Female phallic fixations abound

Female+phallic+fixations+abound

The 1970’s saw many waves of social justice, including the rise of feminism. The new HBOmax show “Minx” follows the story of Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond), an aspiring feminist publisher who has poured her whole life into a magazine called “The Matriarchy Awakens.”

After pitching it to several publishers with no success, Joyce meets Doug Renetti, a pornography publisher played by Jake Johnson of “New Girl.”

With opposing ideas of what should be done with Joyce’s pre-planned editions, the pair compromise (only after several episodes of butting heads) with catchy article titles filled with valuable feminist literature, and a spicy centerfold of a fully nude man. They also change the name of the magazine from the assertive “The Matriarchy Awakens” to a less aggressive title: “Minx.” Be warned, this show is filled with dicks (and not prosthetic ones, either, according to Johnson).

The pair pulls from the talents of Bottom Dollar Publishing, which is Renetti’s company, to obtain photographer Richie (Oscar Montoya of CollegeHumor) and model Bambi (Jessice Lowe of “The Righteous Gemstones”) to put together a publishable magazine on as low a budget as possible. Renetti’s right-hand woman, Tina (Idara Victor of “Shameless”), lends a voice of reason throughout the show and brings Joyce and Doug back down to earth when their dreams start to grow too big.

The first season spans 10 episodes and is filled with drama and comedy, with a dash of romance and plenty of penises. However, despite the light-hearted take on this story, there are plenty of scenes that force the viewer to feel uncomfortable while listening to sexist and racist comments from certain characters, which lends to the purpose of Joyce’s magazine.

Beyond the deeper meaning of the show, the visuals are spectacular. Each character’s costume is jaw-dropping, eye-catching, and adds additional personality to each unique character. Joyce is often seen donning colorful pantsuits and funky blouses, but always maintaining modesty by hiding her skin.

The rest of the Bottom Dollar crew, however, can often be seen showing off their legs and chests, with popped collars and sequins being a typical accessory. Their eccentric personalities show through in their costuming, which is done so well that I often found myself wondering why people don’t dress like this anymore. The 70’s truly were a fashionable time.

In the process of publishing a magazine with male nudity, Joyce and Doug run into a lot of opposition, specifically from the local government and pig-like talk show hosts who don’t believe their wives should be empowered (perhaps in fear they’ll finally leave them?). In some episodes, the pressure and strife become too overwhelming for Joyce, and the audience gets to experience her internal struggle between following her dreams and living a respectful, clean life. I hope she finds a way to do both.

The season finale leaves us with a potential opening for a second season, not fully closing the chapter on “Minx,” though a renewal has yet to be announced. I hope HBOmax makes the smart choice in continuing this series, and the general audience reviews seem to agree.