Season 5 of The Bold Type is here! Warning: Spoilers ahead.
During a sleepover in 2019, my BFF insisted that we start watching The Bold Type. Now, I am not usually the kind to watch 5 seasons with 52 long episodes. But who knew that I’d be hooked to Jane, Sutton, and Kat’s life?
The Bold Type follows the lives of three best friends working their way up the career ladder in New York’s publishing world, a.k.a Scarlet Magazine. Together, they’re strong, brave, find their individual voices, and show up for each other, no matter what.
Released in 2017, this show has quite the fan following, and critics have praised it for tackling tough issues with poise, being fabulously feminist while being fun and relevant. So if you want to feel inspired, bookmark The Bold Type to watch women stand up for their rights, kicking gender stereotypes and taboos in the gut, and supporting each other through it all.
Here’s why you must binge-watching The Bold Type today:
1. It showcases authentic female friendships
The foundation of The Bold Type is the friendship between Jane, Kat, and Sutton. Even though they belong to different backgrounds and live separate lives, their workplace plays cupid and brings them together.
We see a messy yet unconditional bond between the three – just how friendship is supposed to be, or is. Sometimes they are too broke to buy food, and other times they paint NYC red.
From planning Tinder dates and being drunk in a bathtub together to ‘freeing the nipple’ at Central Park, they do it all, and together.
More often than not, we tend to believe that women bring each other down. But even though Jane, Sutton, and Kat’s characters face individual crises, they unite to support each other. There is no sense of competition, jealousy, or animosity. And it is so relatable to watch this chemistry unfold.
2. Jacqueline Carlyle is the boss we all deserve to have
Jacqueline Carlyle, the editor-in-chief of Scarlet Magazine is living and breathing boldness. Very rarely do we see a boss standing up for what is right, putting her employees’ concerns first, or speaking her mind. Having dealt with managers who’ve either thrown me under the bus or have been too afraid to fight the good fight, this character really motivates me.
“Unleash holy hell on everyone who tries to hold you back!” - Jacqueline Carlyle
Jacqueline not only helps Jane, Sutton, and Kat improve their professional skills, but is always there to guide them and provide a shoulder to cry on. Smart, confident, fierce, yet compassionate and thoughtful, she is the career mentor we all want!
3. The show is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects
One of the most special things about The Bold Type is how it takes the stories we read about in the news and makes them real and emotive.
For starters, Scarlet Magazine caters to women, and journalists like Jacqueline Carlyle and Jane Sloan are unafraid to unearth facts. Kat is an opinionated social media manager who runs strong campaigns and fights against several injustices.
From the #MeToo movement to gun control, immigration, and even sensitive issues like breast cancer, we see the leads navigating it all.
While this may drive a section of viewers away, there is a set of the audience that will see it as a way to become more informed about what is going on around us.
Read more:
- How to ask for what you want: the 'good girl' edition
- The anti-heroine: why we root for the 'imperfect' female character
- Why are the Kanyas going kuckoo over K-dramas?
4. It promotes sex and body positivity
The women of The Bold Type feel good about their bodies in a way that also makes you feel good about your own. This is a hard balance to strike when slut-shaming is usually used for comic effect in popular culture.
This show promotes sex and body positivity in subtle yet powerful ways. We see Kat exploring her sexuality. Jane writes about her experience with orgasms and how one has to find their inner freak for it.
The trio also goes topless at Central Park to show their solidarity and support towards breast cancer.
There is a very delicate moment from the show where Jane gets operated to fight the BRCA gene and survives breast cancer. What follows for her is self-doubt and body image issues. But she confides in her friends, who show her how beautiful she truly is, breasts or no breasts.
5. It tries to break gender norms
At the crux of it all, The Bold Type celebrates every woman’s will to speak up for themselves when necessary.
Sutton is madly in love with Richard Hunter, her (much older) coworker, who stands by her through thick and thin. But when Sutton needs to prioritise her career and say no to moving to another city with him after marriage, she does so. She chooses not to have children and owns her decision, irrespective of the repercussions.
Kat gathers the courage to talk openly about her abortion and her sexuality. Meanwhile, Jane refuses to accept her partner’s infidelity and chooses her happiness over him. She also decides to freeze her eggs when she learns that the BRCA gene might not allow her to conceive in the future.
In the workplace too, we see these women tackling the patriarchy when Kat and Jacqueline stand up against the conservative investors of Scarlet Magazine to run a campaign they believe in.
This depiction of a powerful and well-balanced woman is where The Bold Type really thrives.
6. You can learn about various careers
How refreshing it is to see a show explore the highs and lows of figuring out your work life in your 20s. The Bold Type normalises the fact that career drama is just as important as romantic drama, which makes it more relatable to watch. Bonus: you get a glimpse into different careers too.
Jane is a fine journalist, Kat is the head of social media, and Sutton is trying to make it as a fashion stylist.
Each of them has their own career paths within the same company. And as the show progresses, it also covers the diurnal responsibilities of their jobs.
Viewers learn a little bit about what each job entails and the steps a person usually has to take to make it to the top. It is never easy for them, but they put in the work and help one another out when they need it most.
The show also throws the spotlight on difficult yet important workplace situations like asking for a raise, quoting the salary you deserve, having to fire someone for the first time, and how to ace your dream job. I never thought I would cry happy tears watching a young woman demand free lunch and a three-month employee review, but here we are.
Watching the women of The Bold Type live their lives while holding on to each other makes me want to squeeze my girlfriends a little tighter, stand up for my rights, show up for my tribe, and fight the good fight. And I bet it will have the same impact on you too.
If you’ve reached the end of this piece, we’re only hoping that these 6 reasons could convince you to watch The Bold Type.
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