MTM Inspo
Woman’s Way knows exactly where to go for Inspo. Thankfully some of us are old enough to remember Mary Tyler Moore, the original independent single working woman with oodles of style.
It broke all the rules and was a roaring ratings success. The Mary Tyler Moore Show wasn’t the first TV series to headline a woman - Lucille Ball got there before her. But it was certainly the first to portray a single working woman who was more than happy with her lot.
The plotlines didn’t endlessly revolve around Mary’s desperate search for a man to make her complete (take note Sex and the City). This was a show about a woman who found her work fulfilling, relied on her female friends and dated now and again. She was a fashionista who was also interested in big issues - sexism, antisemitism, infidelity and journalism ethics all featured at some point on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
In one episode, there was even a reference to a gay man, claimed to be the first such reference on US TV, at a time when homophobia was standard fare.
In 1970s Ireland, where adult female role models didn’t extend beyond housewives, nuns and teachers – Mary Tyler Moore offered us a glimpse of another world where women were free to be whoever they wanted to be. They could have ambition, serious opinions, an amazing wardrobe, great friends and a cracking sense of humour, all at the same time. Mary didn’t need a husband and kids; her ‘family’ were her pals Rhoda (Valerie Harper) and Phyllis (Cloris Leachman), along with her work colleagues Lou Grant (Ed Asner), Murray Slaughter (Gavin McLeod) and Ted Baxter (Ted Knight).
It’s a testament to the quality of the ensemble cast that there were several spin-off shows, including Rhoda and Lou Grant.
The opening sequence (check it out on YouTube) sets the tone. If girl power has a start date in popular culture, this was it. We see Mary in a sequence of fabulous outfits, skipping by children, working on set and, best of all, throwing her beret in the air at the very end, an act that seemed the very epitome of female freedom.
Meanwhile the sound track underlined just how fabulous this woman was. “Who can turn the world on with her smile. Who can take a nothing day and make it all seem worthwhile?” Contrary to mainstream opinion at the time (and even today in some quarters), the song doesn’t suggest Mary’s ambition makes her a power-mad, man-hater. Instead, she’s encouraged to go for her dreams. “You can have the town, why don’t you take it? You’re going to make it after all.”
Mary Tyler Moore died at the age of 80 in 2017. Valerie Harper died in 2019, Cloris Leachman earlier this year. Ed Asner also passed away in August. Their legacy is profound. An entire generation of young girls grew up knowing what a happy independent woman was. Their life choices could extend beyond joining the bank or the civil service to the glittering studio lights of television. They could wear cool clothes, rely on their circle of friends for support and deal with men on their own terms. Fashions come and go but that Mary Tyler Moore attitude never went out of style.
Click here for our modern take on how to get the MTM look.
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