Was Lucy a feminist?

by: Taylor Hensel

I can remember waking up early on cool, fall Saturday mornings as a child with sheer excitement filling my body. I would head to the kitchen for a bowl of Lucky Charms, only to move straight to the living room with my sugary bowl of breakfast to curl up on the couch for a long binge session of my favorite television show…I Love Lucy. I would like to personally thank the Hallmark Channel for airing I Love Lucy re-runs each weekend; because of this the I Love Lucy show was a source of happiness in my childhood and still remains to bring joy, comfort and laughter to my life. One of the most astounding aspects of the I Love Lucy show is its ability to appeal to just about anyone. The show's humor is genuine and the story lines are so incredibly brilliant that it is practically impossible not to enjoy it. Although the show first aired over 60 years ago, its value and timelessness are unrivaled.

Many have pondered over the source of success regarding the I Love Lucy show, and at the center of the entire production remains the woman who stole the hearts of millions of viewers all while making some (arguably unintentional) strides for women of her time as well as for future generations: Lucille Ball. There is no doubt that the show as a whole was and still is a work of comedic genius on Lucille Ball’s end; however, from a feminist perspective, there is more to the show than what meets the eye. In the world of feminism there seems to a be a steady and heated debate over the show and if in fact it was detrimental to women or if Lucille Ball was actually challenging the male dominated industry and making a name for women during this time in American history.

During the 1950s, women were being forced into domestic housewife roles and television was certainly a reinforcement as to what women should and should not be doing with their time, energy, and talent. We all know the “classic” image of the family with the white picket fence in the suburbs, with the woman in the kitchen while the men relax in the living room with cigars waiting to be served. This was a time where husband and wives did not sleep in the same bed and sexuality, equal rights, and expression were extremely taboo. The media was designed to instill particular values into the culture and the I Love Lucy show did an excellent job of shaking things up during a very static and rigid time.

Although the character of Lucy did fit the bill of a domestic housewife on the TV show, Lucy was anything but subordinate. Her antics were all her own as she was constantly questioning authority. Each week millions of viewers would tune in to watch Lucy disobey her on screen and real life husband Desi Arnaz, playing Ricky Ricardo. Lucy portrayed a stay at home wife who would avoid attending to her housewife duties while Ricky left to work as a successful musician.

The basic storyline for every episode follows the life of Lucy wanting to be more fulfilled by her domestic housewife duties and dreaming to one day to be in showbiz, like Ricky. Yet, Ricky attempts to impede Lucy from her dreams at all costs and at the conclusion of each episode, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred succeed in stopping her from breaking out of her subordinate role. On the surface level one might conclude that the I Love Lucy show was simply another reinforcing tool to keep women trapped in subordinate roles, however it was quite the contrary.

Essentially, underneath the surface level of Lucy's identity remains a very complex character. She positions herself on and off the show as a fighting woman going against the patriarchal patterns set before her by her predecessors. It is strongly apparent she is different and wants to be different than the other housewives during this era, such as Jean Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver (1957-1963). This led to famous episodes, such as the one that took on a feminist viewpoint of why couldn’t a woman do a man’s job? Also, the episode “Job Switching” aired where Lucy and Ethel try to prove a point to Ricky and Fred after Ricky states, “There’s two different kinds of people in this world, they are the earners and the spenders, formerly known as husbands and wives.” While Ricky is merely depreciating Lucy and Ethel’s positions, they both offer to go job-hunting while Ricky and Fred stay home and cook dinner. An innovative idea Lucy wanted and a potential enabling factor to show that women can do a man’s job and vice versa. But, as a situation comedy would have it, both end disastrously.

What many people do not know is that Lucille Ball was one of the first women to ever own a production company. Not only did Lucille Ball write her show, show also produced it. She was a pioneer in the entertainment industry with the use of live audiences while taping a show as well as the three-camera technique that is used to this day. The I Love Lucy show was the first sitcom to use an interracial couple as the stars, and was also the first to depict a pregnant woman. Lucille Ball--whether her actions were driven by feminism or not--was a powerful and fierce woman who destroyed barriers that were confining the women of her time.

#feminism