'That 70s Show'- Donna Pinciotti

A common representation of teenage women in the media is the role of the witty, strong and outwardly confident feminist character. 

The second wave of feminism in the 1970s resulted in a huge turning point in gender representation in the media. This change allowed many female television roles to venture further than either a devoted housewife or an object of affection.

‘That 70s Show’, being a show set in this era is a prime example of this representation as it showed the lives of teenagers in the 70s with one of the main characters being a young, strong willed and witty teenage woman with feminist ideals, Donna Pinciotti. 

Donna is an intelligent and easy going teenager who often speaks of feminist issues and refuses to conform to female ideals, at times coming across as arrogant or even self- righteous. Although Donna as a character is not your “typical teenage girl”, and views traditional feminine traits as “outdated and restraining”, we see that like many other teenage women, she too has insecurities. An example of which is when her male friend is chosen over her to help to decorate a party that is in need of a “feminine touch”. This aggravates Donna who insists, "What the hell? I'm feminine!” and later “I’m a lady! Why can’t anyone freakin’ see that?” 

This response suggests that although Donna takes pride in her feminist beliefs she doesn’t want the fact that she is a woman being overlooked because she simply doesn’t want to restrict herself to “girly” activities and the “social norm”.