Romantic, Sexy, Creative or Simply Unruly: Affirmative Models of Ageing Femininity in the Cult Series Six Feet Under

Abstract

Given their popularity, television shows are especially powerful in the propagation of images of forms of identity. Accordingly, they can be regarded as an interesting and highly effective artistic and sociocultural vehicle through which representations of old people, and old women in particular, can be analysed and discussed. Despite the success of The Golden Girls in the 1980s and the exponential ageing of the baby-boom generation, which ought to give rise to a greater diversity of gendered roles and their associated representations of femininity, television series have also continued to depict older female characters as either motherly figures, looking after their families at any cost, or devilish older women, characterized by an inappropriately sexualized appearance and behaviour. In contrast to this predominant tendency, Six Feet Under (2001–5) stands out as a significant exception. This successful HBO programme has been acclaimed for its innovative nature as well as its open and often subversive representation of topics that remain taboo in contemporary society, such as death and homosexuality. In this article, Oró-Piqueras and Casado-Gual argue that Six Feet Under is also innovative in presenting the older woman as the central character, Ruth Fisher (Francis Connor), and her interactions with other women of the same generation who confront ageing from different perspectives.

Keywords:

• female ageing
• Six Feet Under
• television series
• stereotypes
• representation
• older women

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

MARICEL ORÓ-PIQUERAS http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6868-9113

Notes

1 Even the actresses who play these parts contribute to the contrast between the two figures and the lifestyles they represent: besides their fabulous interpretations, which earned them several important awards and nominations, Clarkson endows Sarah with a deep, raspy voice, which suits the image of the character as a constant partygoer with a permanent hangover, while Conroy has the vocal qualities of a choir singer, which enable Ruth to speak in a controlled and refined manner, and also to achieve high tonalities and volume when necessary.

2 Significantly, the second attack on the Bush administration comes from her niece, Claire, in the last episode of the series, which confirms the ideological connections that are established between aunt and niece from the first episode in which Sarah appears.