CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE: CHEESY TV REFLECTS CHANGING SEX ROLES...SORT OF

A friend's daughter wants to be Xena when she grows up.

You know, as in, "Xena: Warrior Princess," the Amazon who goes around kicking butt on syndicated TV.

"She's cool," says Courtney, who is 8.

Courtney made this pronouncement when she came home from a career day activity at school. We're not sure which of the speakers was her inspiration.

Her mother is a little worried.

I, however, see Courtney's point.

Personally, I wouldn't mind being Xena when I grow up.

She's tall, she's gorgeous and she gets to wear a leather bustier to work and impale people if they annoy her.

Talk about a dream job. Of course, Wonder Woman also wore a bustier, but she didn't get to kill people.

But she did have that invisible plane.

Courtney's mother is concerned about her daughter's role model being the lead character on a cheesy TV show.

Wait til she's old enough to start watching those sex-and-deception zip code shows, like "Melrose Place."

Or "Washington This Week."

And as far as I know, none of the networks is planning any sitcoms about Supreme Court justices.

Last week, Courtney wanted to be an astronaut, so it's hard to know how seriously to take this latest ambition.

Before that she wanted to be a doctor, but not "the gross kind," she said, and before that a beautician.

It's nice to have options. You never know when you'll need something to fall back on.

Not to mention a haircut.

I've never actually watched an entire episode of "Xena," but I get the gist.

If I come across it while channel-flipping, I stop long enough for her to do that "whoop-whoop-whoop" thing and decapitate somebody with that lariat-thing she's always tossing around.

There is something reassuring about cheesy TV -- especially if it's in reruns, because then it's even more predictable. Bad jokes, sophomoric double entendre, lots of ill-planned (or unplanned) he-ing and she-ing.

Kind of like the office Christmas party, but with more angst.

But cheesy TV is changing with the times.

There was a time when, if the plot needed to a little push, women took their clothes off and men just shot something.

Now men are taking their clothes off and women are shooting things.

I'm sure it's some evidence of changing gender roles, but when are we going to see men cleaning house in heels and pearls?

PBS is probably importing a British sitcom as we speak.

Courtney doesn't get to watch a lot of television, and I have a feeling her mother will be cutting back even further on her boob tube rations.

But even on non-cheesy TV, there are a lot of career options. Doctor, nurse, lawyer, cop, PR executive, magazine writer, mother, generic bimbo.

Scantily-clad female mercenary.

Have bustier, will travel.....

Peggy O'Farrell is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.