Good girls go to heaven & bad girls go everywhere

MANILA, Philippines - Gone are the days of Maria Clara. The new millennium has given rise to a brand new breed of women. Television has pushed the boundaries of what we expect from women these days and they are no longer as restricted as they once were by how society insisted they should act. We have Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and Cougar Town to thank for that — allowing a more empowered view of women to be socially acceptable and it’s about freaking time. We can also thank Madonna, Courtney Love, Demi Moore, and, yes, even Britney Spears for these steps forward. Sure, they were extreme, but you sometimes need that extreme to break the status quo.

Now, television is rife with a bunch of badass bitches who take matters into their own hands. A lot of them may be too empowered, almost overstepping that point of decency, but it makes for entertaining television. And, what the hell, they are fictional characters in extraordinary situations. And, let’s face it, there’s nothing like watching a woman raise hell. It’s a whole lot more fun because it goes against type.

In television, here are some of our favorite bad girls.

Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl) — Forget Serena. She’s a mess. Blair is cold, calculating and always looks so damned fine. She knows what she wants and she’s ready to beg, lie, steal or borrow to get what she wants. Okay, maybe not beg or borrow. But she’s done it, laid all her cards down, and made a stand. She’s fun to watch but if she were a real person, we’d probably hate her if we were beneath her, and except for a very select few, we probably are.

Amanda Clarke (Revenge) — What does it say about us that we are rooting for a girl who goes to great lengths to manipulate the downfall of the people who destroyed her family and still want her to get the guy? We relate to Amanda because we have all been hurt before and we’ve always wanted to get revenge and it is our guilty pleasure to watch it every week as Amanda plots and schemes the absolute destruction of the people who destroyed her life. She’s almost merciless and we wish we could be just as devious.

How high: Nancy Botwin takes multi-tasking motherhood to another level, dealing weed while raising two boys.

Nancy Botwin (Weeds) — The story of an ordinary housewife and mother of two kids who becomes a pot dealer to help her sustain the lifestyle her family is accustomed to after she suddenly becomes a widow. The first few seasons, we watch Nancy get deeper and deeper into the drug trade, even marrying a drug lord, and losing herself to the wild path she has set herself upon. If she wasn’t played by Mary Louise Parker, we would probably hate her; instead, we always hope that she will manage to get herself out of every little screw-up she steps into.

Sexual healing: Fiona Gallagher lets off a bit of steam while making sure to put a roof over her family’s heads.

Fiona Gallagher (Shameless) — The Gallagher family is totally messed up. Abandoned by their mother and left with a father who is a selfish, good-for-nothing, narcissistic alcoholic, the family survives through the sheer force of will of their eldest sibling Fiona. In order to survive, she and the rest of her younger siblings engage in larceny and petty crimes just to make ends meet. They curse and they lie and they steal but what redeems them is the fact that they are basically good people inside and they are just trying to provide for each other. Fiona engages in wild casual sex, allows her siblings to steal and commit acts of violence, but considering the circumstances of their lives, you allow her to get away with it because all she wants is a roof over their heads and food on their table.

Kelly and Alisha (Misfits) — This English show has been called “Heroes meets Skins.” A bunch of delinquents in community service are struck by lightning and gain super powers. Unfortunately, they are delinquents who party, swear like sailors, and will fight with tooth and nail for respect. Kelly, who originally gains the power to read minds, and Alisha, who gains the power to make men want to shag her when they touch her skin, are not your typical super-heroine. Kelly drinks and is willing to knock a man down with a fire extinguisher if she has to. Alisha is gorgeous and she knows it. Coming from tough neighborhoods, these girls are foul-mouthed and dangerous but as the show progresses, this proves only to be a veneer of their softer, more human side.

There are probably a host of other shows with women who not only push the envelope but tear it apart making way for women empowerment. Let’s not forget that this is fictional entertainment. Take the essence of what they represent but do not, for your sake, become them. We like watching the antics of a bitch in heels, but not being with one.