Sudsy Lessons

Recently, the mother of a teen-aged girl lamented the fact that her daughter, going through ‘that phase’ has latched on to the local ‘bad boy’. ‘I guess we all went through it,’ the mom said. ‘Hmmm…’ I replied, recalling boys from my past. Though many of them could be categorized (sociopath, narcissist, closeted homosexual 1, closeted homosexual 2), I wouldn’t necessarily toss them into the snarling, brooding, anti-establishment bad-boy category.

‘Do you suppose,’ chimed in another friend, ‘that this current fascination with vampires is sending certain messages to our girls?”

THAT’S IT!!!

In my day, vampires didn’t exist.

Well, of course they did, thanks to old movies and books certain teachers forced me to read. They were not, however, as prevalent as they are today, and certainly didn’t shape my views on relationships.

Soap operas did that.

Yes, Sweeties, yours truly was and is a soap opera junkie. As much as I preach the whole ‘create your own reality’ idea, a big part of my reality includes a good old-fashioned daytime storyline, an over-the-top peek into glossy, complicated worlds so different from my own - worlds that offer a mere hint of realism, but a great deal of food for thought when it comes to analyzing people and forming relationships.

Thanks to soap operas, I learned very early on that villains can have their heroic moments, and heroes can certainly fall from time-to-time. Soap writers, at least back in my day and with my shows, proved that not everyone is either this-or-that. People, even fictional ones, are a complicated species.

The men of my soaps didn’t simper, and they sure as heck didn’t cry (well, not too often and certainly not in front of a large group of people). Some of them were only figurative blood-suckers. They were strong, gainfully (if not at times illegally) employed, and just plain interesting.

A certain element of glamour existed in my soapy teen-aged world. Everyone practiced good grooming habits. The men actually looked like men. No room existed for a greasy-haired, pasty-skinned, tattooed, low muscle-mass young man on daytime TV, and if he did make a rare appearance, he’d be killed off fairly quickly.

My, how times have changed. Those greasy-haired, pasty-skinned, tattooed, low-muscle mass young men pop up everywhere these days (television, books, music…but not soap operas – ha ha!). Girls love them. Many grown women love them (and I’m saving that topic for a future musing). Please tell me what I’m missing here!

Sadly, the daytime drama is a dying genre. Within the last two years, two long-running soaps (Guiding Light and As the World Turns) have been cancelled, and one more sits atop the chopping block (All My Children). Praise the powers-that-be who have determined that One Life to Live will live on past its ABC demise via the Internet. I’m officially hooked on OLTL – several of my favorite GL actors are now on it, and the whole Man With Todd’s Face storyline completely suckered me in (side note: I could have gone either way on that one – I like both those guys’ faces, even the one with a scar on it).

Anyhoo…

The sad fact remains: today’s 'entertainment' bombards our girls with morose and questionable fictional heartthrobs. Our girls are led to believe that they can change a bad boy (we can’t change anyone but ourselves, Sweeties. I learned that lesson a long time ago. From a soap opera). They’re not learning the complexities of human nature, nor are they learning the following: how to fake their own deaths, give birth after menopause, recover from amnesia, or run a multi-billion dollar company fresh out of high school.

But that’s just me…I could be wrong.


Beth Newman
Image consultant/life coach/author
Newman Image
www.newmanimage.info
Look, feel, and LIVE your absolute best!

Beth’s new book, '365 Days of Fabulosity', will be available through Amazon later this month!

The World Keeps Turning...Or Not

Well, the world stopped turning today.

Of course, I don’t mean literally. After fifty-five years, the CBS soap, As the World Turns, came to an end.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Although I’ve enjoyed the show sporadically over the years, its demise didn’t knock me to my knees in grief they way last year’s cancellation of Guiding Light did. Guiding Light was family; As the World Turns merely friends you always enjoyed seeing on occasion.

My interest reignited when I learned a few months back of the show’s imminent departure from daytime. And I have to hand it to the powers that be: it ended on a far better note than that of my beloved Guiding Light. Not only were veteran cast members utilized in interesting and even surprising ways, the show brought back some old favorites (including a guest appearance by Julianne Moore, who got her start on ATWT). The tribute to Helen Wagner and her character, Nancy Hughes, brought tears to my eyes. The finale centered on the retirement of Dr. Bob Hughes, which I thought a nice touch.

Of course, now the big question is this: which soap will I jump to next? I can’t seem to wean myself from the genre, but I’ve no clue where I’ll get my daytime drama fix!

If Rick Springfield reprises his role of Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, I’ll definitely go there. Perhaps I’ll trek over to Genoa City for some Young and The Restless. They have Newmans there, so I’m sure I’ll feel right at home.

I fear, though, that soap operas may soon be a thing of the past, and that makes me sad. I spent my childhood watching ATWT and GL with my mother. During college, my friends and I arranged our class schedules so as not to miss one second of each show. As twenty-something singletons, no matter how late at night my sister and I would get in from doing heaven knows what, we’d always watch ‘our stories’ together before drifting off to sleep.

With that being said, thank you, As the World Turns, for always being there for me…even during those times I totally ignored you. Sorry for that - I will miss you!