From The First Lady, Gaslit to Anatomy of a Scandal, women in US politics are stepping out of their shadows

When Bill Clinton first became the US president, American media was flush with reports of interference and controlling approaches by his wife, Hillary.

She was called a meddler, power hungry, and over ambitious, and criticised for her personal choices, including her haircut (a bob) regularly. From being the world’s greatest defender of democracy (self-styled and selective as we see in the Ukraine situation) to being a cosmopolitan land for all cultures and people, America has a visible and loud conservative strand that puts political wives in their place.  

But on OTT stories of political wives, their presence and their lives have brought engaging shows. These women have little agency in actual policy making, decisions or influence over politicians and their choices. But they have -been role models for wives and women in a white-dominated national narrative; and in the case of the Obamas, a mark of strength and independence that included women across all cultures. What they have faced and tackled is symbolic to what other women have also had to deal with, irrespective of incomes and social status.  

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The First Lady (on Voot Select) is one such show. It holds three parallel narratives of first ladies across generations, Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt, freely flowing between their struggles and successes in the role of America’s first wife. Directed by Susanne Bier, the core of this show is the sublime subjugation of self and identity that smart, self-made women have to accept when they become wife to the American President.

The show stars Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson as first ladies. But while its acting and narrative has received mixed responses, the series has successfully shown the sacrifice that being married to the world’s most powerful man will bring. Each woman – Michelle, Betty, and Eleanor – was instrumental to making their husbands steadily, to become President. As the presidency sets in and a move to the White House becomes imperative, they become second to the institution at all levels.

After that, keeping their husbands safe, ensuring they remain functional, and balancing the never-ending media glare of public life with motherhood take over their lives during the presidential terms. Their priorities do not matter. Living this life has challenges and unexpected difficulties. The First Lady has to handle all of this with grace.

The series touches upon this reality, where women often have to give up their identities and professional or personal goals for the sake of husbands and families;  a fact of life for many in today’s world. That makes their stories connect with multiple women at a personal level.  

The political wife who does not try to rebel against convention, one who holds conservative views and finds the spotlight, is the crux of Mrs America (Hotstar). Cate Blanchett delivers a fabulous performance as Phyllis Schlafly, a woman activist who worked a nationwide Stop Era campaign against equal rights movement in America. The housewife who mothered six kids and typed endless letters, and became a TV celebrity with her superficial politically minded appearances, became a nobody once the Ronald Reagan administration came to power.  

These are lesser known stories of women who worked in political activism from the fringes, carving a space for themselves without always being welcome. One such woman, Martha Mitchell, is the central character of Gaslit, a series on the fall out of Watergate in the Richard Nixon administration (on Lionsgate Play). The show has received very positive reviews, especially Julia Roberts as Martha Mitchell, with equally strong performances by Betty Gilpin and Sean Penn, barely recognisable under prosthetics as Nixon Attorney General John Mitchell.

Martha Mitchell had gotten herself in serious trouble with the dangerous Nixon inside men when she spoke out against the president and his team, calling them out on the Watergate scandal. She was forced to live in a hotel room to silence her, for she was popular with the media for her unfiltered, honest interviews. In a presidency shrouded with opacity, Martha was fresh and absolutely open in her criticism. John Mitchell, on the other hand, was dodgy in his statements and ways of operation. Through their lives and gradually splintering marriage, Gaslit captures a corrupt political era with potentially dangerous consequences well. Martha’s story resonates till date, for political wives still have to hold their peace and shut up for the ‘greater good.’

The latest limited series, Anatomy of a Scandal, has a similar theme from fiction. From SJ Clarkson and David E Kelly (co-creators of Big Little Lies), this is about a British MP’s wife who has to stand strong even as her husband faces rape and sexual harassment charges. The series puts her state of mind at the center of its plot, offering insight on the difficulty of living through public scandals without being involved in them.  

Women are making up for the bulk of engaging stories on OTT and film in recent years. The political wife, beyond the conniving, over-ambitious one like in House of Cards, is a human being. Her emotions, intent, and experiences constitute engaging stories with universal appeal. She is not just a doormat. These stories have ensured that she will not be viewed as one.  

Archita Kashyap is an experienced journalist and writer on film, music, and pop culture. She has handled entertainment content for broadcast news and digital platforms over 15 years. 

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