How TV Taught Us About Sexual Harassment

Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams connects the dots between TV, feminism, and workplace protections in this powerful episode inspired by her law review article, co-authored with legal scholar Mary Trevor. Their work explores how decades of television shaped public understanding of sexual harassment, particularly the form known as quid pro quo. From prime-time depictions to real-life milestones like Anita Hill's Senate testimony, Cynthia walks us through the TV, cultural and legal shifts that defined the transition from Second to Third Wave Feminist movement. The law review article— Power Plays: Women and Progressive Television Battle Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment in the 20th Century —was published in 2025 by the Howard University Human and Civil Rights Law Review. 🔗 Request the article PDF or connect with Cynthia: Newsletter: Podcast Archive: Instagram: Bluesky: Website: Email: cynthia@cynthiabemisabrams.com 🔗 Related ATH Episodes 2.7 – I Believe Anita Hill: The 1991 Hearings and Their Legacy 4.14 – How "That Girl" Tackled Sexual Harassment in the 1960s 4.20 – Sports Night: More Relevant Than Ever 5.15 – I Still Believe Anita Hill: The Impact of 1991 Senate Hearings YouTube: Law Review Article Explained

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How TV Taught Us About Sexual Harassment is an episode from Advanced TV Herstory |Women in TV |Television History | Feminism by Cynthia Bemis Abrams.

This episode is 22:28 long.

This episode was published on Sep 3, 2025.

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