Misogyny and Reality TV

I'll admit it. They say it's the first step. I'm addicted to reality TV. No, I'm not as hardcore as others. I do draw the line at Honey Boo Boo and Jersey Shore. My preference is competition shows, mostly those involving talent and/or skill. I get my guilty pleasure kick by watching the Bachelor/ Bachelorette /Bachelor Pad franchise shows. Who doesn't like a good hot mess?

Reality TV is escapist, sometimes heart-warming, entertainment at best; but on the flip side it can uncover some unsavory aspects of North American society. I will also admit that there have been occasions where these shows have made me cry, laugh out loud at some absurdity or the other, and get pissed off to no end. Not necessarily at the people on these shows. They're all trying to get ahead in some way or the other, but at the way we see people and their place in the world.

To be more blunt. Reality TV has become a hot bed of misogyny in the way women are portrayed but worse, in the way they are received. Here are some stats to think about:

• Out of 11 seasons of American Idol, 7 of them were won by men.
• Out of 14 seasons of Big Brother, 9 of them were won by men. A woman has never won against a man.
• Survivor is a evenly split, despite the fact that its host and now producer refuses to give the female players any credit. Out of 24 seasons, half of them were won by men.
• Out of 14 seasons of Dancing with the Stars, 10 of them were won by men.
• In 3 seasons of Top Chef Masters, only men won.
• In both seasons of The Voice, men won (and that includes the mentors).
• Both seasons of The Glee Project were won by men.
• The first season of The Glass House was won by a man even though there were also 2 women in the finale.

In other words, women have much fewer chances of winning these shows, whether the winners are chosen by the voting public, judges or fellow contestants. Are these results based on who played a better game or whose skill level is more developed? Not really. It's more of a reflection of gender-based stereotypes that are so ingrained in our way of thinking, subverted into the way we react to men and women in competitions and positions of power.

Women who are as proactive as men in their careers are not ambitious. They are aggressive. Women who assert themselves in positions of power and influence are not strong; they are bitches. Women are criticized for their appearance even in the middle of important peace-keeping negotiations, or campaigns to right injustices. They are judged because they aren't wearing lip-gloss or they've put on some weight. Men can look frumpy and disheveled but it doesn't matter if they are leading a multi-billion dollar corporation.

And before you call me a man-hater (I like men a LOT!), men are often not the source of this misogyny. Surprisingly, disappointingly, infuriatingly, alarmingly, women are. In fact, based on my first-hand observations in fan communities of some of these reality TV shows, it is the female contestants who are frequently, if not solely, the recipients of hatred, wrath and ridicule, coming predominantly from female viewers and female participants.

That's the reality of this situation. We might be living in countries that tout gender, racial or cultural equality (those will be the subject of another day), but until that translates into the reality of life, we have a long way to go.

Stay tuned! :)