Nikita, a show for the “postfeminist era?”

Along my commute on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, there’s an enormous billboard featuring Nikita’s Maggie Q; she’s wearing a clingy cut-out siren-red dress and lying sideways in a provocative pose with machine gun as prop. “Nikita: looks do kill” is the billboard’s tagline. Apparently, “racy” Nikita billboards have stirred up some controversy in LA, Chicago, and New York.

Nikita billboard

What I discovered after following the first two episodes of the show is that the billboard really does reflect the sex appeal of the show. At a Comic Con press conference, Maggie Q has said that “Dudes are gonna love it,” when referring to a catfight scene between two female recruits in Division, a clandestine government kill-force gone rogue. What I wondered is if “chicks” would dig it too? If the sex appeal of the show lies primarily in the display of women’s bodies, how will the show be received by audiences at large, not just the “dudes?”

My reaction to the show has been mixed–pleasure in seeing a woman of color in a prominent leading role aligned with a fellow woman to destroy a corrupt male-dominated organization, yet I also experience some discomfort from the hypersexualized images and positions these same women have to assume in order to accomplish their mission. In this age when the media is loaded with confusing mixed messages for young girls–you can be a strong, capable woman and exploit your sexuality to get ahead–this show seems to fit into a genre some have labeled as “postfeminist.”   Postfeminism can mean many things depending on who’s using the term, but in general I understand it to reflect a consensus that we’ve come a long way and no longer need to agressively fight for women’s rights or be so “serious” about gender inequality. Lighten up ladies! Claim your inner vixen and bare some skin–such seems to be the message from the mainstream media. Singing the anthem of my generation’s “feminists,” Destiny’s Child tells “all the honeys making money” to throw your hands up and those Charlie’s Angels show us how to practice girl power in ways amenable to the opposite sex. Win-win? I’m not quite sure.

I have to admit that I now watch television as a mother of a little girl. My guilty pleasure in escaping with beautiful action heroines is often tempered by a concern that these mixed messages will certainly become part of her perception of the world. Given my appreciation for the unexpected casting of a half-Vietnamese actress as Nikita and the collaborative role she has with younger female conspirator, Alex, I try to read the film for other instances of empowerment and resistance.  Yet, the show’s clear norms of heterosexuality and female hypersexualization make it difficult to just sit back and enjoy. I can’t help but compare this show to two others I watch from time to time that feature women in the lead, TNT’s The Closer and USA’s Covert Affairs–a cop series and a spy series starring Kyra Sedgwick and Piper Parebo, respectively. These two shows (granted they are on cable and not network television) offer much more complex heroines and rely more on the characters’ skillsets than their sexual appeal. Of course, Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson and CIA agent Annie Walker are roles played by white actors. Does this have anything to do with the difference in character dimension?  Nikita and Alex (a Ukranian immigrant played by actress Lyndsy Fonseca) are both slightly less-than-mainstream characters and their collaboration to topple “the man” might be read as some new spin on minority resistance across ethnic lines, but I will save that reading for another day.

Lyndsy Fonseca as Alex

As the plot develops in the second episode and we see how Nikita and Alex’s lives intersect, I see plenty of potential for integrating more depth to this sisterhood. Perhaps we will see these characters with more dimension, using intellect and emotions rather than legs and long mane to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of toppling Division. Just like the old adage about beauty being ephemeral, once the novelty of the sexy gun-toting ladies wear off, the show will need a very solid storyline to sustain itself and set it apart from all the new contenders.

~Thuy Vo Dang

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1 COMMENT

  1. Thank you for this post! I enjoyed it a lot. I have the exact same mixed feelings about the show! Also I would add that when it comes to the overt sexualization issue, I have no problem with the idea of women using their sexuality to get ahead or the message that doing so is okay. What bothers me is that when we see exclusively sexy, sexualized women as our heroes on TV and in movies, it seems to deliver a message that you must use your sexuality to get to the top, that only sexy, sexualized women are worthy of being there, and/or – as if we don’t get enough of this one already – that sexy and powerful = barbie-doll figure, perfect hair, perfect skin, young, etc. That said, I still do enjoy Nikita for all the reasons you mentioned. I also love that at the end of the day, she is the one coming up with the “brilliant solution” or having the guts to pull something off that no one else will. All in all, better than a lot of the shows out there. Finally, as a side note, if you haven’t seen “Orange is the New Black” I totally recommend it. To me that is a great example of a show that features leading women whom the audience is supposed to (and does) care about, whose decisions and opinions matter, and whose backgrounds, body-types and personalities are diverse and not necessarily carved from the Hollywood mold. I can’t wait for season 2 to come out…

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