Jezebel: soap opera

Bat For Lashes

Anna — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:10:00 EST

[Kabul, November 20. Image via Getty]

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - NOVEMBER 20: Afghan actress Trena Amiri, 22, touches up her makeup during the filming of the soap opera 'Love and Old Age' November 20, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Trena has been acting for two years and gets paid from $50 up to $300 depending on whether it's a TV show or movie production. Trena is divorced and rarely sees her three children since her ex-husband has full custody, according to conservative Afghan laws. She keeps her acting life a secret from her part-time nursing job, as many are critical of her lifestyle. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Spanish-Language Soap Is Bloody Good Fun

Dodai — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Even if you don't speak Spanish, you'll understand the glare in the eyes of the women on controversial soap opera Mujeres Asesinas. The series — a hit in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico — features a different story each week. Long-suffering, mild-mannered women are wronged by a man (husband, lover, father, john) and are transformed into "hellions" with nicknames like Patricia "Avenger," Martha "Suffocator" and Margarita "Poisonous." Cue the vengeance! While viewers are gleefully cheering these women on, the press (of course) has a bit of a problem with the show. Writes Reed Johnson for the L.A. Times, "Mujeres Asesinas has stirred talk in the Latin American media about whether it might incite women to commit more acts of revenge-fueled violence. Advertisements for the show have played up that titillating idea with tag lines such as, 'Cuidado! No permitas que tu mujer vea esta nueva serie.' (Take care! Don't let your woman see this new series.)" Oh yes, the poor, poor hombres.

You shouldn't be worried about "your woman" murdering you unless you've done something to majorly piss her off, right? So yeah. They're playing into some stereotypes. "Don't let" your woman watch insinuates that she needs permission, etc. Stirring things up! Some wonder if watching this show will turn your average woman into a vigilante. Writes Reed:

Several of the series actresses have dismissed that idea. "I think one of the values of the series is that it speaks not only of the depth of the female psychology, but rather it speaks [of] the human condition, no?" said Cecilia Suárez, the actress who plays Ana "Corrosiva," an acid-wielding anti-heroine who delivers a brutal payback to her control-freak plastic surgeon lover.

In a world where injustices against women (wage discrepancies, rape, objectification and marginalization) go unpunished, surely the series provides a vicarious thrill for viewers. Women aren't going to become man-killing hellcats just from watching this show! Just like watching Dynasty didn't turn rich ladies into hair-pulling brawlers. That said, I suspect this may be my new favorite program. Chances are, an English-language version will arrive in the U.S. next year and be called Stabby. (Chances also are that they'll ruin the concept and dumb it down for American audiences.)

The Get-Even Ways Of 'Mujeres Asesinas' [LA Times]

P.S.
Sometimes the women get revenge on other women, btw:

Here's the blood-soaked trailer:

Fly The Friendly Skies

dodai — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:45:00 EST

Flight attendants in Thailand are demanding that a new soap opera, The Air Hostess Wars, be taken off the air after three episodes because they find the show offensive and demeaning. After watching a clip, one can see their point, though the show appears to be, in a word, awesome. Noppadol Thaungthong, a Thai Airways flight attendant leading the protest says, "It's all about sex and air hostesses beating each other up in the cabin because of love and jealousy. This kind of thing never happens." But it certainly makes for must-see TV! Click the picture for a video clip; it's in Thai but hot pilots, face-slapping and catfights need no subtitles. [Guardian]

[YouTube via Asian Sweetheart]