Most of the time, The Bold Type is not a subtle show.
It wears its accessible, current-wave feminism on its sleeve. It isn’t afraid of a cold open packed with exposition. It regularly turns ripped-from-the-femmesphere issues into the plotline of the week with the brazenness of a Law & Order franchise.
But there’s a sneaky way it’s been supporting non-dudes this whole time, and while I’ve long suspected this might be the case, it’s finally been confirmed.
A few people have asked about this & it hasn’t really been formally acknowledged:
We only use artists on #TheBoldType that identify as a woman or non-binary (there are very few exceptions). Yes, this is purposeful. I had to fight for this creative decision. It is important.
— Rob Lowry (@robertlowry) April 11, 2019
Rob Lowry, the show’s music supervisor, explains that the team’s song choices follow one simple rule: support the voices of non-dudes in music over dudes wherever possible.
A quick look at fan-made playlists on streaming services shows that they’re walking the walk, too: you’ll find under-the-radar pop stars like Norwegian next-big-thing Sigrid and indie Fenne Lily to bigger names like Lizzo, St Vincent, Maggie Rogers, and Christine and the Queens.
They’ve also got a soft spot for Aussie music: Alex Lahey, Wafia, Haiku Hands, Amy Shark, Alison Wonderland, Oh Pep!, Courtney Barnett, and G Flip have all featured, not to mention a major cameo from Australian export Betty Who in the season three premiere.
the bold type using two alex lahey songs within a two week span is hot
— amy gdala (@lyviafm) April 10, 2019
It’s a super simple way to make sure that not only are female and femme artists getting more exposure (and the extra bucks that come from a good TV sync), they’re soundtracking the stories of a group of women who are forging their own path in different ways.
It’s a subtle thing, so subtle you might not have even noticed – but it matters that women’s voices helping tell those stories every way they can.