This week, The Bold and the Beautiful is rolling out an entire week of fan-picked episodes. We told our B&B Two Scoops columnist that she could pick any B&B topic to write about this week. Her selection? An entire column devoted to Steffy Forrester.
Steffy Forrester has proven that she can not only bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan while wearing the most badass corporate lingerie on earth, but she'll never let you forget that she's a woman, either. She's a vulnerable one in search of what she feels she never had -- her father's attention. As fate would have it, Steffy fell victim to the family curse -- the dreaded Forrester triangles! Just like her mother and grandmother, Steffy seems destined to play tug-of-war with another woman for one man's affections.
B&B fans have a rainbow of feelings about Steffy Forrester, who, together with Hope, became the second coming of Taylor and Brooke, who were the second coming of Stephanie and Beth. If you don't study history, you're doomed to repeat it, and repeat it Steffy and Hope did when, just like their predecessors, they continuously fought over a man. The battle is over -- for now. Liam is currently tethered in Hope's homestead, leaving Steffy open to explore new paths.
What's next for Steffy? A saucy romance with a new leading man? A corporate battle against her brother for control of Forrester? Maybe a "who's the daddy" storyline with Bill and Liam. With a multi-layered heroine like Steffy and a dedicated, spunky actress like Wood, there's no limit for Steffy -- other than writer's block, that is.
Whether you love Steffy or you hate her, you have to respect her. Driven by her love for family, Steffy took on Bill Spencer and won her family's business back. She went from the mailroom to the boardroom without detouring in anyone's bedroom. She revived herself after a miscarriage and went on to become the mother doctors told her that she could never be. Much like her namesake, Steffy is the backbone of her family, the matriarch-in-waiting, and the woman who faithfully holds it together while her man forever roams, gravitating to this cause or that, this woman or that, much like Eric did with Stephanie.
I used to hate Steffy. She's the same girl who gave Katie a heart attack over her affair with Bill. The same one who bullied Hope with the "Hoe Logan" prank and threatened to sleep with Liam if Hope didn't. She's the same one who schemed with Thomas to keep Bridge apart and slept with her father-in-law, cementing her spot on Brooke's level by successfully sleeping through a family. She's a slapper like her grandmother, and some believe she murdered Aly, too.
But that's all "cha cha cha" under the bridge, right? At least for JMW's anniversary, it is! I've grown to respect Steffy and even admire her resilience. Steffy has suffered, matured, and endured. Crushed under heartbreaking pressure, she's a diamond in the rough. Due to the uncanny talent of JMW, Steffy is the woman girls aspire to be, the woman some abhor, the woman men lust after, and the woman many ultimately adore.
So, thank you, JMW for the crazy, sexy, cool way you play Steffy. Please keep doing what you do to make us feel what we feel when we tune in. In celebration of JMW's bold and beautiful twelve-year anniversary, let's get two scoops deep into the many sides of Steffy Forrester.
Steffy, the lover
Believe it or not, Steffy had a life before Liam. Every man captivated by Steffy wanted to marry her. So, how did Steffy, the woman with way too much to offer any man, wind up a loser in love thus far? In a nutshell, Steffy's got a bad case of Liam-vision.
Steffy has a knack for finding love in all the taboo places. She started on the wrong foot in love when she attempted to seduce Hope's first love, Oliver, away from her. Steffy had a vendetta against the Logans because they always seemed to win, and she believed that Hope had gotten all of Ridge's attention in their youth. Steffy became the moral-laden Hope's fun, sexy foil. In other words, Steffy was Hope's Brooke, and Hope was Steffy's Taylor in life.
Steffy's first known boyfriend was Marcus Walton, whom Eric eventually adopted. Keeping it in the family -- technically -- Steffy turned down Marcus' marriage proposal after she fell for Uncle Rick. Rick had already been with Steffy's mother and sister. After what the Logans had done to Steffy's family, it seemed inconceivable that Steffy would let him "Brooke" his way through it, right?
Normally, yes. Steffy, however, let her guard down with Rick because she'd been devastated by the loss of her twin sister, Phoebe. Steffy had been so devastated that she didn't realize Rick was using her to get back at Ridge. Steffy's mini triangle with her uncles ended when Rick's vendetta became exposed. Marcus tried to resume a relationship with her, but Steffy declined.
In her next fiery affair, Steffy went from being Rick's pawn to Bill's sultry kitten when she made it her mission to seduce Bill away from his wife, Katie Spencer. Despite the coat-popping lingerie moments, the closest Bill and Steffy got to consummating the affair was rolling around together in her childhood bed until a horrified Taylor caught them. It was a B&B moment to remember when Taylor berated Bill and Steffy like horny teenagers caught under her roof.
Steffy bought a love nest for her and Bill, but Bill chose Katie after Katie had a heart attack when Taylor ratted Bill and Steffy out to her. Steffy was devastated that Bill had left her and couldn't handle that it had been for a Logan. If you ask me, that had to be what was motivating Steffy when Liam pulled her naked, half-drowning bum from the bathtub.
