Looking at how reality television reinforces gender roles – Part 8

This one’s a no-brainer. Just take a look at the “contestants” on each Reality Show. No matter which show you see the same kind of people.

On Survivor you usually have a diverse group of people from virtually every racial group. Everyone seems to be divided equally – on one season they even segregated them to see which race is better (you’d think they’d call it “The Amazing Race”, but that name’s already taken, I guess). However, all of the men were straight out of a copy of GQ strutting around in their swimming trunks wearing either tank tops or no tops at all to show off their perfectly tanned chests. The women were all busty girls that looked like something out of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue (complete with name brand swimsuits!). The men strut around like each one is god’s gift and the women spend all of their time yelling at each other.

Then we have The Real World/Road Rules. The contestants look about the same except they’re supposed to be about college age. Once again, you’ve got a nice diverse group (although minorities are usually under-represented and those that are on the show help to reinforce their own stereotypes). All the guys act like they’re walking sex machines and all of the girls act like they’re dying to sleep with every guy – except for, of course, the token gay guy that only talks about how the other members of the show are intruding on his sexuality.

Although, it might not be considered a reality show, per se there’s Fear Factor. Once again the top 1% (at least aesthetically) of the human population is cast (I think that the requirement is that they have to make host, Joe Rogan look ugly). They guys act macho as they do all of the stunts and consume whatever disgusting edibles are presented to them. The girls act all scared and all look totally frightened of the consumable insects that laid out for them.

My last selection is My Super Sweet 16. Even though the show only features girls on the verge of their 16th birthday they all act like spoiled brats and they get their way throughout the show. Nice role models for teen aged girls.

The real problem I have with shows like this is that they’re so popular and the brain-dead public that help them get their high ratings actually think that this is what common people in America look like. It’s setting an unrealistic example of what our society is really made up of.

Find Your Own Barbie-World

-Ferret