6.12.2012

Women in the Media

Hey there! It's been a while since I've posted anything...to be honest, I've been trying to get motivated to do so and I finally found a topic that I feel passionate enough about to share my opinions.

 

So yesterday was the conclusion of the Basketball Wives Reunion, and quite frankly it went almost exactly how I expected. These women have had months to reflect on their actions by either watching the show or reading on how people like myself view them and the show, and I think they behaved accordingly. To be quite honest, shows like Basketball Wives, Mob Wives, Housewives of [Random City Name], etc. annoy me to no end, and yet, I can't stop watching them...why? Because they are role models. They show me how not to act in public. Their actions and the repercussions they face teach me as a young women that those sort of things are not and should not be tolerated. When I watch these shows, I don't look at them starry-eyed and say "I want to be like them! I want to have a life like theirs!" because, to be perfectly clear, their lives are not all that...they may have material things, and, let's face it, everyone can appreciate a nice car or a high fashion bag or two, but their personal lives are nothing to look up to. These women go through divorces, physical altercations, back stabbing, and other personal demons that are nothing to be proud of, but these women open up their lives for the world to see, and you know what? I admire them for that.

It can't be easy letting cameras into your house, filming day and night non-stop for months at a time. It can't be easy disclosing the deepest darkest secrets from your past for the whole world to see. But they know what they are getting into before they do the show...so there's no excuse as to why some of them act the way they do, especially if the point of the shows are to prove certain points.

I will say this though: Despite the backlash these women get from the critics, they continue to make money, and it is all thanks to the viewers. So viewers: if you're not happy with what you see, stop watching it. The higher the ratings, the better chance the show will continue. If you aren't happy with how these women treat each other and how they portray your demographic, stop watching. It's as simple as that. People with common sense know that not all black women are boisterous and "ghetto" and not all white women are easy or clueless. If you are so worried about how people will see you based on these shows, make sure you do the opposite of what they do, and you should be all right.

Now that is not to say that all these women do is bicker, fight, and sleep with each other's men. In each show there are always high points, a lot of times dealing with their kids (if they have them) or any extra-curricular activities. As hard as it is to acknowledge the good times, due to the overshadowing of the bad, we have to examine those just as closely. With that, there is poof that these women can act civilized and it gives me hope. 

Well, that's pretty much all I wanted to say about this topic. Adios!