--- title: "Scandal"'s Abby on How the Media Scrutinizes Women in Politics description: "I stand at the most powerful podium in the world, but a story about me ain't a story unless they can report on the fact that I am the girlfriend" canonical: https://time.com/3752578/scandal-abby-monologue-media-women/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-20T19:32:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:19.160Z og:title: Watch This 'Scandal' Character Perfectly Describe How the Media Treats Women Differently og:description: "I stand at the most powerful podium in the world, but a story about me ain't a story unless they can report on the fact that I am the girlfriend" og:url: https://time.com/3752578/scandal-abby-monologue-media-women/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34dbfccf98cacbd3/6987848b06f2c1e799334843/abby-whelan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1919 og:image:height: 1079 og:image:alt: ABC's "Scandal" stars Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch This 'Scandal' Character Perfectly Describe How the Media Treats Women Differently twitter:description: "I stand at the most powerful podium in the world, but a story about me ain't a story unless they can report on the fact that I am the girlfriend" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34dbfccf98cacbd3/6987848b06f2c1e799334843/abby-whelan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch This _Scandal_ Character Perfectly Describe How the Media Treats Women Differently > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Scandal Clip 2 [Watch (HLS stream): Scandal Clip 2](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4Mdnxlm6.m3u8) (0:30)  _Published 2015-03-20. Scandal Clip 2_  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Mar 20, 2015 7:32 PM UTC  ABC's "Scandal" stars Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan. ABC's "Scandal" stars Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan. Craig Sjodin—ABC/Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Mar 20, 2015 7:32 PM UTC _Scandal_ showrunner Shonda Rhimes used last night’s episode of the hit political drama to take a stand on how the media scrutinizes women in Washington, just as Hillary Clinton prepares to announce her long-anticipated bid for the presidency in 2016. Rhimes’ shows might be best known for their crazy plot twists, but another hallmark of her work is the powerful soliloquy, delivered quickly and emphatically. On last night’s episode of _Scandal_, White House Press Secretary Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) contemplated resigning from her post when another woman, played by Lena Dunham, threatened to write a tell-all about the sex lives of several men in D.C., including Abby’s boyfriend, political consultant Leo Bergen (Paul Adelstein). When Leo tells Abby she doesn’t have to worry because _he_ was the one who committed the “disgusting” sexual acts, she fires back that of course the scandal will hurt her too. The fictional Press Secretary says the media has long had double standards for women in the Capitol: reporters write stories about how she looks and who she is dating just as much as they write about her accomplishments. 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