Soap Operas, Comic Relief, and the Female Gaze: How General Hospital Merges Sexual Entertainment with Social Awareness

As a longtime fan of ABC’s General Hospital every year as a teenager and young adult I looked forward to the week in May devoted to the show’s fictional fundraiser, The Nurses Ball.  The soap opera started incorporating the gala into its annual programming in 1994 as part of its dedication to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. Within the narrative of the show, this black tie event, which features performances by a large cross-section of the ensemble cast, raises money for HIV/AIDS research.  Along with this sweeps week spectacular, GH has included realistic storylines about a character who have died from AIDS (Stone Cates) and another who has lived her life fighting her HIV with drug protocols (Robin Scorpio Drake).  In the early 2000s, before soap operas began their quick demise, the show even capitalized on the merchandise appeal of the program and sold Nurses Ball T-Shirts on ABC’s website, with the proceeds going toward medical research.  (I own two of these that are so battered that they’re really not even appropriate to wear anymore).

I was disappointed when General Hospital stopped including this annual event into its narrative after 2001 but was thrilled in 2013 when they decided to revive it as a tribute to one of the character’s noted above.  (The event was held in part to honor the memory of Robin, who – in typical soap opera style – was mistakenly believed to be dead). 

Comic relief has always been a part of this event.  For example, the regular host throughout the years, Lucy Coe, is known for costume malfunctions that result in her ending up on stage in her undergarments.   However, during its recent reprise the show has blended comic relief with a bit of sexual exploitation, featuring a popular performance by “Magic Milo and the Magic Wands.”  (Yes, magic wands – I can’t make this stuff up!)  Capitalizing on the popularity of the 2012 film, Magic Mike, and the female fan following thereafter of its star, Channing Tatum, GH launched a storyline about a mob king’s bodyguard, Milo, who liked to moonlight as a male stripper. 

With various impromptu performances of Milo’s talent, it was no surprise when he landed a space on the stage for the annual ball alongside other male characters who were apparently not against “taking it all off” for a good cause.  (Click here for the 2013 performance and herefor the 2014 performance).

                                   

Mostly this is just an amusing, silly spectacle with, admittedly, some good eye candy.  However, there were some uncomfortable moments for me as a viewer.  For example the inclusion of a character who had just completed a multi-year storyline as the victim of male-on-male rape (Michael Corinthos Quartermaine) as a back-up dancer/stripper in the routine struck me as somewhat inappropriate.  And this year the dance number included a teenager (T.J. Ashford) and when his high school girlfriend screamed “take it all off” (in front of both their mothers), I likewise cringed.  (Although this was slightly in line with its social awareness storyline concerning teen sexual activity, as the two had recently attempted to have safe, protected sex for the first time only weeks earlier on the show).

When I view these performances by Magic Milo and company as a scholar instead of fan, I also find myself drifting back to my dissertation days when I liked to claim the soap opera genre was progressive in many ways.  The genre, as mentioned above, has traditionally been very involved in raising social awareness – specifically related to women’s issues.  But it also has been a type of programming that scholars have argued is aligned with both the rhythm of women’s days and desires.  (The serial format, use of sound cues, and oft repeated dialogue, for example, was originally in place to work well with the schedule and distracted viewing practices of homemakers).   Concerning the latter, soaps, and the primetime soaps that followed them (e.g. Sex in the City), have purposely attempted to cater to female sexuality.  If mainstream cinema and television can be accused of having a “male gaze” (often portraying women as sexual objects to be looked upon by men), this type of female programming has oftentimes purposefully flipped that, creating a “female gaze.”    Anyone who has ever watched a soap for any extended period knows that they are full of gratuitous shots of shirtless men.  Need to answer a knock at a door?  Wearing only a towel is perfectly okay in soapland. 

While I like to make fun of all of this in part, I also feel that it’s nice that this space exists for this type of alternate, playful televisual norms.  I wouldn’t normally add “loss of female gaze or eye candy” to my list of reasons why it will be a shame when soap operas finally go off the air, but I have to admit, I think that it will be sad to see an outlet dedicated to (albeit heterosexual) female desire disappear.

So while it’s there, I guess I’ll try to stop rolling my eyes and sit back and enjoy the show because it’s not every day that you can see “magic wands” dancing across your television screen.