'The Bold Type' Episode 4: Kat learns about the gift of self-love while defending female sexual independence
This story contains spoilers for Season 4 Episode 4 of 'The Bold Type' titled 'Babes in Toyland'
How often is it that the conversation around women having agency over their own sexual pleasure is discussed with transparency? How often is it that women themselves talk about their agency on their sexual desires? How many women are actually in charge of their own sexual desires independent of a partner and how often are women able to fully express their innermost desires and thoughts?
These are all the pertinent questions that 'The Bold Type' asks with its most recent episode 'Babes in Toyland'. An emerging sex toy company, Broads, could have been the talk of the town had city billboards not interfered and taken down their advertisement for apparently being profane. Meanwhile, advertisements about male erectile dysfunction medication can be seen all over town. To top it all, the fact that the advertisement featuring corn on the cob pictured like a penis is also there.
Recognizing this sexist double standard is Kat Edison (Aisha Dee) who wants to do something about the issue. This is something that Scarlet can totally take care of and with that confidence, Kat sets out to bring a change, and she does.
Taking 'Broads' to their own social media page, Kat points out how the sex toy company is promoting sexual independence for women, which is not a profane concept. Well, maybe not in so many words; safe to say, Kat does it better. When Kat's efforts do not yield the expected immediate reaction as she also gets her editor upset, help for 'Broads' comes from a different route.
Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens) finds herself at a sex club for her latest piece for the magazine. Desperate to get out of the dry slump in her relationship with Ryan (Decker, played by Dan Jeannotte), Jane visits the sex club. She is supposed to go with Ryan, but after he denies it, she takes her best friends Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy) and Kat along. It is here at the sex club that Kat finds the much-needed interviews about sexual independence.
On this passionate night of readily available pleasure from anyone (with consent, obviously), there were women at the club that simply wanted to be by themselves - pleasuring themselves without feeling the need for another person. When she spoke to them, a woman reveals that she discovered the power of self-love and self-pleasure after relying on partners for long. And when she did, there was no returning from there. When uploaded to their social media, this insight gets 'Broads' the much-needed publicity they were hoping the billboards get them. But of course, this is better.
When Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin) watches the video, she is thankful for Kat to invest so much time and energy into her work, but also warns her to take time for herself. Kat has been immersing herself in work and whatnot to avoid confronting her singledom. That is not to say that she is completely miserable, but does she have the time for herself? Perhaps she must.
'The Bold Type' airs on Thursdays at 9/ 8c on Freeform.