, The Slut, The Model, and The Star. These archetypes (in both shows) provide a sense of ease as I feel confused by new slanguage or terminology in modern conversations. These archetypes remind me that I'm not alone even if I feel displaced and isolated after a divorce and menopause.