Lisa Simpson and Darlene Conner: Television’s Favorite Killjoys

Abstract

Mainstream television writers are beginning to reflect the historical link between feminism and animal liberation. Portraying actively vegan and feminist characters on television is a recent phenomenon, but the connection between feminism and veganism is long-standing. Feminists like Margaret Sibthorp and Edith Ward in the nineteenth century saw a thread woven between the subjugated status of both nonhumans and women, and many advocated vegetarian diets alongside their feminist activism.1 Following Sibthorp, Ward, and other feminists in the nineteenth century, the 1990s saw vegetarian ecofeminist scholars theorizing about the similarities between the oppression of women and animals. At the same time, the world was introduced to two willful daughters on primetime television. Widely watched and award-winning programs, The Simpsons and Roseanne introduced us to Lisa Simpson and Darlene Conner, two pop icons who brought vegetarian ecofeminism into America’s living rooms. Lisa and Darlene barreled into primetime television, unapologetic about their views, asking their families and two large, loyal fan bases tough questions about gender relations and animal ethics. This chapter looks closely at the intermingling of their feminist and vegetarian identities, particularly during moments of conflict in their fictional communities.