Viola Davis: ‘Women On TV Are An Extension Of Male Fantasy’
Viola Davis has just spoken some incredible truths about how infrequently we see ‘real women’ on television.
During a series of Q&As at New York’s Paley Centre, streamed by Yahoo Live, the cast of hit ABC drama How To Get Away With Murder faced questions from Entertainment Weekly host Henry Goldblatt.
Viola, who plays Annalise Keating on the show, was prompted to discuss the portrayal of women.
[IMAGE: Viola at the Paley Centre / Getty]
The 50-year-old actress voiced her concern that the characters we’re being presented with aren’t an accurate reflection of the gender.
“I never see a real woman,” she stated, bluntly.
We’ve bandied about the term ‘real women’ a lot in recent times. Mostly we’ve used it to criticise the ubiquitous use of skinny models in advertising campaigns and there has been quite a lot of, relatively understandable, backlash from people pointing out that all women are ‘real,’ even the unfathomably slender ones.
Viola went on, however, to qualify her use of the term ‘real,’ by explaining what makes many women on television ‘unreal’:
“I always feel like, “ she started, “when I look at women on TV that they’re an extension of male fantasy or female fantasy.”
In other words, they’re an image of perceived perfection - that we either desire or desire to be.
[Image: A still from the Yahoo Live stream of the Q&A]
“The real women in my life are anywhere from a size two to a size 26,” she continued.
“They don’t know how to walk in heels, but they buy them anyway. They’re messy; they have questionable sex lives. They really represent the broad spectrum of humanity and I wanted to see a real woman of colour on television… We’re in the business of imitating life not TV,” she finished.
Viola also recounted the story behind her daughter Genesis’ choice of Halloween costume - the little girl chose to dress up as her Academy Award-winning mother!
Recalling the conversation, Viola explains that Genesis wanted to be Frozen’s Elsa for the day.
[IMAGE: Genesis dressed as her mother / Viola Davis Instagram]
“‘You’re not going to be Elsa’, I said.”
“‘All the little girls are going to be Elsa. You’ve got to be an individual, Genesis,’“ said the actress.
We think Viola pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to the female characters we often see on television, but what do you think? Let us know on Twitter @YahooStyleUK!
