Everyone has a guilty pleasure of watching certain reality television shows. Whether it's on Bravo, E!, MTV, or another channel, we all have that one show we watch once and cannot seem to turn off. I am a huge fan of reality television, even though I know most of it is not real. I like the excitement, fighting, and drama that occurs for my entertainment instead of occurring in my own life. However, I recently read a book about the troubling truth behind reality television. This book discusses the negative messages that reality television sends about women. Some of the reality television shows that send these negative stereotypes include "Jersey Shore," "The Bachelor," "Vanderpump Rules", and others.
Some of the negative messages reality television generally sends about women include that women thrive on using their beauty over brains, stupidity, and incompetence in a cute way. For example, women on "Jersey Shore" on MTV relied on partying and making questionable decisions as their career instead of attending college. Before becoming famous on MTV, Jenni "JWoww" Farley attended college and studied graphic design at the New York Institute of Technology. Her best friend, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, was studying to be a veterinary technician at Brookdale Community College. However, neither of them finished school and glamorized making partying and looking hot at the clubs on television a career opposed to pursuing their degrees. They are consistently being validated as beautiful and worthy by their ability to find a man at the club to sleep with them at the end of the night. They know that they must be tan, skinny, and extremely drunk to be attractive to men, and if they are not, then they are worthless. Also, there are the stereotypical "dumb blondes" of reality television, such as the Playmates of Hugh Hefner or Jessica Simpson on "Newlyweds". We will never forget the iconic moment in the 2000's when Jessica Simpson could not tell the difference between tuna and chicken. This became an iconic moment in history, to the point where doing something dumb was known as "pulling a Jessica." It was hilarious to society to mock women's stupidity and it led to people stereotyping women, especially blondes, as stupid.
In reality shows, women are also seen as gold-diggers. In another reality television show called "Vanderpump Rules" on Bravo, women are praised for dating rich producer boyfriends and getting free things from them. Lala Kent is a struggling actress and a hostess at Sur Restaurant. However, her boyfriend, Randall Emmet, is a movie producer with a net worth of millions. The day after their first date, he bought her a Range Rover, started paying her rent, and flying her friends out on private jets. He also casted her as an actress in big movies, even though she was inexperienced. This lifestyle of dating a man for money and career advancement is glamorized by the hostesses and waitresses of Sur Restaurant. They promote the lifestyle of serving and being on reality television for a living opposed to going to school. Reality television also portrays women as not being able to be happy without a man in their lives. In "Vanderpump Rules," Kristin puts up with a verbally abusive man who is financially dependent on her. She admits that because she is old and doesn't want to be alone, she will probably marry her verbally abusive boyfriend. Reality television sets a standard saying that if women are not married by their 30's, they will end up alone forever. Negative messages such as these are extremely sad and unmotivating to women. Women need to know that they deserve to be treated like queens and that the right guy is out there. Women need to know that they should never settle for someone who does not respect them, make them happy, or make them a better human being,.
Reality television also portrays the importance of women having a skinny body with large breasts and butt in order to be considered beautiful. However, when women who are of normal, healthy weight are on reality television, they are fat-shamed by other cast members. Lala and James on "Vanderpump Rules" were fighting with Katie and they told Katie that she was either pregnant or needed to lose some weight. She was the only girl on the show who did not have a 6 pack and eats normally, therefore the other cast members condoned fat shaming her. This sends horrible messages to young women about how they should hate themselves if they are not perfectly skinny. Girls need to know that they are beautiful at every shape and size and not one body type is acceptable.
Reality television also makes fighting and cattiness among women seem acceptable in order to entertain and make the audience laugh. Women of "Jersey Shore" have gotten into hair-pulling, punching fights on numerous occasions. Snooki and Angelina have fist fought and so have JWoww and Sam! JWoww even punched Mike "The Situation" in the face, even though he did deserve it for not walking her home from the club when she did not feel good. Snooki was also unfortunately punched in the face at a bar once by a drunk man and people made comedic memes about this occasion. Another example of a reality television show that makes fighting and cattiness among women seem acceptable is "The Bachelor." Women within "The Bachelor" have gotten in fights over one man, verbally and physically before. They even make threats such as "I want to ring her neck" over a guy! It is so unfortunate that violence is valued for entertainment, news, and comedy. Reality shows such as "The Real Housewives of Orange Country, New Jersey, Atlanta," etc.,promote fighting, snobbery, and betrayal as well. Theresa from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" flips tables at restaurants while fighting with her family and friends. The shows are based around the friendship dramas, scandals, and backstabbing of groups of "friends" who talk terribly about each other behind one another's backs. This does not send a good message to young girls about how a true friend should act towards one another.
Watching reality television is an escape for most women, including myself. The entertainment of insane fights, behavior, and partying I do not partake in is fulfilling in some sense. However, if we choose to watch these shows, we must be aware of the less than empowering messages they may send to women of acceptance of using your body and beauty over brains, fighting, not attending college, fat-shaming, being gold-diggers, and not being able to be happy without a man. We must make sure to separate our own reality from the fictitious reality television world to remember to stay strong, smart, and empowered as women.
Sources:
Pozner, J. L. (2010). Reality bites back: The troubling truth about guilty pleasure tv. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.
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