What do you do with a BA in English? Why, you write feminist theories regarding popular television shows! In this case, my new-found favorite show: The West Wing.

If you’re unfamiliar with WW, I highly suggest you add it to your Netflix watch list. The West Wing details the daily life of the senior staff of the President of the United States through his two terms, and then into the election of his successor. The seven seasons took me about a year and a half to get through, (though I have many friends who watched the entire show in much less time.) The show is witty, timely, and relevant to today’s politics, even though it started in 1999. I promise you will become emotionally and intellectually invested – which is why it took me a while to finish. (Sometimes, you just have to take a step back and watch a few episodes of Scrubs instead.) But in watching carefully and closely, with many breaks and infrequent “binge-watching,” I was able to observe a few aspects of the show that left me questioning the true intentions West Wing writer/producer, Aaron Sorkin.

It’s pretty well known that Sorkin is a bit of a misogynist (see Salon, Time). In West Wing though, he writes a fair number of strong female characters – some of my favorite television characters of all time. And yet, a closer, deeper look at these strong female characters reveals something very telling: the majority of the strong, independent women of The West Wing have masculine or gender-nonspecific names while the women who are largely objectified have feminine ones. To elaborate, I will take twelve of the main and supporting female-appearing characters of The West Wing and break them into three categories: Masculine/Nonspecific Names (5 characters), Feminine Names (5 characters), and Exceptions (2 characters), for evaluation.

Masculine/Nonspecific Names

CJ Cregg – CJ (portrayed by Alison Janney) is my absolute favorite character of all time. (In fact, I’ve started telling people that White House Press Secretary is my dream job – we have a lot in common already, and I basically want to be her.) CJ made the show for me, and she’s a true feminist. As you will note as you read about the other characters, she’s the only lead female in this “masculine-nonspecific name” category, and perhaps the only lead female who is taken seriously as a professional throughout the majority of the entire show. CJ faces her fair share of adversity at work; whether she’s facing extra criticism in the press room for being female, or deals with her sexuality being questioned (6.10) simply because she is tall, athletic, and assertive. Her full name is Claudia Jean, this is only used by her ailing father and, at times President Bartlett or Leo. Though she does have an arc with a love-interest, her political and professional success is her overall goal, and she accomplishes this tremendously.

Joey Lucas – Joey, played by the brilliant Marlee Matlin, is a deaf pollster and political consultant. In Joey’s first episode, Josh Lyman, who she primarily works with, is utterly blind-sighted by Joey, not realizing that she is female, or deaf when he first means to work with her (1.14). (Pun not intended). Though they have some romantic encounters, Joey and Josh mostly remain coworkers and friends, and she proves important intellectually and politically every season. (If you’re looking for something to do, go fund Marlee Matlin’s deaf production of Spring Awakening. And watch some performances.)

Andy Wyatt – Andrea Wyatt is the ex-wife of Toby Ziegler, and the mother of his twins – but she is much more than that. She is a Maryland Representative and a ranking member of the House International Relations Committee. She is strong and independent, and puts the arrogant Toby in his place, though she is always there for him in his times of need. She is often referred to as “Andy,” in lieu of her full name, portrays a woman who is able to balance her career and her children, with little help from any male figures. She is a member of the delegation who travels to Gaza (in the most ballsy arc of all time,) and is unharmed. She wins a tough election through her perseverance.

Nancy McNally – Dr. McNally is a National Security adviser to the Bartlett administration and later becomes the head of the NSA. She is said to resemble Condoleezza Rice, and throughout the show is often referred to as “McNally.” This use of last name shows a masculine (and positive) regard for McNally among her coworkers. She is also the only woman of color on this list, and one of the few recurring POC in the show (other than Charlie, Santos, and Fitzwallace). She is a tough adviser who is never reduced to a sex object, even in a room full of men.

Jordan Kendall – Jordan is Leo McGarry’s summa cum laude Harvard graduate lawyer. He makes a sexual pass and advance at her, which she refuses to return. She finishes her time successfully as his lawyer and is only heard from again briefly. Similar to McNally and Andy, she’s not a major character, but she is one with a gender-nonspecific name who does not bend to become what many female characters with feminine names are – few episode appearing sex objects.

Honorable mention: Louise “Lou” Thornton, senior adviser to Santos campaign. She’s only in the end of the show, which is why she’s honorable mention, but she’s a badass who takes zero nonsense from anyone, especially not Josh. (Also totally gay, I was really sad when they had her hook up with that guy.) However, she might not fit into the framework as well because she was brought onto the show after Sorkin left.

These five-six women hold positions of power and prestige in Washington, and perform their duties diligently and without blatant interruptions from masculine figures. But what would they accomplish if they had feminine names? Your move, Sorkin.

Read Part Two Here: I examine five of the main female characters with feminine names, and discuss the two exceptions to this rule, and why they’re exceptions.