Cool Women

A few years ago, I was sitting at my desk and, for no reason whatsoever, glanced at a co-worker sitting next to me. She was typing madly, finishing up medical reports that were due on her supervisor's desk. My co-worker was a nurse case manager...and a darn good one, too.

There was a lot to admire about her. Before meeting her husband, she had raised her two girls while simultaneously putting herself through nursing school. She was a weekend ROTC nurse in addition to her duties to her family, which now included her husband, two stepsons, and natural daughters. She was busy and hard-working, and I adored her. I also think I knew a thing or two about her. 

"Hey," I asked.  "I have a question for you."

"What's that," she asked while looking up from her computer.

"Your girls, Alexis and Dominque...were they named after those vixens of Dynasty?"

"OMG!" she exclaimed. "How did you guess?"

"I just knew," I grinned.

"Dominque Devereaux. She was awesome, wasn't she?  I mean, don't mess with her!"

"I know," I agreed. "And Alexis Carrington--she was so cool!"

"Oh, nobody is cooler than Alexis Carrington!"

The whole conversation got me reflecting about how I just loved those 80's!  I mean, I entirely recognize the weaknesses of the decade...the whole "me first" stuff...but still. Those shows, those clothes, that music--what fun! 

Even today, I have 80's on 8 selected as my preferred radio station in my car. My car rides are almost  always embellished by Genesis, Michael Jackson, and Starship gently blaring in the background.

Of course, back then, my guilty pleasures included those half-hour shows--Family Ties, The Facts of Life, and especially The Golden Girls.  But, those nighttime dramas were important for reason.

Aaron Spelling created the acclaimed Dynasty and for a two-season stint, The Colbys. And, in doing so, he really made a statement.

Some of those women he created, Alexis Carrington, Dominique Devereaux, and Sable Colby,  were real women of power. In their own fictional way, they helped set a new trend for women.

It was suddenly "in vogue" for women to be smart, business savvy, and strong. And, these self-pampered ladies, they had something else......they exuded self-confidence! They liked themselves and they didn't accept anyone's opinion to the contrary.

My friend wasn't kidding when she said nobody crossed Dominique's path unscathed. And, Alexis, she really was the epitome of coolness. Glamour, smarts, and assertiveness all wrapped up into one. She was a vicious business woman, and no less feminine for it.  Alexis loved her children as fiercely as any mother. Plus, she has tons of male admirers at her doorstep.

So, it came as no surprise when, mid-way during Dynasty, Spelling created The Colbys and that tough-minded, tigress mother, Sable Colby. 

I mean, wow! Sable was more devious and 10 times scarier than her uber-masculine husband, Jason (played by Charlton Heston).

You see, in his own way, and by way of those nighttime dramas, that money-making genius, Aaron Spelling, did more than just entertain his massive viewers. He subtly changed things for women. Our role models became clever, tough, and forces to be reckoned with. It became cool for women to be just as aggressive as their male counterparts.

And, I bet you, I just bet you, that in honor of those times....my co-worker raised her two girls to be just as cool as women could be.