When discussing NBC’s new female drama “Lipstick Jungle,” it’s impossible not to compare it to ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia.” Both shows center around groups of wealthy, driven women struggling to balance their work lives and personal lives.

Despite their initial similarities, the two shows are very different, and making any judgment about what show is better really depends on one’s outlook.
In this case, “Cashmere Mafia” is the superior “Sex and the City” wannabe; “Lipstick Jungle” just gets lost in the flurry of estrogen and designer clothes.
Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price star as a trio of high-powered career women in New York who make no apologies for their success. In fact, “Lipstick” often tries to turn its women into feminist role models because they’re able to have it all. Shields’ character, Wendy, is a successful movie studio exec, wife and mother. Raver’s character, Nico, is editor in chief of a popular fashion magazine and is married to a college professor.
But that’s as far as the feminism goes in “Lipstick.” While the women try to be happy and successful in everything they do, it just doesn’t work out that way, and they’re constantly victimized by the cruel men around them. Nico is trapped in a loveless marriage, so she turns to a hot younger man who willingly gives her the love she needs. Somehow, she is the victim in this situation.
Wendy, too, is a victim in the dog-eat-dog movie biz: When she hugs a director after firing him and makes her family a priority over getting Leonardo DiCaprio for a big film, she is criticized for being too much of a softy. It’s not until she “mans up” and takes charge that people start respecting her. Oh, and her marriage has hit a rocky spot, too. This isn’t a show for people who believe in the power of love.
Unless, of course, money is equal to love. Price’s character, Victory, is a loveless, down-on-her-luck fashion designer – that is, until she meets the arrogant and distracted multi-billionaire Joe Bennett (played by Andrew McCarthy). His endless stream of cash and gifts is just what Victory needs to make her happy and successful again, which is a sad turn of events for a show that wants so badly to be feminist.
The show’s recycled premise and conflicting ideas of feminism are frustrating and result in a confused melodrama that doesn’t know what it is.
For a less conflicted and more fun romp through womanhood, viewers should stick to ABC’s brighter, shinier “Cashmere Mafia.”