Abstract

Abortion is a common and safe gynaecological procedure. Yet in film and television it is disproportionately represented as risky, violent, requiring hospitalisation, and affecting young, white, wealthy women. This reinforces stigma, fear and misunderstanding surrounding the procedure. While the majority of television storylines still inaccurately portray abortion, a small minority are directly showing abortion and presenting it as a positive decision. This paper analyses four such storylines in the television shows Sex Education, Shrill, GLOW and Euphoria, as well as media discourse around these plotlines, to understand how contemporary, ‘feminist’ television shows are representing abortion. The paper argues that contemporary television is increasingly representing abortion in an empathetic way that upholds women’s choice to access the procedure, but that these portrayals can be read as post-feminist. Individual choice and empowerment are prioritised in these shows at the expense of showing the complex and unequal power structures that affect how women make reproductive choices. ‘Feminist’ television still prioritises the abortion storylines of young, white women who face no obstacles to abortion access and so the realities of abortion are still not fully represented on screen.

摘要

流产是一种常见且安全的妇科手术。然而，在电影和电视中，它不成比例地被描述为危险、暴力、需要住院治疗，并影响到年轻、白人、富有的女性。这加剧了围绕该程序的耻辱、恐惧和误解。虽然大多数电视故事情节仍然不准确地描绘堕胎，但一小部分直接展示堕胎并将其作为一个积极的决定。本文分析了电视节目《性教育》、《Shrill》、《GLOW》和《 Euphoria 》中的四个这样的故事情节，以及围绕这些情节线的媒体话语，以了解当代“女权主义”电视节目如何代表堕胎。该论文认为，当代电视越来越多地以一种同情的方式呈现堕胎，支持女性选择进入该程序，但这些描绘可以被解读为后女权主义。在这些节目中，个人选择和赋权被优先考虑，而牺牲了影响女性如何做出生殖选择的复杂和不平等的权力结构。“女权主义”电视仍然优先关注年轻的白人女性的堕胎故事情节，她们在堕胎方面没有任何障碍，因此堕胎的现实仍然没有在银幕上得到充分体现。