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‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ Gives Us Intersectional Feminism Without the Angst
The Netflix adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s beloved book series takes a revolutionary approach to feminism by presenting it as no big deal
There’s a moment, late in the fourth episode of Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club where Mary Anne, the shyest of the titular sitters, who has been hectored all episode long to stand up for herself, finds her courage by defending the little girl she’s babysitting. The girl, Bailey, is running a high fever, and Mary Anne has rushed her to the hospital, but the doctors are being dismissive. She takes them aside and gives a speech on why it’s important to provide Bailey with proper care.
You’ve seen this moment before, both in Ann M. Martin’s original Baby-Sitters Club novels — the book this episode is based on came out in 1987 — and in a dozen Nickelodeon shows from the ’90s. You could likely predict every beat, right down to the part where Mary Anne’s controlling father overhears her speech and immediately decides she’s mature enough to wear makeup and have her own phone. There is one major difference in the Netflix adaptation, though: In this version, Bailey is transgender, and Mary Anne insists doctors use her proper pronouns.
