The former secretary of state and US presidential candidate turns to her daughter and asks: “Do you know what will happen if you drink too much tea in Paris?” Chelsea, an International Relations DPhil who is also a children’s author and global health advocate, appears bemused. “You’re-a-pein,” her mother – once the most powerful woman in politics – tells her boredly. Except this is a scene from their new Apple TV+ series called Gutsy. The funny thing, if you think about it, is that this is what one of the most intelligent and successful people in American life has been reduced to doing for work. Throughout the eight-episode series, which debuts Friday, the Clintons tour the world talking to different kinds of “broken” women, some of whom are so bolder than others that they mock the #girlboss slogan of the era. In the first episode, for example, the “bold” women are stand-up comics, including Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer, who talk about performing in front of hostile audiences, among other topics. In the second episode, they are women who have fled violent lives of political extremism or lost their own children to hate crimes. The point is to explain all the different, inspiring ways women can be bold. The audience for this show, I’m afraid, is what little is left of Pantsuit Nation, the spectacular Facebook group of HRC supporters created during the 2016 election. Gutsy is a lot like the Duchess of Sussex’s new Spotify podcast ‘Archetypes’ – another show where a powerful woman talks to other powerful women about the labels they’ve overcome on the way to being so powerful. So far, three episodes have been released: Serena Williams on “ambition,” Mariah Carey on “diva,” and Mindy Kaling on “singleton.” Hillary Clinton joins a fire department (Apple TV+) Don’t get me wrong: these aren’t terrible shows. It’s kind of exciting to see Hillary and Chelsea Clinton figure out what useful thing they can do with the resources they have – fame and good intentions. It’s more or less the same journey that Meghan – whose sweet voice-voice I found deeply calming – follows on her way out of royal life. But neither are the energizing calls to action they try to be. The guests – no matter how successful they are – can’t distract from the fact that the Clintons and Meghan aren’t particularly suited to their new jobs. They don’t have the journalistic instincts to challenge their guests or Oprah’s uncanny ability to bring out tears and secrets. The sad thing at the end of every episode is that show business, like the rest of the world, doesn’t know what to do with these women — women who have been labeled as “unacceptable” despite having few obvious flaws. Feminism may be the common theme of the shows, but it’s not what the shows are about. And the fixation with “unlikable” is, at the end of the day, the common weakness of these series. Instead of meaningfully grappling with misogyny and inequality in its most pernicious forms, they give us name-calling conversations. Meghan wants to stop being labeled as unlikable, not just because she’s sexist – which she is! – but because she’s actually very likable, it’s enough to get to know her like her friends. In her conversation with Williams, Megan refers to the text conversations they’ve already had about the topics they discuss on air. Archetypes is not just a chance to get to know Williams better, but to be her. That is, being the person who can listen to Meghan’s innermost, most sympathetic thoughts. Because it’s as impossible to ignore the transparent reputation restoration at work here as it is to believe that famous people questioning feminist buzzwords can change the actual experience of a normal person. The appeal of these shows isn’t the content. It’s a peek behind the curtain at the women who ask the questions and (selectively) make personal revelations. When Meghan hosted Williams, it was the previously unknown story of a fire at her son Archie’s preschool that led to the next day’s news coverage. The most compelling part of Gutsy is Chelsea’s frequent discussion of her childhood, which was characterized by a pervasive sense of hatred unique to the White House jungle gym. Feminism may be the common theme of the shows, but it’s not what the shows are about. Mindy Kaling and Meghan Record ‘Archetypes’ (Mindy Kaling (Instagram)) Some people are born to host – especially Oprah. But others have lived too much of their extraordinary lives in the public eye to disappear into the role. Every question these women ask about womanhood is as fascinating as the answers they get. Some people, no matter how far they’re willing to go to host the interview—like, say, Paris, with their daughter, to interview a clown—don’t know how to stop being a talk show guest.
