Reality TV has been around since the late 1940’s when Allen Funt headlined a show called Candid Camera. This was followed in 1950 with a show named Truth or Consequences. The 1970’s had programs called Real People and That’s Incredible. These shows were, for the most part, considered wholesome entertainment that the entire family could watch and were quite tame in comparison to what is on television today. Reality TV exploded in the 2000’s and it remains one of the most popular genres in television. Prior to that, shows with high ratings were frequently fictional in nature. Reality TV shows like Teen Mom, Keeping up with the Kardashians and Dash Dolls are being watched by adolescents and they are clearly influencing just about all aspects
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“Living in a culture that pervasively objectifies women leads many girls and women to view themselves as objects to be evaluated based on physical attributes—that is, to self-objectify” (Newheiser, LaFrance & Dovidio, 2010). Appearances are everything and one only has to go onto social media sites like Facebook or Instagram to see the “duck face selfie”. In similar fashion, sex appeal is also something that is learned at a very young age. There are television shows which depict child beauty pageants where young girls, some as young as toddlers, are glammed up to look sexual. In addition, young boys learn that it is acceptable to look upon females as sexual objects. The “presentation of women as sex objects and victims in various forms of media increases acceptance of violence against women” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008). Even though reality TV shows do not necessarily outright sanction violence or the objectifying women as sexual objects, the underlying current is always there. In print ads alone, it was “found that exposure of women’s bodies occurred approximately four times as often as exposure of men’s bodies” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, …show more content…
Examples are shows like the Real Housewives and Jersey Shore when cast members would literally get into fist fights either over comments one person made about another or if someone stole someone else’s love interest. In contrast, these actions of aggression take away from the fact that often the stars of the shows might actually be intelligent and have something to offer to the world beyond what we see on television. Conversely, adults are able to draw a line in the sand and realize that a lot of what is seen is not necessarily the real story. Adolescents on the other hand think that what they are seeing is a true and balanced picture of the world. Fighting with others does not have to be a part of a normal
“Living in a culture that pervasively objectifies women leads many girls and women to view themselves as objects to be evaluated based on physical attributes—that is, to self-objectify” (Newheiser, LaFrance & Dovidio, 2010). Appearances are everything and one only has to go onto social media sites like Facebook or Instagram to see the “duck face selfie”. In similar fashion, sex appeal is also something that is learned at a very young age. There are television shows which depict child beauty pageants where young girls, some as young as toddlers, are glammed up to look sexual. In addition, young boys learn that it is acceptable to look upon females as sexual objects. The “presentation of women as sex objects and victims in various forms of media increases acceptance of violence against women” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008). Even though reality TV shows do not necessarily outright sanction violence or the objectifying women as sexual objects, the underlying current is always there. In print ads alone, it was “found that exposure of women’s bodies occurred approximately four times as often as exposure of men’s bodies” (Stankiewicz & Rosselli, …show more content…
Examples are shows like the Real Housewives and Jersey Shore when cast members would literally get into fist fights either over comments one person made about another or if someone stole someone else’s love interest. In contrast, these actions of aggression take away from the fact that often the stars of the shows might actually be intelligent and have something to offer to the world beyond what we see on television. Conversely, adults are able to draw a line in the sand and realize that a lot of what is seen is not necessarily the real story. Adolescents on the other hand think that what they are seeing is a true and balanced picture of the world. Fighting with others does not have to be a part of a normal