The Bold Type is a modern, feminist show for the millennial era that shows the beauty of female friendships, women empowering themselves and each other, and has a diverse cast to boot. They have taken on real-life issues, as well, that not all shows are willing to tackle.
The series focuses on the friendship between three women in their 20s working at Scarlet magazine, which is a fictional version of Cosmo. They go through ups and downs in their lives together, whether it be at work or in their personal lives. Kat, Sutton, and Jane all have empowering moments, as do other women who work at Scarlet on The Bold Type. These are the 10 Most Empowering From The Women At Scarlet on The Bold Type.
The Opening Subway Scream Scene
Living in New York City and trying to make it in their professional lives while balancing their difficulties in their personal lives is no easy feat for this trio of strong, young women.
In the very first scene of The Bold Type, we witness this group of friends holding hands as they scream out their emotional turmoil into the loud noise that the passing subway is making. Later, it's explained why it is they are doing this and also why it is such a free experience. It was the first moment we saw them and also the first moment we began to fall in love with them and their stories.
Kat Showing Her Vulnerability
After the breakup Kat and Adena go through in the season 2 finale, Kat Edison, social media director at Scarlet magazine, is going through a tough time. She continues to make her social media presence look as though she is having the time of her life and not sweating the breakup, while internally she is struggling deeply.
By the end of the episode, though, Kat has a change of heart and start a social media campaign that allows people to show what they're really going through without showing any shame about it. It was a vulnerable moment and move from the seemingly put together Kat.
Jacqueline’s Reveal Of Being A Survivor
One of the most tearjerking and empowering moments of the series had Scarlet's editor-in-chief, Jacqueline, at the center of it all. The episode was dealing with the aftermath survivors of sexual assault go through.
After a series of events, it led to Jacqueline owning the weight of what had happened to her all those years ago, and she does this for all of the world to see on a live feed.
It was a beautiful moment that showed the pure strength emanating from Jacqueline while still showing she, too, has gone through extreme hardships that she continues to struggle with daily.
Kat, Jane, And Sutton Going Topless For Breast Cancer
Jane's story is a bit tragic, with her mother dying young of breast cancer and her struggling to cope with that as she grew up, and even now as an adult. She finds a way to examine her despair and cope with it all through her writing for Scarlet.
She also eventually gets tested for the BRCA gene that would tell her of her own likelihood of developing breast cancer. But in this scene, in particular, it is especially wonderful to see Jane have the support of her best friends as they confidently go out in a public park topless to for breast cancer awareness.
Sutton Choosing Her Career
Sutton is the personal assistant who strives to work in fashion at Scarlet and eventually begins to achieve this dream. At the same time, she is carrying on a secret workplace romance with board member Richard.
This leads to her having to choose between the man she cares deeply for and her own career because the latter will be in jeopardy because of the former. In the end, she bets on herself and her future career and puts their relationship on hold, ultimately deciding to end it completely to go forth with her dream job. This is so important for young women to see and apply to their own lives because your best bet is yourself, not anyone else.
Adena And Kat’s Open Relationship
It isn't often that we see the portrayal of an open relationship in such a real, emotional, and mature way the way they did on The Bold Type with Adena and Kat.
When they had met, Kat was identifying as a straight woman, until her sexual identity began to seem muddled to her when she developed feelings for Adena. This made her realize she was actually gay and the two began dating. Adena later realized that Kat was curious about other women primarily because she had never been with another woman.
She took the high road and realized it was best for Kat -- and their relationship -- if Kat was allowed to explore her sexuality with others.
Jane Freezing Her Eggs
Once Jane learned she was positive for the BRCA gene which would make her more susceptible to ovarian, cervical, or breast cancers, she felt like she had major decisions to make about her fertility and future. And fast.
Jane decides to freeze her eggs -- after a battle with her company to get that covered by her health insurance -- which is a very empowering move for any woman. She is taking charge of her future fertility by making doing this. Whether a woman wants a child or not, it is up to her to do what's right for her and that's exactly what Jane did for herself.
Kat Accepting Her Sexual Identity
When we first meet Kat, she is a strong, confident social media director at Scarlet who identifies as a straight, single woman. But then she meets a photographer named Adena, who is a gay woman. Kat finds herself confused when she becomes attracted to Adena and later, develops feelings for her.
It takes her some time to get there, but when she does, it's a beautiful moment that helps to jumpstart a loving relationship between her and Adena. She accepts herself for who she is and also advocates for LGBTQ rights many times over after her acceptance. It showed the great importance of owning who you are.
Jane Owning Her Sexuality
In the first season of The Bold Type, it is very clear that Jane is the tamest of her group of friends. She's far more conservative when it comes to her sexuality and is uncomfortable even talking about it most of the time.
But when they get to the root of her problem and she then meets a man named Ryan, who writes for Pinstripe magazine, it is the start of her sexual awakening. She begins to own her sexuality and become more confident in herself instead of feeling ashamed. For any woman, this is an important part of being true to yourself and not being shameful of it.
Adena’s Confidence In Every Part Of Herself
Adena changes everything in Kat's life once she waltzes into it unexpectedly. But there's more to her than just being Kat's love interest. She's a talented photographer, a proud lesbian, and also a proud Muslim woman.
This is not something we typically see on television. Seeing someone who is so passionate about what is right in the world and being true to every part of herself is so important for young women of all walks of life to see.
Her confidence and ability to not worry herself with what others think of her is truly remarkable and admirable. We all could aspire to be more like Adena.