How TV Taught Us About Sexual Harassment

About this episode

Cynthia Bemis Abrams explores how television has influenced public understanding of sexual harassment and the feminist movements over the decades.

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: https://tvherstory.com Podcast Archive: https://tvherstory.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cynthiabemisabrams.bsky.social Website: https://cynthiabemisabrams.com Email: cynthia@cynthiabemisabrams.com 🔗 Related ATH Episodes 2.7 – I Believe Anita Hill: The 1991 Hearings and Their Legacy…

People in this episode

Host: Cynthia Bemis Abrams

Topics covered

• sexual harassment
• feminism
• workplace protections
• television
• cultural shifts

Keywords

• quid pro quo
• Anita Hill
• Second Wave Feminism
• Third Wave Feminism
• law review article

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Power Plays: Women and Progressive Television Battle Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment in the 20th Century

Books & works: Power Plays: Women and Progressive Television Battle Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment in the 20th Century, I Believe Anita Hill: The 1991, That Girl

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