'Mrs America' Episode 4 promo hints at infighting as Betty Friedan's rivalry with Gloria Steinem escalates
FX’s biographical drama ‘Mrs. America’ debuted with three fiery episodes last week. The show tells the story of the second-wave feminist movement in the ‘70s in the U.S., the Equal Rights Amendment, and its successful opposition organized by the famous housewife-cum-conservative Christian activist Phylis Schlafly.
The show’s episodes so far have been named after one particular historical figure per episode. The first one, titled ‘Phylis’, was about Schlafly, played by Cate Blanchett and how she moved from her vocal anti-communist critiques to vocal anti-feminist propaganda. The second one, titled ‘Gloria’, was about the famous American journalist, feminist writer, and women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem, played by Rose Byrne. The third, the strongest episode in the miniseries so far, was titled ‘Shirley’. It was named after Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, serving seven terms for New York's 12th congressional district, played by Uzo Aduba.
So, what’s to come in episode 4?
The episode titled ‘Betty’ is obviously about Betty Friedan. IMDb’s synopsis of the upcoming episode says, “As Stop ERA grows and gains media attention, Betty Friedan, the mother of the Feminist movement, makes it her mission to take down Phyllis.”
Friedan was a leading figure in the women's rights movement in the United States. Her 1963 book ‘The Feminine Mystique’ is often credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. As a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, Friedan joined fellow feminists in creating the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC).
Played by Tracey Ullman, Friedan’s character in the show so far has been largely reflective of feminism's most famous rivalry, the one between Friedan and Steinem. Laura Miller in her 2003 Salon essay, ‘When feminists were divas’, noted that Friedan was “notorious for being one of feminism's biggest microphone hogs”. This may not have stood well against Steinem’s growing personality cult. The promo for ‘Betty’ only adds to that.
It begins with Schlafly telling her cohort of white conservative-Christian housewives, “Betty Friedan, the most famous of the libbers, is attacking me in the press.” You have to remember that in episode 1, it was Schlafly’s discovery of ‘The Feminine Mystique’ that led to her shifting her focus to a more anti-feminist stance. It is then only understandable that she would consider Friedan as public enemy number one.
The promo progresses, however, to Friedan ranting about Steinem, “The ERA is in danger. And everyone is too busy fonding over Gloria to listen to me,” which is juxtaposed with Steinem reminding her fellow feminists that they are part of a political movement and not a sorority. This is on-brand for Steinem who has many a time said that she avoids publicly challenging or rebuking other feminists for fear of offering the media a “catfight”.
Ultimately, two things will be visible in the upcoming episode. One, the infighting. Two, Friedan’s warpath against Schlafly. During a debate at Indiana University in 1977, Friedan told Schlafly she should burn at the stake for opposing the Equal Rights Amendment. As Bella Abzug (Margo Martindale) says in the promo: “Betty is a force of nature. She will terrorize her.”
New episodes of ‘Mrs. America’ air on Hulu every Wednesday.
