Coronation Street has been known for two things over its 61 year history – strong women and trademark humour.
So we have found ourselves in quite the quandary over the complete lack of strong female characters on the cobbles.
Cast your mind back a few years and Weatherfield was full of them.
You could barely go five minutes without a row breaking out over a business deal gone wrong or an interpersonal betrayal.
Now, you’re hard pushed to not find someone falling apart because their gas bill’s late.
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Take Carla Connor, for example, the former ruling supreme of the street.
Now to many she may only be the part owner of a knicker factory, but to others she is strong, smart, savvy and powerful.
Not that you’d know it from the way she acts now.
Coronation Street has a woman problem
Admittedly a psychotic break can affect a person, but this is Soapland where you’re lucky if an actual limb being lost is acknowledged.
Carla used to take on gangs of vile teenagers without flinching, face-off against business rivals and deal with cheaters like a boss.
Now she struggles to cope with telling a stuck-up surgeon where to go.
And let’s look at the others on the street.
Abi Webster is a walking disaster – she’s sent her strengh to live with her kids in Australia and lurches from one mess to another.
Toyah Battersby was the archetype of well-adjusted adult until Imran cheated on her.
Now she’s a killer obsessed with getting a baby. Literally any baby.
Is Coronation Street lacking strong women?
Even the strong women we know are strong like Debbie Webster are barely used anymore.
The woman who plotted the destruction of a community for cash, turned on her business partner and took his empire for her own – now reduced to serving wine alongside Leanne Battersby.
But speaking of – Leanne has been through absolute hell.
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She’s faced the worst thing anyone could ever face in losing her son – but it hasn’t exactly turned her fearless.
It took her months to stand up to drug dealer Harvey – and in the true Battersby way – dealt with him by driving him into a wall.
However Coronation Street bosses need to get a grip of their female characters and give them their power back.
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Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
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