Sexism Onstage and Behind the Scenes at 2008 Emmy Awards

I didn't see the Emmy Awards yesterday. But the news that three women over 50 won (Glenn Close, Jean Smart and Dianne Wiest) made me optimistic about the television industry. "Maybe attitudes about women, ageism and sexism are changing," I thought.

Not so, says blogger Sarah Warn at AfterEllen.com, who writes:

[W]atching the 60th Annual Emmy Awards tonight was like going back in time several decades, to the days when sexism was funny, and everyone important was white, male, and over 40.

I knew things were were going to take a bad turn 10 minutes in, when the Dancing With the Stars host and William Shatner physically pulled off Heidi Klum's pants suit to reveal her skimpy glittering outfit beneath.

Klum just smiled, struck a sexy pose, and said, "Now that I've got your attention..." (Because who would pay attention to her with her clothes on?)

It only got worse from there.

Women were almost completely absent from all the directing and writing categories....There were no women nominated in the categories of Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special or Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series...and there was only one woman nominated in the categories of Outstanding Director for a Drama Series (Arlene Sanford, for...Boston Legal), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Robin Veith for Mad Men) and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special (Heidi Thomas). None of them won....

[W]hen Brooke Shields and Craig Ferguson presented the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, their scripted dialogue involved Ferguson talking about how he used to fantasize about Shields as a teenager, but now he respects her for her acting work.

Then Shields asks, "Is that your hand on my ass?" and Ferguson responds, "Yes, and it's respecting you" with a leering grin.

Um, what year is this?...[W]hat were the Emmy writers smoking when they thought it was acceptable to have Ferguson leer and pretend to feel Shields up, while she stands there looking uncomfortable and accepts it? None of the male presenters were sexualized like this on stage. (A shocking double-standard, I know.)

The good news is that Tina Fey won three Emmys for 30 Rock: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series, and Outstanding Comedy Series. And at age 38, she's got decades ahead of her to earn more Emmys and awards - and break more new ground for the next generation of women in television.

_{Brooke Shields and Craig Ferguson
Photo © Kevin Winter/Getty Images}