Blog 11

Alessandra Bisconti

April 10, 2015

Blog Post 11

Real World

            Real World by Jeannine Amber analyzes shows that exemplify the stereotypical women portrayal on television. Watching and discussing clips from the shows mentioned in the article put Amber’s argument into perspective. I was shocked to read, “Reality programs starring Black women consistently rank as the highest rated on their respective cable networks.” The women in Basketball Wives had more drama in a 30-minute episode than I’ve had on over a month. It was unbelievable to see the fury and low class actions of these women. They were clapping their hands in each other’s faces and physically and verbally attaching one another. As thousands view these episodes, these are the people who will be adopting new stereotypes of how black women act. Marc Lamont Hill Ph.D says in the article, “When people watch shows that depict Black women as violent and irrational, they think this that’s how Black people resolve conflict.” This is an overgeneralization and offensive to those women of color who do not act out in this boisterous way.

           

Amber discusses “what compels us to watch these shows is that the stars behave in ways many of us have been taught not to. A good woman doesn’t embarrass her man, bad-mouth her friends or fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. And she certainly doesn’t do it in public. But on reality TV, acting out is not only encouraged, it’s rewarded with more fame.”  This point is very well the answer to a large epidemic women face-being too strong or powerful. If a female is outspoken in her beliefs she is considered a turn-off in society’s eyes. Why? Because society then pairs the extreme images of women on TV with the women in real life. There is an in between where women can stick up for themselves, without having to stay in the weak position society thinks we should be in. The show Flavor of Love mentioned in the article is representative of placing women in vulnerable positions. By putting a group of women in a position to fight for one man is setting them up for humiliation. Amber reveals the behind the scenes words of these women being manipulated on TV. She says that “The women are ready to clean up their acts.” Evelyn Lozada, from the series Basketball Wives, weeps while admitting “I was put into this position for a reason and I just don’t know what it is. But I know it wasn’t to act the fool on TV.” Not only are shows like these manipulating the respect women get from viewers, but they tear away at the female stars’ emotions and dignity.

           

It is a common trend for these shows to depict women attacking each others images. Society has ingrained in our heads that in our superficial world women always have to look pretty and put together. Therefore, other women find it empowering to hit a low blow with attacking things like small butts, flat chests, or ugly hair. There should be more organizations such as and movements for positive women images like the petition mentioned in the article. Words can speak volumes. With enough awareness and positive representations of women, we can stop the stereotypes and suppress the generalizations of women shown on TV.