I'm going to make a very embarrassing confession. I watch the Bachelor. Pretty much religiously. I've watched it since the second season, and even spearheaded a money pool for a few years, betting on which girls would make it through each week. But recently I was flipping through the TV channels and stopped on the Real Housewives of somewhere, a franchise I've never watched. These were the most terrible, cattiest, attention starved women I had ever seen. Then I realized that I also occasionally watch Basketball Wives and Football Wives on VH-1, and they are certainly no better. In fact, they're probably worse. Both shows seem to have very few "wives," but a lot of ex-wives, girlfriends and mothers of somebody important's children. The Basketball/Football "wives" are probably worse, because none of them are married, but actually just glorified groupies that managed to trap a millionaire athlete for sperm donor purposes.
But hey, to each his own, and I certainly am not the type of person to judge. If that's the way these "ladies" act in real life, great. But do they really have to rewarded with face time on national television? I'm probably not alone in feeling like these types of shows are actually quite damaging to the women and little girls who watch them... Wait, scratch that... they're damaging to pretty much all women in general. What these shows say to me is that nasty, crazy, selfish behavior can be rewarded with lucrative TV contracts and celebrity status. Is this what passes for being a successful female in America?
I've worked in TV and currently work in PR, so I know better than anyone that smut and dirt sell... But more women than men are graduating from college these days, the salary gap between the sexes is closing and women could very well outweigh men in the workforce in the next few years, so why hasn't some production company exercised some degree of social responsiblity and produced a show that showcases women for being smart and successful, instead of being shallow and snide?
Just once I feel it would be refreshing to see a show about women competing in business, athletics, academics, charity or just SOME area that doens't involve yelling at each other, calling each other names or fighting over men. True, I admit that I do get some level of entertainment by watching these shows, but I also feel ashamed that these are hours I will never get back. Luckily, I can also separate reality show trainwrecks from actual reality. But there are a whole generation of little girls growing up and watching this trend on TV. Let's hope and pray they have strong role models who can counter these influences... or at least install a v-chip on their TV to block it for as long as possible!
P.S.-- I would still totally go on the Bachelor, but I pledge to not be there for the "right" reasons... I just wanna go rock climbing, jump off waterfalls and take helicopter rides over volcanoes. :-)
