Reality TV Hates Women

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME IM SO MAD RIGHT NOW DID YOU JUST SAY TV IS SEXIST TO WOMEN LOOK AT TNT FOR CHRIST SAKES LOOK AT COMMERCIALS THEY ALL MAKE MEN LOOK STUPID AND DUMB AND THE WOMEN AS SMART AND SOPHISTICATED LOOK LOOK AT SITCOMS FOR CHRIST SAKE THEY MAKE THE MEN LOOK STUPID AND IMCOMPENTENT AND THEY MAKE THE WOMEN THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE AND HE ASK FOR HER PERMESSION TO BUY STUFF AND GO OUT THAT MAKE ME SO MAD AND THEY NEVER EVER SHOW THAT WOMEN ARE WEAKER THEN MEN LOOK AT ANY SHOW ON TV THEY ALWAYS MAKE BELIVE THAT A SKINNY LITTLE GIRL CAN BEAT A BIG MUSCULAR MAN WHEN SHE WANTS TO HAHAHA I THINK YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FOR EVEN SAYING SUCH A STUPID THING MEN SHOULD SUE THESE SHOWS BUT WE DONT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO CRY OVER THAT *** AND MAKE AN ARTICLE ABOUT IT

well i have a degree in literature so i don't think it's unreasonable to suggest watching a show about books (other than oprah's friggin book club).

i just think she needs to understand that most women (and men) are uneducated and could care less about what's "empowering". the tv suits know this and cater to their rather small brains.

also, i don't know about you but i myself work my butt off all day long in front of a computer screen. i have to deal with difficult customer issues all day long, i have to know laws, i have to think waaaay too much during the day.
going home and watching some girl whining about how her napkins don' t match her centerpieces is soothing. it's something i don't have to think about. and that can be quite nice.

when i feel like thinking on the weekends, if i'm really interested in learning about empowering womankind, i'll pop open a BOOK. i know that's a foreign thought to most of us these days (and i'm not talking about a damn kindle either, but a flesh and blood book). i'll read about Gwendolyn Brooks' amazing poetry or perhaps i'll delve into a book by Jeanette Winterson who tries to specifically write gender out of her books. seriously, be a little smarter. turn off the TV altogether and don't patronize me for suggesting you watch a show about books if you're too lazy to open one yourself.

Part 2: Two programs that I feel show both women and men in both good and bad light according to what they have done/what the program is doing are The Locator, and Top Chef. Troy Dunn does a fabulous deed in reuniting people with long-lost relatives and close friends. The stories show both misdeeds and bad decisions that were made by both genders with reference to their grown adult child that seeks them. And Troy Dunn's chief investigator/case creator is his mother, a very sharp, beautiful lady. Top Chef treats the women contestants the same as the men, I feel. They must measure up to the very high standards that are set by the contest. Stephanie, who won two seasons ago, proved that not only can a woman win this, but that women can be right up there with the men. But ocasionally stereotypes show up here, too; this past season, there was a woman in the final 3 - fab! - but she lost because she paid too much attention to the suggestions of her sous chef, ironically another woman. And the suggestions weren't great and I feel brought her to defeat; the judges obviously felt the same way.
Platimum Weddings is very interesting. I like to see the women wedding planners; this program shows they are as competent as the men, and you don't see any bitchiness, etc.; they are very able to cope with the pressures of having to put together a very expensive (some of those budgets are unreal) and absolutely perfect wedding, a mega-stress job to do.
I, too, can't understand the Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here attraction; also the emphasis and continued interest in such celebrities as Paris Hilton and her crowd. Men who like her and similar programs won't change, unless fewer of these programs are available. Better yet, the networks creating more high standard reality programs would even the playing field.

I agree that some of the programs seem to emphasize stereotypes unfavorable to women. But that is what these programs do. I agree that it would be good to have more programs that show the non-stereotype woman, the one in reality that CSI and other fiction programs are doing well.
I must say that I get interesting things out of seeing the bad stereotype programs. In Women Behind Bars, you see what kind of behavior gets a woman into the worse trouble; how often horrible backgrounds or a traumatic event will lead to a bad ending. You also see some women that I feel were railroaded, and get no understanding or real support from family both before and after the crime. There was one woman who was in for killing her mother; the woman behind bars had a history of physical and mental problems, yet her siblings literally stuck her with being the total caretaker of her mother. I feel she 'lost' it that day; it was not 1st degree. Yes, I agree there are manipulative women in there, but not all of them are.
I feel Bridezillas show the bad stereotype of women, but also some of these women are genuine ***, and it makes me wonder why the men go ahead and marry them. These women show they can't deal with much stress, and with children to come, and life in general, a wedding should be easy stuff to deal with in comparison. The men in my opinion don't fare well on this program either.

You bring this case to court, or you continue to joke about it, then you reinforce the stereotypes these shows are exploiting. I personally have no problem that they portray women negatively.. and I am a woman myself. The average individual understands the bizarre personality traits that leads someone to appear on a reality TV show, and they know that one crazy woman does not represent the entire population. The average sexist bigot is ignorant and will not watch reality shows with well-behaved, sane women, because it will have no appeal. In addition, I think it's safe to say that the average male will not watch Real Housewives or Bridezilla.

Reality TV exploits CRAZY regardless of gender or socioeconomic class. It's entertainment, and it's entertaining. If there is no crazy, it won't get watched, and the ignorant easily influenced by stereotypes will look elsewhere to reinforce their beliefs.

Thanks for writing this. "Reality" TV makes everyone look bad, but it seems like it focuses mainly on dysfunctional women. In fact, pop culture in general seems to have a fascination with dysfunctional women. It's sad because we've got so many distinguished women in the public sphere but we'd rather pay attention to the women on "Real Housewives" or Paris Hilton.

