Oh, reality television, how I love you. The drama, the theatrics, the social implications! While the genre will most likely never escape its soaring amount of criticism, I truly believe that it is a credible modern art form.
Itâs no secret that these shows are filled with terrible role models. From the amount of materialistic greed, screaming matches, and general ignorance thatâs televised, I think itâs safe to say that thereâs very few reality TV stars you should base your moral foundations on. While about one in four people watch the genre, 60% of Americans consider it âtrashy.â Which is fair! It often is! But that doesnât diminish its brilliance.
As someone who grew up lower class in a very rural Northeastern area, it is fascinating to watch people like the Kardashian-Jenner family live these hyperbolized lives. They are so rich, so famous, so skinny, and so white. Itâs absolutely jaw-dropping to view an episode and fathom just how much of everything they have. Even shows like Love Island are captivating for their filming locations, makeup, hair, and wardrobes.Â
But of course, you canât talk about reality TV without discussing the crux of it all: reality. We all know that most of the top-viewed series have a skeleton of scripting to keep it together and maintain popularity. Itâd be naive to hunker down for an episode of The Real Housewives and expect pure authenticity. And itâs kind of a fun game to watch and decipher what was written, what was edited, and what was genuine. However, scripting doesnât mean a show is inherently bad. We canât discount the more wholesome TV that may still have a backbone of planning. Survivor, The Great British Bakeoff, and Queer Eye are all truly heartwarming series, though they follow a strong structure. Itâs the theme that really counts.
Reality television shows are fun and exciting. Itâs why they work so well. I donât believe they should be viewed as model examples of our society, and itâs wildly important to understand that they truly are massively overdramatized and manipulated to increase viewership. However, this doesnât mean that the genre should be discredited. You know what they say: âArt should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.â Reality TV is a disturbing medium to many of us. Itâs a mirage of yelling, crying, and lying. Glasses are thrown, hair is pulled, and itâs all caught on camera for us to see â even when spliced together by conniving producers.
Yes, reality television, I love you. Iâm forever enthralled by your people, your places, and your crazy adventures. A Jersey housewife flipping a restaurant table and calling her castmate a âprostitution whoreâ? A mother supporting her daughterâs Playboy photoshoot, yelling, âYouâre doing amazing sweetie!â? Winning The Bachelor only to be told by your new fiance that he still has feelings for a different contestant? It is all so brilliant. These situations are unbelievable, and yet, here they are, playing out before your very eyes. Thereâs truly and undeniably nothing like it.
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