The Worst of 2011

Fake Feminism in Pan Am, The Playboy Club and Charlie's Angels

Why do TV producers think it's "empowering" to put women in a skimpy outfit? NBC's The Playboy Club and ABC's Pan Am and Charlie's Angels all sang that tune with varying degrees of failure. The creators and stars of each show promised "modern women" who "were really free and in charge of their lives." In truth, Playboy Club's lead Bunny relied on a man to overcome a crisis; Pan Am stewardesses got to travel the world — by serving refreshments (and affairs) to passengers; and no matter how you reboot it, Charlie's Angels is essentially about three scantily-clad women following the orders of a dude named Charlie. It's one thing to reinterpret an era for television, but to tout the shows as being pro-women is ridiculous.