Reality television can be a guilty pleasure in it's own right. It???s a way to vicariously indulge in drama without inviting it into your own life. ???Flavor of Love??? was my all time favorite. I just couldn???t believe that you could find that many women to fight over Flav. No disrespect to Flavor Flav intended. One remarkable episode Season 2, Episode 2, the women receive a Flav-o-gram instructing them to dress as nurses and ???heal his broken heart.??? He couldn???t remember some of their names and some of the women gave him gifts with his name spelt wrong. It was hysterical and I felt demeaned in no way because they can have ALL OF THAT. But I had no intention of not watching the show.

May I direct your attention to my current guilty pleasure ???Daisy of Love.??? This show rocks! The men behave badly vomit, pass out, beat on each other and still get to stay. The only reasonable man on the show, ???professor???, was sent home for boring Daisy to death. My opinion got sent home for not acting a fool! (Can someone get me his number?) Fortunately, I know enough men to know that these men are not the typical men in the dating pool.

I guess that???s my point. I???m banking that even those who watch reality shows know that they are dramatic on purpose and those given the jobs are carefully selected to make the rest of us appreciate the non-chaotic nature of our boring everyday lives yet intrigue us enough to watch. Peace sure seems like boredom but not after a good episode of Flavor Flav.

Please don't sue reality shows on behalf of those who greatly enjoy watching others behave badly. They go to the far ends of the earth to find some of these people and they deserve their 15 minutes of fame. Most of those on reality shows are well aware of their behaviors and are participating on their own will for the entertainment of others. All of us have had moments when grace and dignity went out the window and there is consolation in knowing that you cried over minor details but stopped before you tore into others. I work hard and most days harder than I'd like to or even should. I value empowerment and intelligence too but sometimes, just for that one hour a week, I envy those whose job it is to look pretty and act a fool. Maybe I'll apply for that show "She's Got the Look." I'd love to, just for one day, be self-indulgent, say goodbye to overwhelming responsibilities, and just look pretty.

The other thing to remember is that those shows are edited to emphasize drama, not complexity. I remember an episode of Bridezillas where I actually thought the bride had a legitimate concern (that her fiance was putting his mother's needs before hers -- which can translate into a difficult marriage...) but that issue wasn't explored. It was edited to make her look like a spoiled brat. It's not just the women on the shows who are the problem, it's the way their behavior is framed to reinforce our stereotypes, not rethink them.

Here's the sad truth though: The only reason that season after season these shows are produced for the glutted masses, is that someone is watching them. I'm a man so I can only understand your article to the extent that I'm a rational human being (that should be enough I think) but I believe that "Reality" Shows are creating a dumbening effect on the young.

I visit with my cousins who have several small children as well as several teenagers. Everytime I go over, the TV is blasting VH1 or MTV or some other useless channel and the teenagers are usually watching some overly dramatic "Reality" Show where the people are absolutely without any merit. This is not to mention the constant commercial breaks featuring half naked women somehow competing to be Paris Hilton's next BFF. But I digress as that is a topic in and of itself. When I ask my cousin's kids about the show they tell me how dumb it is and unrealistic and yet they watch it which confounds my understanding.

"Reality" Shows are contradictory in their very nature. The try to find people with the drive to attain whatever goal the show boasts, but in doing so seem to only find people who lack any kind of moral or social compass. They are in fact the opposite of reality. The reward the instant gratification that so many now are trying to find which creates an illusion for anyone trying to get ahead. Really the only way to get a free ride is to join one of these "Reality" Shows but to do so means that we have to demoralize and degrade ourselves. Sadly though this seems to be what the people want... though I'm not sure if anyone is actually asking.

I have to admit I watch Bridezillas. I watch in fascination while these women go berserk over the most minor things and treat their friends, families and fiances like dirt. I guess my biggest surprise is that the marriages actually happen. I just wonder how much is real and how much is put on for the cameras.

actually, the worst part (and this goes for almost all so-called "reality" shows, not just those with psycho women, is that way too many of these people get so much coverage that they become defacto celebrities that just won't go away. this is actually leading many of the more vapid celebrities who start out as actors/musicians to act just as desperate as speidi to get attention and assert their "relevance" (I'm talking to you Ashton and Demi)

Uh... no. And who the hell do you think you are to speak for all women?

Thank you for writing this. For those who say 'Just change the channel' or 'Its reality tv, of course its fake and horrible' obviously havent looked around at society that much.

Our media does have a strong impact on peoples mindsets whether is concious or subconcious. I feel like MTV does some of the most damage. Showing our youth meat head guys (jackass, real world, dating shows) and brainless materialistic girls (super sweet 16, the hills, etc) for most of their programing as 'role models'.
While they might not use that term, the fact that these are the kind of teenagers that get media attention is enough to make a young person consciously or unconsciously take note.
Why cant we have reality shows about women and men of all ages doing positive and constructive things with their lives, rather than making fools of themselves? Why most cynics would say 'No one wants to see that', I greatly disagree. The problem is no ones been given the chance to want to see that.

AMEN!! Couldn't have said it better myself. Can't bring myself to watch these stupid shows because of all that.

Reality TV isn't. Period.

These people are all carefully picked for the ability to provoke and/or entertain, and all are carefully screened by boomer TV executives. It's entertainment, but it's not real.

The people who have their *** together mostly don't go looking for fame on reality shows, so you won't see them.

My advice: if you're appalled by what you see, change the channel. If the ratings on these shows weren't so high, people would just ignore it all.