As the release date for my book Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted gets closer (5/7/13), I’m gathering memories from fans about the show. Feel free to still tell me your favorite characters or episodes, as well as why you loved the show, but the question of the day is: How did The Mary Tyler Moore Show affect your life? Did it inspire you to go into journalism, or show you that being single was okay, or make you want to wear adorable business suits? Share in the comments below.
In 1974 I became one of the new career women writing about one of the new career women on the MTM Show. The Women’s Liberation Movement was reaching a feverish pitch when Mary debuted in 1970. Mary represented the ideal, freshly minted career woman. Mary was who women aspired to be–more than a secretary (but less than a boss). Every week we got a soft little lesson in liberation. You could be thirty and a single woman and not hate your life. You could have a career with responsibilities and still be feminine. You could stand up to your boss (as Mary did to Mr. Grant in her job interview) and still get hired. Mary had spunk. We all wanted it.