Scrubs is one of my all-time favorite shows, and as I was watching a rerun, I was thinking about what I was watching. Elliot Reed was struggling with the fact that the lab work she requests always takes longer than the male doctors in the hospital. Jordan and Carla tell her that the best way for her to level the playing field between her and the boys is to use her sexuality to get what she needs with winks and lingering innocent touches. Elliot masters this ability and enjoys getting what she wants when she wants it. Elliot is also up for winning a fellowship at the hospital and has her interview coming up. She cuts in a line to get a soda (using her feminine charm) and takes the last one. The man she cuts is her interviewer. He mutters to himself, “If the rest of the women who work in this hospital are like her, she’s not getting that fellowship.”
I can’t help but feel conflicted in this situation. It seems fair with how off-kilter work environments can be that women should be able to use every tool in their arsenals to get a fair chance. On the other hand, doesn’t that completely undermine what we really want, to be valued, respected, and rewarded for our intelligence, talents, and abilities? Isn’t that completely disrespecting ourselves? But when we can’t get recognized for those higher values, what are we supposed to do? Just lie around and pray for some man or a lucky woman in power to come around who will notice and give us an opportunity?
What’s a girl to do? Is there an amount of using your feminine wiles that is appropriate? If that line exists, where is it? Lend me your thoughts. Do you have any answers to these questions?
eve.redefined 