The Genesis of Women's Emancipation in Cinema on the Example of the Postfeminist Heroine in the TV Series Fleabag

The work is aimed at exploring the genesis of female emancipation in cinema through the prism of the post-feminist heroine of the TV series «Fleabag». The relevance of feminist ideas today is emphasized, on the one hand, by the expansion of the range of studies devoted to the problems of female emancipation and the change of the feminine image that has been formed in the mass consciousness for many centuries. On the other hand, the practical implementation of the principles of gender equality, which is increasingly being observed in developed countries, determines the trends of global development. Researchers are concerned that, despite the positive sides of the process of female emancipation, the transformation of feminism into a global commercial trend may entail a few negative consequences, including depreciation, the appearance of false interpretations and the formation of a negative attitude of society. However, a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of feminism has demonstrated its plasticity and adaptability to modern socio-cultural transformations, as well as its active integration into the media and communications. Thus, feminism contributed to the partial destruction of stereotypical female images that existed in cinema, which presented women mainly in three key archetypes: mother, muse, prostitute. The emergence of images of «strong» women launched the process of rethinking the role and functionality of the heroines, which was most clearly manifested in the British TV series «Fleabag», where the post-feminist heroine was devoid of any idealistic features, which made the character more «voluminous». The understanding of the heroine's philosophy was also facilitated by the method used by the creators to break the «fourth wall», thanks to which the audience became full participants in the action taking place on the screen. The main conclusion of the work was a partial confirmation of the hypothesis that postfeminism, in fact, is a kind of sexism, in which transformations in the socio-cultural paradigm, in the relationship between the sexes and the distribution of roles are nominal, illusory, supported by both cinema and mass media in general, since the latency of transformations has become a conscious choice of women seeking to maintain the appearance of preserving patriarchal foundations in order to achieve their own goals. Keywords: women's emancipation, postfeminism, cinema