The Awesomeness that is C.J. Cregg

I know I spend a lot of time ranting on this blog. It is important for concerns to be voiced, but even I get tired of my activist Facebook friends’ statuses from time to time.

I thought it might be nice to celebrate something, for a change.

Growing up, my bleeding-heart liberal folks loved the NBC drama The West Wing with a fiery passion. They said it got them through the Bush years. Considering I was between the ages of 7 and 13 when the show aired, it’s fair to say that most of the show went right over my head. So, as I stared down my hardest semester of college, I decided to add on the challenge of going through the seven seasons of The West Wing.

But enough about me.

I’m here to talk about the awesomely kick-ass character that is Claudia Jean Cregg, portrayed by actress Allison Janney on The West Wing.

A little background, if you’re not familiar with the show. As The West Wing follows the two terms of President Bartlet and his staff, C.J. Cregg acts as Press Secretary for Bartlet’s first term and half of second.

Okay…so what?

Well, let me just put it like this.

Reasons Why C.J. Cregg is Awesomely Kick-Ass

1.     She is the lone woman on the senior staff.

Though Donna (portrayed by Janel Moloney) will become a series regular in later seasons, she is never a senior member of the President’s staff. It’s just C.J. out there in the boys club, which pretty accurately depicts the landscape of women in positions of power. In fact, it wasn’t until the early years of the Clinton administration that a woman served as Press Secretary. That said, C.J. doesn’t spend the show being the “oppressed” woman. She faces discrimination and adamantly fights stereotypes, sure, but it does not become her M.O. She is widely respected by her colleagues, has important influence over the President’s decisions, and definitely has a seat at the table. She simultaneously represents the progressive, modern woman who has gotten to her position of power all on her own (bucking an all-too familiar trend) while still recognizing the struggles that women face in the workplace and in the world.

2. She is well-educated and extremely competent at her job, as well as being a likeable, sociable person.

Too often women of C.J.’s intelligence are either painted as a socially awkward nerd who would rather have their nose buried in a book than talk with another human being, or as a know-it-all bitch with severe emotional detachment. But as well as having the professional respect of her colleagues, C.J. is one of the most beloved characters by everyone on the show. She teases and jabs with her friends, but is incredibly compassionate in their times of trouble, acting as a shoulder to lean on. It seems silly to applaud a show depicting a woman who’s got brains and a heart, but in the years where generalized “ditzes,” “bitches,” and straight-up “hot messes” dominated our television screens, a woman who pretty much had it all together professionally and emotionally was a refreshing change of pace.

 3.  She is a great role model, but is not a woman without flaws.

      

She falls on the treadmill! She’s just like the rest of us.

Kidding aside, C.J. goes through a lot of emotional turmoil throughout the show’s seven seasons. She nearly loses her job when making an ill-advised remark under pressure. A one night stand with a married man comes back to haunt her. She constantly battles with the balance of her 24/7 job and her dementia-stricken father. The career vs. family conflict is not unfamiliar territory for female characters—and we almost always see the woman choose her family over her job (otherwise, she’s obviously selfish and overly ambitious). Thankfully, with C.J., this struggle is a never-ending one – kind of like life, right? She cannot just leave her job at the White House, but she tries with all her might to be there for her ailing father. The result is complicated and heartbreaking and poignant.

4. A WOMAN WITH ALL OF THESE TRAITS CAN HAVE A RELATIONSHIP, EVEN IF IT TAKES A WHILE FOR IT TO HAPPEN.

 Girl meets boy. Boy pursues girl, but girl realizes there are professional boundaries that cannot be crossed. Boy and girl agree mutually to not get themselves into trouble, and separate. Girl does not wallow for the rest of the seven seasons over boy, and meets and dates various other worthy men. Boy appears again in her life, and professional boundaries are no longer a problem. Boy and girl rekindle relationship and presumably live a happy life together.

Overall, C.J. Cregg is a character any actress would dream of playing, and that is a true testament to the writing of Aaron Sorkin and the performance of Allison Janney. She will forever be a beacon for truthful, beautiful female characters who don’t need be there only to be a love interest (sorry, Janel Moloney.) It turns out women like this (and surprise! There are a lot of women like this!) can be pretty interesting people to watch all on their own.

You go, girl.