I mean, who does that? Who wakes up from a suicidal coma, in love with their lover's son? Not only was Liam the son of Bill Spencer, but he was also Hope's boyfriend. Steffy's obsession with Liam became inextricably linked to her obsession with besting the Logans and with reclaiming the attention her father had supposedly lavished upon Hope while Steffy and Hope had been growing up.
Liam-vision overtook Steffy. No matter how many times Liam left her, no matter how many times he hurt her or chose Hope over her, Steffy remained staunchly dedicated to Liam. Some say it's true love. I say Steffy learned from her mother and grandmother to wait for the man to have his flings and return home. If Steffy truly feels that Ridge gave Hope all of his attention, leaving Steffy to wait for his scraps, then I say Steffy perpetuated her childhood of waiting on Ridge into an adulthood of waiting on Liam.
We all know how it went with Liam. I won't bore you with the details except to say that eventually, they reunited, but Steffy had to battle for his affections against her cousin, Ivy. Liam disappeared, and for a period of time, Steffy was married to his brother, Wyatt, who fell for Steffy almost as hard as he had for Hope. Wyatt and Steffy shared a sweet love and bonded over their love of surfing and bikes.
Having a man completely focus on Steffy did wonders for her. Remember when Wyatt got Steffy a motorcycle and helped her gain the courage to ride again? And what a beautiful wedding they had. I loved her wedding to Wyatt over any of her weddings to Liam. Steffy's romance with Wyatt was, in my view, her best relationship because Wyatt completely devoted himself to her.
Wyatt and Steffy were doomed from the start because Quinn, Wyatt's mother, had been behind Liam's disappearance, turning Steffy's ire firmly in her direction. Steffy's disdain for Quinn tore Steffy and Wyatt's marriage apart. Could Steffy and Wyatt have made it last if she hadn't deservedly had it in for Quinn? Probably not, because, try as hard as she might, Steffy couldn't get Liam out of her heart. In fact, she married him the moment her fast-tracked divorce from Wyatt became final.
Hopping back on the hamster wheel with Liam, Steffy quickly learned that he cannot help but invite other women into his relationships. When he was with Hope, he let Amber and Steffy waltz in. When he was with Ivy, he let Hope and Steffy block the road to love. When he was finally with Steffy, he let his friendships with Ivy and Sally interfere.
Stunned by Liam's confession of a shared kiss with Sally, the vulnerable Steffy turned to Bill. Liam found a paternity test in her purse, and, wounded to his core, he walked out on his marriage to Steffy. Liam and Steffy almost reconciled, but rocked by Liam's inability to keep his hands off the pregnant Hope, Steffy gave her engagement ring to Hope and decided to choose herself and her daughter over the merry-go-round with Liam.
I was proud of Steffy when she walked away from Liam to focus on her child and her career. It enabled me to see her in a new, mature light, even if I couldn't understand why she wouldn't take the portrait of herself and Liam from her living room wall. She claims it's for Kelly, but why can't it hang in Kelly's bedroom? Because Steffy still has Liam-vision, that's why.
It was the same for Stephanie, who had Eric-vision, and for Taylor, who had Ridge-vision. Stephanie and Taylor each spent so much of their time mostly alone, waiting for those men to come to their senses about them. Steffy deserves a partner worthy of her to love her, appreciate her, and build a future with her and Kelly. She is too much of a woman to sit on the sidelines as Liam has adventure after adventure with other women, only to possibly marry her before she dies of a terminal disease.
Steffy, the fighter
Detractors can say what they want about Steffy, but I warn them to watch their mouths because that girl can fight. She can maul you like a panther and smack the breath out of you just as surely as her name is Stephanie Forrester. When she's angry, you know it, and she is unafraid to fling some chocolate your way if you're getting a little demandy about her estranged husband.
My favorite ferocious Steffy Hulk-out scene was in 2015 when, after rekindling her romance with Liam, he informed her that he'd married Ivy to keep her in the country. Oh, hell, no! I felt Steffy's pain. While she was crashing his dishes all over the place, I wished I was there with her to crack his surfboards over his head and knife his feather pillows for her.
Then there was the time Steffy pounced on Quinn and smacked the romance out of her when Steffy saw her cozying up to Eric in Italy. By the way, JMW says that smack was real! Yes, Steffy has gotten in her licks, but sadly, there were also times when people got hurt or killed when Steffy was merely defending herself.
On a dark night on PCH, Aly Forrester set out to recreate her mother's death by running over Steffy as she changed her sabotaged tire. Aly wound up dying that night instead when Steffy defended herself against her out-of-control cousin. Unfortunately for Steffy, Ivy got the whole thing on video and blackmailed Steffy, setting off a "murda-ous" feud between the two.
In the Ivy versus Steffy saga, one mishap led to another, resulting in Steffy inadvertently hurtling Ivy into some live wires during one instance and Ivy tumbling down the stairs at Eric's mansion in another. Of course, not all of Steffy's battles have been physical.
On the business front, Steffy fought many corporate battles and single-handedly saved her family business from Bill Spencer. She became immediate enemies with Sally Spectra after the redhead tried to ride Steffy's media fame train and stole Forrester designs. There was no love lost between the two when Sally made a play for Steffy's husband, Liam.
