Well, I basically going to do the post Mary already did without the Facebook twist, but I've decided to focus this blog more on reality TV and the women we watch on these shows. We've already touched on this topic a little bit, but I think exploring it more would be quite interesting.
There are about a million reality TV shows out there, all of them supposedly showing the characters in their daily lives (competition or simply a day to day rundown of their lives) - unscripted. Therefore, everything that's being said and done is supposed to be real. The way these women dress are the way they really dress; the things they say are supposed to be things they actually do; and the things they do are things that we are led to believe they would actually do. If this is the case, then we've certainly got some issues with the women in society, and the way we respect and view ourselves. This isn't to say, of course, that there are some good role models on reality shows, but take a look at these clips, and you'll see what I mean about how many of these women are not good role models for women of ANY age to be watching.
This is a clip from the show "The Soup" about the girls featured on the Real World over several seaons. The Real World is notorious for the outrageous behavior of it's cast members, and the females on the show are no exception. Young girls and teenagers that watch this show are really get the wrong message about what it's like to be a girl with any values in their late teens/early 20s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KCKFw7Wkgs
This video is a a bunch of clips of several different reality TV shows, from A Shot At Love to ANTM - all showing a bunch of "cat fights" between the female characters. Personally, these videos embarass me and make me feel like they are downgrading women as a whole. Not only are they disrespecting the women they are fighting with, but they are disrespecting themselves in the processs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3giwTDF-Do&feature=related
The latest season of America's Next Top Model premiers tonight, and I'm sure there will be women putting other women down. For a show that's supposed to be about being beautiful, the behavior of the women on it is often quite ugly. I know people get caught up in the moment sometimes, but these women need to think about how they are representing themselves for the world to see. If this is how they act, young girls who watch them and look up to them will think that it's okay to act this way too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with your post and have witnessed it because I watch the shows you have mentioned. The “reality” TV shows are not all that “real.” I know most of it is scripted but I think it’s wrong to give women the horrible plot lines. Every season of “The Real World” has at least one girl who fights with another girl, or walks around the apartment in her bra and underwear. I also noticed that a lot of the times the men on the show have girlfriends back home but end up hooking up with the girls on the show. It makes those girls look like less than they are. It makes me wonder if they choose to walk around the house almost naked or if the producers request it to “spice things up.” I’m sure if they walked around completely covered in turtlenecks they would be kicked out of the house.
ReplyDeleteReality T.V. oftentimes displays women in a terrible light. Many of the women chosen for these shows are party girls who drink too much, get into fights with other women, and "hook-up" with various men. I counted, in eight out of the ten clips shown in the one link, one woman calling another woman a bitch. The clip taken from "The Soup" highlights the bad behavior of some of the female cast from "The Real World." I think the underlying message here is that to be "good enough" to get onto reality T.V., a girl must be loud and argumentative. A reality T.V. female is not outspoken in a positve way, but rather defensive and insulting as a result of excessive drinking, that often takes place on these shows, or because of her own insecurities. They are promiscuous and often take off their clothes to impress or grab the attention of the male figure(s) in the show. Overall, I think that reality T.V. is highly detrimental to the image of women in America, and young girls should not be allowed to see such disdainful examples of young women.
ReplyDeleteThe first video was hillarious! Both clips were awful in its display of women. It does not make any sense, regardless if the individual is on television or out and about, to act in such outrageous, disgusting, dehumanizing ways. I feel that if an individual respects him/herself and have strong morals,he/she would not be presenting him/herself negatively because teens and even children are exposed to those types of shows that do not have any censor in what is said or done by the reality stars. I realize that drama and all that carrying on sell to the public, but the bottom line is, if you value yourself highly with respect, you would work to promote positivity and change on the air. Reality T.V. stars need to take a real close look at themselves, and think would they want their children or even family members to see them in such a negative light present-day or years from now. You may leave the past, but it will always follow you around. Thus, what's done in the past can have consequences on the future, especially when applying for jobs and other endeavors in the real world later on, beyound reality T.V. People need to be careful how they portray themselves and what they display in the public sphere.
ReplyDelete