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“Wicked” women in contemporary pop culture: “bad” language and gender in Weeds, Nurse Jackie, and Saving Grace

Abstract In this article I discuss “wicked” women in contemporary pop culture, analyzing the language of the “heroines,” or protagonists, of three popular American television series: Weeds, Nurse Jackie, and Saving Grace. All feature female characters who are “flawed” in some way and can be described as “non-conforming,” since they engage in behavior that would be socially and morally condemned – they deal in drugs (Weeds), are addicted to pills (Nurse Jackie), or are alcoholics (Saving Grace). While this has attracted some comment in the mainstream media, such comments are not based on any empirical research and have tended to center on these women’s behavior. In contrast, the approach taken here focuses on their linguistic practices, in particular their use of “bad language,” including taboo words and swearing. The analyses show that all three female protagonists challenge stereotypical expectations about appropriate “feminine” behavior for white heterosexual Anglo-American women through their use of “bad language,” while the impact of such cultural representations depends on a range of factors.