1 Sep 2015
by Allyson Koerner / Bustle
Mayim Bialik Image: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
As goes with any television show, movie, or book that I read, it’s important for the characters to be relatable and influential. As a woman, it’s paramount to see powerful female characters representing women in a positive light, all while reshaping society’s views on who women are and what they can do. Enter Emmy-nominated actress Mayim Bialik, who has on more than one occasion helped change the stigma of women through her acting. Bialik plays inspiring women, which you’ve more than likely seen on The Big Bang Theory, where she portrays neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler. However, before TBBT Bialik was empowering women of all ages as Blossom Russo on the ’90s TV series Blossom. “I think it’s kind of amazing,” she says during a phone interview about fans still identifying with her as Blossom.
Bialik says,
You know, depending on how old you are, you’ll either primarily remember me from that [Blossom] or from Big Bang Theory. Blossom was a very positive show and it showed a girl who didn’t have to choose between being popular and being smart. We wanted to show a young woman who was able to embrace both of those things as many women can.
Blossom, the character and the series, holds a special place in the 39-year-old’s heart — and why wouldn’t it? The NBC comedy, which lasted five seasons, followed Bialik’s character as she navigated through her teenage life alongside her best friend, Six (Jenna von Oÿ), and lived with her dad and two brothers, one played by Joey Lawrence (Whoa!). Essentially, it was a show about young girls finding their place in a so-called man’s world and following their dreams despite the judgments of others. It proved that girls can be funny, smart, popular, geeky, and more all at once. Women aren’t one or the other and that’s what made Blossom truly beautiful.
For Bialik, the best part of portraying Blossom was becoming one of the first females to play a lead on a TV series. “Being one of the first females on a TV show in a lead role is a very special thing, and I was very aware of it back then how hard we had to fight to even get the show to go through, because we were told people won’t watch a show about girls,” she says. “So, remembering that is very special.”
The same can be said for her current character on CBS, for which Bialik has scored four Emmy nominations. Amy Farrah Fowler is so much more than the quirky woman, who isn’t ashamed to showcase her love for all things science.