Reality television, as the name suggests, offers viewers a multitude of programs ranging from wilderness survival to a multitude of attractive woman vying for the attention and marriage of a singular man to the everyday lives of a family. These shows aim to provide entertainment to audiences, giving them insider access to the apparently unscripted events and relationships of the contestants. While filmed and edited to appear as if everything occurred naturally, without directing and prompting, reality shows help shape our perception on reality. These perceptions, in turn, perpetuate ideologies and naturalize the process of reality shows.
This paper will focus on the argument that the wedding reality show, Say Yes To The Dress, purposefully …show more content…
Say Yes To The Dress fulfills all three requirements. Kleinfeld Bridal, the boutique where the original series was filmed, is situated in central Manhattan and features a number of brides every episode, each searching for their perfect wedding dress. The website boasts about “the lengths to which staff members will go in order to make every girl that walks through the door enter a new stage of life with confidence and joy” (2016, Oct 15th). Brides are introduced briefly and asked to give a background of their story, such as how they met their partner, when the wedding is, and the style of dress that they are looking for. Later, one of the staff members brings a number of potential dresses and the bride parades in front of her entourage until she finds the one that she can say ‘yes’ …show more content…
Say Yes To The Dress represents one of the strongest social ideologies in Western culture: heteronormative, traditional marriage. The idea of a patriarchal, nuclear family and a big wedding with a white dress has rich historical context, stemming from early European traditions. Say Yes To The Dress seeks to perpetuate the idea of a white wedding and traditional marriage; through the naturalization of reality television filming, the course of action of a bride going to a boutique, buying a white dress, and having a wedding becomes a given. The show has managed to evolve socially through the years, featuring a variety of races and body types; their first gay couple was featured in Season Five and their first transgender couple in early 2016, the basic ideologies are still in
This paper will focus on the argument that the wedding reality show, Say Yes To The Dress, purposefully …show more content…
Say Yes To The Dress fulfills all three requirements. Kleinfeld Bridal, the boutique where the original series was filmed, is situated in central Manhattan and features a number of brides every episode, each searching for their perfect wedding dress. The website boasts about “the lengths to which staff members will go in order to make every girl that walks through the door enter a new stage of life with confidence and joy” (2016, Oct 15th). Brides are introduced briefly and asked to give a background of their story, such as how they met their partner, when the wedding is, and the style of dress that they are looking for. Later, one of the staff members brings a number of potential dresses and the bride parades in front of her entourage until she finds the one that she can say ‘yes’ …show more content…
Say Yes To The Dress represents one of the strongest social ideologies in Western culture: heteronormative, traditional marriage. The idea of a patriarchal, nuclear family and a big wedding with a white dress has rich historical context, stemming from early European traditions. Say Yes To The Dress seeks to perpetuate the idea of a white wedding and traditional marriage; through the naturalization of reality television filming, the course of action of a bride going to a boutique, buying a white dress, and having a wedding becomes a given. The show has managed to evolve socially through the years, featuring a variety of races and body types; their first gay couple was featured in Season Five and their first transgender couple in early 2016, the basic ideologies are still in