Lately I've found myself getting sucked into the Real Housewives drama. Constantly playing on Bravo at least one of the many locations always seem to have cattiness and drama oozing from the screen. As the Lisa Vanderpump of my friend group, however, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills holds a special place in my heart. But unfortunately the manipulation and premeditation of each episode reinforces negative stereotypes surrounding female friendships. Always bickering to one another, or gossiping about one another the housewives manage to set female relationships back and reinforce the idea that female relationships are disingenuous and that women must either be nice with no friends, or mean with "friends." Lastly, the use of frankenbiting creates these issues and facilitates cultivation. When teenage girls constantly see these images of hatred among supposed friends, as well as the success that comes with being a 'housewife' (which in the traditional sense of the word many on the show are not) it conditions them to behave nastily to those around them, often in competition for a man's approval. It is time that women stop blaming other women for their own shortcomings and work together to create positive images of female friendships.
I completely agree with what you're saying here. When I was growing up, the girls I was friends with were obsessed with those TV shows, and they were horrible to each other as a result. They thought it was normal for friends to be mean to each other and bully each other, and they glorified drama. Many of those girls have severe mental illnesses now, and one committed suicide. Thankfully, I didn't remain friends with them, but these were elementary school and middle school aged girls who ruined the lives of an entire family whose daughter committed suicide because they glorified this kind of behavior.
ReplyDelete