Alas, Steffy is a lover and a fighter who recognizes talent when she sees it. She put her differences with Sally aside to work on a new line. When Steffy learned that Sally's work was suffering because she was "dying," Steffy, with the help of her father, found a way to salvage Sally's work to help Sally leave a memorable legacy in the design world.
But, the same way I warned previous Steffy detractors, I will warn Sally that she better learn to sprint in heels once Steffy finds out that Sally's impending death is a lie. Steffy shot Sheila for less. Need I say more?
Steffy, the mother
A softer side of Steffy emerged in 2018 when Steffy became a mother to the adorable Kelly Spencer. Motherhood for the character coincided with motherhood for JMW, and the actress brought new joy to her role, causing Steffy to exude a happiness and fulfilment we'd never seen before in her life. Becoming a mother ushered in a new era for Steffy. Suddenly, her life became about what she can do for her child, what she can provide for her child, and how she can be at her best for her child.
Steffy doesn't take motherhood for granted. A miscarriage after a motorcycle crash taught her not to do that. Against Liam's judgment, the headstrong Steffy rode her motorcycle and wound up crashing while pregnant. Subsequently, she lost the baby, and doctors informed her that she could never have children again. In another award-worthy JMW scene, Steffy demolished the motorcycle with a baseball bat.
Steffy's guilt over the miscarriage drove her to Paris, where she remained for several years. Not one to keep herself down, Steffy worked with doctors and became fertile again. Steffy went on to give birth to Kelly, and she adopted Phoebe to give Kelly a sister. Steffy's family unit was destroyed when Phoebe turned out to be Beth, Hope's "stillborn" daughter.
The gut-wrenching scenes in which Steffy learned who Phoebe really was and came to grips with letting her go brought me to tears, even though I knew the whole time that Phoebe was Beth. That's just how good JMW is.
An important part of providing a good life for Kelly, in her mother's view, is ensuring that her sister and her father are deeply involved. For now, it's led to Steffy becoming co-parents with Lope and loaning out her living room as a stage for Lope dramas and her guest room to Liam when Lope hits the skids. Co-parenting with Hope is bittersweet because Hope has two of the only other people whom Steffy loves most in the world besides Kelly -- Liam and Beth.
Forever Crotch-Rocket
Steffy is unlucky at love. Steffy is a fierce protector. Steffy is a devoted mother. At her heart, Steffy is a ride-or-die Crotch-Rocket that no man, not even Dollar Bill Spencer, can handle. She'll keep your secrets, even help you if it aligns with her agenda, but she has a heart and can feel pain. She isn't beyond getting a little tricks-y to get her way, but she has a conscience, which is a striking difference from her namesake, Stephanie.
Steffy Forrester stands at the top of the Forrester fashion empire, seemingly having it all. She's got the looks, the career, and the family; however, she always strives for more, and fans are getting a bit tired of watching her fold laundry in yoga pants. What could be next for the brunette bombshell?
Fans are screaming for Steffy to have a new leading man. They're advocating for Vinnie, but I vote for Deacon Sharpe Jr. It's time for Steffy to have a new lover. Brooke Logan had whirlwind romances outside of her destiny with Ridge. It's only fair that Steffy become swept up by a man who can truly devote himself to her. Come on, writers! Don't leave Steffy dying in the Liam love ditch!
If there is not a romance on the horizon for Steffy, I wouldn't mind seeing her in a corporate battle with her father for control of Forrester. Have you noticed that she's the only one working around there? Ridge has been off his game, acting completely childish by running off with Shauna. Thomas ran off, too, so who's designing and moving HFTF forward?
Wouldn't it be something if the men showed up and discovered that Steffy had replaced them with new designers and had moved ahead with collections without them? At the same time, Hope will be fuming because, in Thomas' absence, Steffy commissioned a designer to revamp HFTF. BoHo ain't Steffy's jam, but Hope isn't down with the new goth vibe Steffy chose.
Don Diamont (Bill) and JMW bring the fire in scenes together. It's about time to pull Bill off the sidelines and get him into some worthy storylines. Brooke had her own paternity test snafu with Bridget. Why not revisit who really is Kelly's father? Imagine Dollar Bill with a daughter, folks. It would be epic!
JMW plays off Hunter Tylo (Taylor) perfectly. I'd be intrigued to see Steffy and Taylor embroiled in another mother-daughter storyline. Detective Sanchez is still investigating Bill's shooting. Maybe it's time for him to appear with new evidence. Taylor isn't too stable these days. Maybe Steffy, Thomas, and Ridge need to intervene and figure out how to care for Taylor in her mental decline -- and keep her from talking to Sanchez. Even more interesting, what if the mental Taylor keeps swearing that she saw Phoebe with Omar in Africa?
What do you think should be next for Steffy? A romance? A corporate struggle? A family emergency? Let us know what you think in the comments below and remember to wish Jaqueline MacInnes Wood a happy anniversary and thank her for making our show bold and beautiful, baby!
Chanel
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