Asha Hopton Source 2

Question: What specific reality shows have influences on young women and how have they influnced them?

Citation: Haggerty, Maryann. "Reality TV." CQ Researcher 27 Aug. 2010: 677-700. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

From this next source, I'm exploring what particular reality shows influence women and how. Specific shows I thought about were Real Housewives, Basketball Wives, Love and Hip-Hop, etc. I chose these shows in particular because they tend to display an image of women that wants to be recreated. So from there, I tried to find evidence of the way these shows in general influence young women in how they portray themselves in society as a result of viewing these shows.

My first thoughts of this question were that shows that Real Housewives, Basketball Wives, Love and Hip-Hop, etc. had a negative influence on young women. I felt that these shows created many stereotypes and impressions of women, being overly aggressive, overly sexual, overly glamourized,  and overall all dramatic., leading to the stars serving as negative role models. It also explains why so many shows lead to failed relationships. For example, according to the article "Reality TV" by Maryann Haggerty, her findings say that "there's glamorization of drunkenness and casual sex. It reinforces the most immature actions of our entire society” (Haggerty). Going forward with this statement, these actions were meant for pure, mindless entertainment, however they have become a reality for viewers. She also says that it's important to see whether or not a show is presenting a stereotype and is that how we truly view our culture (Haggerty).

From my first source, it really described why women act the way they do on a psychological aspect. In this source however it gives a little more detail on how they act. I feel that this source only highlights certain shows, but it can pertain to a wider range, like the ones I'm discussing here. I do like this source because it explains how reality tv isn't real. and that it's meant for entertainment, not to be necessarily be taken in a literal sense to the point where someone would replicate what they see on television.

Next, I want to explore how the platform of reality shows have changed over the years due negative reception from critics and viewers. We've seen networks such as MTV and VH1 get rid of certain reality shows to make a positive image on the network. I hope to go more in depth on this topic because it's important to see how much reality tv has evolved in recent years and see it in a positive light.