Top 20 Feminist Moments on Grey's Anatomy

Between dramatic medical storylines and relationship strife, “Grey’s Anatomy” has always been able to bring levity to some intense topics. Consider Dr. Maggie Pierce’s impromptu lesson on bringing the thunder. After she finished chewing out intern Jo Wilson about a miscommunication with a patient, Maggie suddenly switches off her harsh mentor mode, explaining that when a doctor looks young or friendly, she has an uphill battle to be taken seriously. Pierce recommends Wilson take on a more commanding voice and no-nonsense approach if she wants to get ahead, and also spares her a compliment in the midst of it. It turns out to be two lessons in one.

Yes, the men at Seattle Grace were dreamy, but sometimes, they needed a verbal smackdown. Mark Sloan’s anger at Lexie Grey for moving on too quickly with another man looked an awful lot like his own past behavior. If there’s one person who moves on from a relationship quickly, it’s Sloan. And it took his good pal, Callie Torres, to point that out. Once she did, it made Mark have to be sensible. He wasn’t offended so much as he was hurt over their breakup. But Lexie sleeping with Alex Karev was just the catalyst for him to confront those feelings.

Dr. Miranda Bailey seems like an unstoppable force. But even someone as strong as her needs to take a break every once in a while. Overworked and recovering from a heart attack, Bailey does the unthinkable. She takes a sabbatical. For a work horse like Chief Bailey, the thought of a rest period would have seemed impossible before. It wasn’t just an important message about listening to the body. The storyline also opened up a conversation about how women’s heart attack symptoms are sometimes overlooked, and how women of color are statistically vulnerable to disbelieving doctors.

Dr. Jo Wilson comes to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital with a mysterious past. That past walks into her workplace in the form of her abusive ex, renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Stadler. The most impactful moment of this storyline is when Meredith, who didn’t always get along with Jo, doesn’t hesitate to support her. Meredith tells her that nothing Paul can say will change her esteem and respect for her. Jo’s fellow doctors rally around her, even as Paul tries to chip away at her integrity and her sense of safety. The show took great care with the subject of domestic abuse, with the episode title itself being the National Domestic Violence Hotline number.

In season 3, Dr. Cristina Yang is left at the altar by her mentor and lover, Dr. Preston Burke. Devastating as it is, when Burke re-enters her life and offers her a job, she realizes just how much of a gift he gave her by leaving. She didn’t want to marry the cardio god. She wanted to be the cardio god. And, in a crazy turn of events, he would offer her the chance to do as much at a research hospital in Switzerland. Not as his underling, but as his replacement.

When “Grey’s Anatomy” began, the hospital was full of cutthroat surgeons who would step on each other just to get a chance to take out someone’s appendix. In its 14th season, Meredith Grey wins the most prestigious award in their field. The entire hospital shows up to celebrate and honor her contributions, her legacy and, really, just her as a person. Not a sour face or ulterior motive is present. Even an apparition of her long-deceased mother, a two-time winner of the Harper Avery Award, appears among the crowd of supporters.

These two have come a long way from their first meeting. When Addison Montgomery and Meredith Grey disappeared into an elevator after completing a surgery, everyone was sure they were going to hash out years-old resentments. Instead, Addison breaks down as the gravity of her ex’s death hits her like a tidal wave. Meredith’s compassionate stalling of the elevator recalled all the other times she and their fellow surgeons had to collect themselves and their emotions before facing the hospital floor again. Addison’s parting wisdom might just be the best part. Their bond runs deeper than the man they both married. They are both women devoted to a field where it’s especially hard to be just that.

From the jump, Meredith Grey lived in the shadow of her mother. The decorated surgeon was hard on everyone in her life, but she was most hard on her daughter. When she wakes up from the fugue of Alzheimer’s in this season 3 episode, Ellis expresses once again her disappointment in her daughter. Meredith finally stands up to her later in the episode. Finally refusing to live up to her mother’s impossible standards, she takes the opportunity to confess all the resentments Ellis’ parenting gave her. So much of Meredith’s story was about stepping out from behind her mother’s shadow. It’s one of the times she realizes she can be a great doctor without becoming as cutthroat and unforgiving as her mother.

Season 19 of the long-running medical drama saw Dr. Bailey doing more than her part to preserve reproductive rights and safety in the wake of attacks on women’s reproductive health. When she’s asked to present the prestigious Catherine Fox Award, she’d probably much rather be back at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital with the patients who need her. It’s exactly that sort of dedication which ends up earning her the award. Her genuine shock and realization that she’s not there to present the award, but to receive it, is a true tearjerker. As the glue that holds the hospital together, it’s a culmination of every great thing she’s done over the years.

