Mena Suvari Portrays Modern 'American Woman' in Throwback Series
*By Alyssa Caverley*
The producers of "American Woman" set out to create a period drama about three women confronting sexism, changing gender roles, and female empowerment. Though it is set during the second-wave feminist movement of the 1970s, the series, starring Men Suvari, could just as well be about the #MeToo movement in the era of Time's Up.
"This show has actually been in development for about five years now, so obviously it's an amazing day and age that we are living in because of these conversations, but it was sort of happenstance for us and I think it's really wonderful," Suvari said in an interview with Cheddar. "It has the potential to create and furthermore of these conversations about where we were at."
Suvari plays a wealthy, single Beverly Hills socialite looking for love from all the wrong men. She's best friend to the show's main character, Bonnie, played by Alicia Silverstone.
"It's 1975 and this is right around the time of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) trying to pass and there's this huge wave of feminism that's sweeping through the country and it's woven throughout the entire series," Suvari said. "You really see each of these women coming up against all sorts of life challenges."
The character of Bonnie was inspired by "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kyle Richards's mother, and Richards is a co-executive producer of the series on Paramount Network. Bonnie is trying to raise her two children on her own after her marriage fell apart.
The show also stars Jennifer Bartel as Diana, who is trying to climb the corporate ladder in the male-dominated finance industry.
"It's such a wild ride with all of these women," Suvari said, adding she hopes modern women will see something relatable in the portrayals of the 70s versions of themselves.
"I think it's highly relatable and what I love about it and hope for, is that it creates more conversation about where we were and where we need to be and where we want to go as women," she said.
The show had its debut on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/mena-suvari-talks-feminist-themes-in-american-woman).
2021 has been a year filled with extreme weather conditions. Hundreds of thousands of people recently saw the effects of massive tornados that swept across six states. Now, experts say climate change could have played a major role. Jennifer Marlon, research scientist and lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Integrity Marketing Group, nation's largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, is showing its employees it cares. The company surprised its 5,500 employees with $125 million in cash payouts to those participating in the company's Employee Ownership Plan. Bryan Adams, CEO of at Integrity Marketing Group, and Steve Young, NFL Hall of Famer and chairman of the board at Integrity Marketing Group, join Cheddar News to talk about the announcement.
Anthony Tall, sports agent and president of Miracle Sports Agency, joins Cheddar News to talk about the challenges professional sports leagues are facing amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S.
Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest, joins Cheddar News to discuss food insecurity. She also offers tips on how people can volunteer at their local food bank this holiday season.
Todd Kaplan, Pepsi's Vice President of Marketing, joins Cheddar News to discuss the company's first-ever non-fungible token with its Pepsi Mic Drop genesis NFT collection.
This year, consumers might not be as surprised by what's under their trees as by the trees themselves. Despite a tighter market for trees, Stew Leonard's was able to secure its entire stock of Christmas trees from a supplier in Quebec. But some prices jumped this year as a result of increased costs for shipping and labor amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello reports.
Dr. Travis Langley, Professor of Psychology at Henderson State University, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why the Joker is widely considered the best villain of all time and a prevailing figure in pop culture and provides insight into the psychological and cultural reasons we find him so fascinating.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Dr. Travis Langley, Professor of Psychology, Henderson State University, discusses why the Joker is widely considered the best villain of all time and a prevailing figure in pop culture and provides insight into psychological and cultural reasons we find him so fascinating; Jonathan Gayles Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University, dissects the diversity efforts in representations of superheroes and villains in comics and Hollywood films; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'My Comic Shop Country.'
Jonathan Gayles Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies at Georgia State University, joins Cheddar Reveals to dissect the diversity efforts in representations of superheroes and villains in comics and Hollywood films.
