The Golden Girls has become more popular in recent years. The 1980’s sitcom featured hilarious situations with four aging women: Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), Rose Nylund (Betty White), and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). At some point, everyone can identify with all four women.
The sitcom is still funny to this day. People love The Golden Girls and want to be like them as senior citizens. However, while the show was hilarious, it was also surprisingly progressive in the 1980s. It tackled difficult subjects other shows were hesitant to feature. Many of these topics are still relevant today, including deportation, drug addiction, interracial marriages, gay rights, and more. The Golden Girls was one of the first shows to introduce these topics on television.
The Issue With Gaslighting
Many women have experienced the troubling problem when their doctors don’t believe them and simply “gaslight” them—manipulating them by questioning their own sanity. In the season five two-part episode “Sick and Tired,” Dorothy knows she’s sick. She’s tired all the time, but her doctor writes it off as anxiety and natural aging. He tells her to go to the beauty parlor and she’ll feel better.
Thankfully, Dorothy doesn’t give up and she eventually gets a diagnosis from another doctor, who confirms she has chronic fatigue syndrome. When she later sees her original doctor at a restaurant, she confronts him. She says, “I don’t know where you doctors lose your humanity, but you lose it…You better start listening to your patients. They need to be heard…You know, someday Doctor Budd, you’re going to be on the other side of the table, and as angry as I am and as angry as I always will be, I still wish you a better doctor than you were to me.”
What’s the moral of the story? Doctors need to listen to their patients and not just dismiss them because of their gender or age. Oh, and if you wrong Dorothy Zbornak, she’ll drag you.
Deportation
In the season two episode “Dorothy’s Prized Pupil,” immigration and deportation is the main focus of the episode. Dorothy secretly enters one of her students, Mario (Mario Lopez), in an essay contest. She’s delighted when he wins for his essay on what it means to be an American.
However, this alerted the authorities that Mario was living in the country as an illegal immigrant. At the end of the episode, Mario tells Dorothy he’s being deported and it’s one of the saddest moments on the show. No one wants to see Mario leave. The episode ends with Dorothy reading an excerpt from Mario’s essay: “Being in America feels like you’re always among friends.”
Artificial Insemination
In 2020, there are more options for women to have children besides natural childbirth and adoption. Artificial insemination is common, but that wasn’t the case in the 1980s. In the season five episode “The Accurate Conception,” Blanche’s daughter, Rebecca, shocks her with the news that she plans to conceive a baby by means of artificial insemination.
At first, Blanche is disgusted with the idea. Even Rose and Dorothy are uneasy about the news, but Rebecca is determined. This episode raised awareness on artificial insemination and that it’s not as abnormal as you might think.
Dorothy’s Prejudice Friend
In the season three episode “Dorothy’s New Friend,” Dorothy befriends a local author, Barbara Thorndyke (Bonnie Bartlett). She’s nice to Dorothy but condescending towards Blanche and Rose. The friends try to tell Dorothy, but she doesn’t believe them.
However, Dorothy is finally surprised when Barbara says a Jewish friend of theirs can’t come to a dinner party at a country club because Jewish people aren’t allowed there. Dorothy asks her, “Why are you a member of this club?” Barbara answers that it’s the club policy, to which Dorothy responds, “But you tolerate it.” Dorothy confronts this antisemitism, and that’s the last time her “friend” socializes with them.
An Interracial Marriage
In 2020, interracial marriage is typically second nature. However, the 1980s had very different social standards. In the season three episode “Mixed Blessings,” Dorothy’s son, Michael, surprises everyone by announcing he’s getting married. Dorothy is surprised to find out he’s marrying an African American woman who is twice his age.
Dorothy isn’t too shocked at his interracial marriage, but she has a problem with the woman’s age. She asks, “What can a woman in her 40s have in common with a boy in his 20s?” Then, Michael’s fiancé’s mother doesn’t approve of the marriage because Michael is a “white boy.” Finally, Rose convinces them that the important thing is that the two are in love.
Open About Their Sex Lives
The Golden Girls is a rather risqué show for the 1980s. The show defied expectations by having the older women lead active sex lives. They have sex a lot. Blanche is very open and honest about her sex life. She’s known for being promiscuous. Even Rose, the “sweet, innocent one” of the group, is sometimes frank about her sex life.
When you think of classic television shows, you think they were innocent and didn’t talk about sex. That’s not the case with The Golden Girls. The friends confide in each other about their sex lives, and it’s hilarious to hear their stories.
A Near-Suicide Attempt
In one of the show’s most difficult episodes, the season five episode “Not Another Monday” tackles suicide. Sophia learns that her close friend, Martha (Geraldine Fitzgerald), is tired of growing old and plans to end her life. She wants Sophia to be present with her when she does it. The episode centers on Sophia struggling to decide if she should support her friend or stop her from committing suicide.
Luckily, Sophia convinces her friend not to do it. She says, “You’re not as ready to die as you think you are! You still wanna live, kid.” This episode sheds light on the depression and mental health for senior citizens—something that wasn’t discussed in shows before The Golden Girls.
A Drug Addiction
Rose Nylund is definitely the quirky, naïve friend in the group. She loves to tell stories about her days in St. Olaf, Minnesota. She’s adorable, so it’s heartbreaking to witness her struggle with painkillers in the season four episode “High Anxiety.”
The women find out Rose has been addicted to painkillers for 30 years. They unite to help her stay off the drugs, but Rose relies on the painkillers. She says she can stop taking them anytime she wants, but she doesn’t even realize she’s addicted until it’s too late. Rose ultimately goes to rehab—a storyline that was ahead of its time for the 1980s.
Handling The HIV/AIDS Scare
The 1980s were impacted by an intense HIV/AIDS scare. People were scared of HIV/AIDS patients—thinking it was contagious. Most television shows would have avoided this controversial topic, but The Golden Girls tackled it head-on.
In the season five episode “72 Hours,” Rose fears she had contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion after an emergency gallbladder surgery. She has to wait 72 hours to find out if she’s okay. In an emotional monologue to Blanche, Rose wonders why this happened to her. She’s a good person. Blanche finally says, “AIDS is not a bad person’s disease, Rose. It is not God punishing people for their sins.” Thank goodness Blanche stomped on this stereotype.
Coming To Terms With Gay Rights
The Golden Girls was one of the first shows to tackle gay rights. In the season two episode “Isn’t It Romantic?”, Dorothy’s friend, Jean (Lois Nettleton), develops a crush on Rose. The women are accepting of her sexual orientation. The episode won an Emmy for its innovative storyline.
However, the show later tackled gay rights again with Blanche’s brother, Clayton (Monte Markham), who confesses he’s gay. At first, Blanche isn’t too accepting of this but finally realizes her brother is still the brother she’s always known.
In the season six episode “Sisters of the Bride,” Clayton announces he’s getting married to his partner. Blanche doesn’t understand why he has to marry his partner. Sophia finally has a profound statement: “Everyone wants someone to grow old with, and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?”