Kicking off our list is this moment from season 6 when Callie stood up to her father, when he tried to condemn her sexuality. He came to the hospital hoping to “fix” her, but instead of folding under the pressure, she fought back, stating that her sexuality and religious beliefs didn’t conflict. Though Callie and her father continued to struggle with the topic, he eventually came to terms with it. This powerful moment proved that it’s okay to be proud of who you are, especially when it comes to being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Meredith and Derek have been through a lot together: lies, sabotage, adultery, and more tragedies than they deserve. At some points, their relationship was tested to its absolute limits. After a particularly bad fight in season 11, Meredith realizes that although she still loves Derek, she COULD live without him if she had to. While he was away, she’d thrived as a surgeon, and learned to live without him being there. This moment is especially important because it shows that having independence in a relationship is not synonymous with breaking up.

Cristina has always been laser focused on her career as a surgeon, prioritizing it over all else. When she married fellow surgeon Owen Hunt, they hadn’t yet discussed the topic of children. So when Cristina mentioned that she had no interest in having children one day, it caused some issues. Despite the arguments that their differences created, she stood by her conviction without wavering. Though this played a role in their eventual break up, it was essential to see Cristina not compromise herself in their relationship, standing firm in her decision.

Prior to her surgical internship at the Seattle Grace Hospital, Izzie Stevens worked as a lingerie model in order to pay off her student loans from med school. When her coworker Alex Karev found out, he plastered pictures of her throughout the hospital as a prank. Her response, needless to say, was incredible. She reclaimed her body by showing that she had no shame in it, effectively taking all the power away from the men harassing her. This Grey’s Anatomy scene is one that will go down in history as an iconic feminist moment.

We already mentioned that Meredith and Derek have had a lot of issues in their relationship, and here’s an example of one from early on. After they break up the first time, Derek is furious to learn that Meredith has slept with a string of other men. Derek’s blatant sexism rightfully upsets Meredith, especially since HE’S the one who left HER! She rightfully calls him out, telling him that he doesn’t get to judge her for how she decided to cope. At least it seems to sink in!

Meredith and Cristina are each other’s person. So, when Cristina made her exit on the Season 10 finale, it was a tearful goodbye filled with promises, love, and of course “dancing it out”. As Cristina turns to leave, she has one last message: “He’s not the Sun. You are.” This means first and foremost that Cristina wants Meredith to put herself first, something she’s always struggled to do. And that particularly applies to her marriage. However, it’s also a subtle callback to Meredith’s mother calling her ordinary. By calling Meredith extraordinary, Cristina is essentially telling Meredith she’s proud of her. They may not be sisters by blood, but that doesn’t lessen the bonds these two share.

The moment Miranda Bailey became the first female Chief of Surgery at the hospital was iconic to say the least. Since the beginning of the show, Bailey was a force to be reckoned with. Her interns feared her, her coworkers respected her, and her boss, Richard Webber, knew that she would become chief one day. Throughout the 11 seasons leading up to the promotion, Bailey was a lionhearted leader, teaching her interns lessons while growing herself as well. While there are countless other successful female doctors on this show, many of which are department heads, the moment Bailey became Chief was a monumental victory.

The fight for equal pay is not a recent thing. Women have been paid unfair wages for … well, forever. When Meredith learns that she’s making a lot less than other department heads, she’s hesitant at first to renegotiate her contract. But finally, she steels herself, and tells Bailey that she deserves more. Turns out that Bailey was just waiting for her to speak up. She actually agrees with Meredith 100%: Meredith worked hard to get where she’s at, she earned her job, and she shouldn’t settle for any less.

Unfortunately, sexual harassment in the workplace isn’t a recent thing either. Grey’s Anatomy weighed in on this conversation with the Harper Avery plotline. When multiple women came forward with stories of Avery’s sexual harassment, his ex-daughter-in-law Catherine Fox planned to take the fall for it. But Jackson wasn’t about to let that happen. He and Meredith helped turn the Harper Avery Foundation into the Catherine Fox Foundation, taking the power away from the abuser and putting it into the hands of a capable woman. Even though workplace sexual harassment continues, it was an uplifting and inspiring contribution to the narrative.

We’ve all stood in someone else’s shadow. For much too long, Amelia stood in the shadow of her brother Derek. But in “The Distance”, she faces off against a nasty brain tumor that seems impossible to remove, especially without Derek’s help. She’s always been the other Dr. Shepherd, never held in quite the same esteem. However, when she successfully removes the tumor, she proves to everyone, including herself, that she can stand on her own. It’s a moment of pride, power, and independence that teaches Amelia not to doubt herself, and speaks volumes about what women can accomplish.

A patient named Abby arrives at the hospital after having been the victim of sexual violence. Her story is one that too many women know well, with her reluctance to seek justice feeling devastatingly real. The show delves into the trauma and realities of her situation, as well as the legal hurdles victims face, and the reasons someone might not come forward right away. Jo shares her own experience as a victim of abuse and, eventually, Abby gives the okay to do the kit. At the end of the episode, Abby is wheeled into surgery as the women of the hospital line the hallways in solidarity to send her off.

Did we leave out any memorable moments of sister solidarity? Let us know in the comments.