Dollface & Other Cringe-worthy Things

A lighthearted look at the feminine.

From nuanced references to cat ladies who have to strike out on their own, to toying with what it means to have rebound sex as a female — all in a neat little 10 episode package —millennials take their place in the adult world. “Dollface“, created by Jordan Weiss and produced by Kat Dennings, is an blunt look at life as a girl. Delving into internal conflicts and existential crisis in lighthearted and humerus ways, this series toys with things like why girls go to the bathroom in groups — answer: well to not get abducted in a strange white van, duh.

It throws the “crazy jealous friend” in your face and instead of putting the typical masculine spin on it (i.e., “Are you gonna let your friend talk to me like that, she’s super shrill”), a serial monogamous friend stands up for the friend that has always stood up for her.

It doesn’t unjustly punish the male either. Men are just men, and if you’re bad, then we don’t like you. And the haterade is justly moderated in that male characters can reflect on and acknowledge what they have done wrong, and they even adjust — for the next chick — and do things differently. Progress. And with a comical spin, male strippers can own their beat and still know their stuff about the economy. Praise for multi-dimensional characters.

What’s more, when a guy is good, a guy is good. It’s acknowledged quietly, not overly celebrated because — thank you very much — this is a show about women you guys can take the backburner for a sec.

It’s a refreshingly real — well they look gorgeous all the time but this is a pop culture TV show — look at what it means to be a woman who supports other women and doesn’t have to make anyone else feel less to be better. It’s positive reinforcement of your friends while screaming at them because the conversation started out angry and you can’t seem to de-hype the angry tension even though you don’t remember why you were angry in the first place.

It’s the lack of the existence of the stereotypical dumb blond. It’s an exploration of how one chooses to define themselves in a social space. It’s taking control of the laissez faire narrative around what it means to identify as feminine. It’s being the center of attention without exception. In a word, it’s:

Refreshing.