After watching the latest installment of The L Word (the Jan. 22nd show), I am furious about their portrayal of the women of Chicagoland, as noted in their reference to nearby suburbs, Skokie and Wilmette
If you missed it, one of the main characters (Jenny) went to see her parents in Skokie. Jenny is Jewish and apparently Skokie is the only place where TV Jewish people live. Blame that on the Nazis marching there in the ’70s. In some gay bar (in Skokie??) she meets a butch woman named Moira. Moira decides to drive back to L.A. with Jenny. Yes, they bonded nicely on the trip.
Moira dresses in T-shirts, flannel and has stringy hair. When they get to L.A., she greets Shane with a handshake because in her eyes Shane is another butch and she kisses Carmen, the obvious femme of the couple. Basically, she acts like the classic butch.
Fast forward to the dinner with all the other glamour gals of the show. They go to an upscale restaurant. Moira wears her flannel shirt, sleeveless no less. It becomes uncomfortable and Moira leaves. Bette (Jennifer Beals’ character) then comments that Moira is butch because where she comes from a lesbian has to define herself as either butch or femme. WHAT???? Is this the way the L.A. people see US? Come on, Chicago is now a backwards one-dyke town?? Get real! Sometimes I really hate that L.A. elitist mentality!