Gender - Real Housewives of Everywhere

Franchises like the Real Housewives have opened up a world of scrutiny regarding the lives of the women on these shows. There are/have all together been 8 American Real Housewife shows including; Atlanta, DC & Beverly Hills. These shows have created 'Bravolebrities' - celebrities of the company Bravo - which follows the lives of a group of upper class women living their everyday lives and the drama that ensues it. The show dictates which housewives are replaced and who are brought back depending on their 'storyline', which is why shows like this fall under criticism for trying to manipulate scenes in order to create drama. The producers often cast women with strong personalities that they know will clash with other housewives. Generally the franchise does well in the ratings and comes on top of other shows on the channel or above other shows on different networks.

The show receives negative backlash due to some of the women on the show, like Kim Zolciak (Pictured left) who was described as a wig wearing, chain smoking alcoholic by some viewers. Whereas other housewives have had to face public bankruptcy, suicides and alcohol/drug addiction - which poses the question, Do these shows actually ruin peoples lives? The shows are represented negatively due to the impression that all girls should be married and subservient to their husbands. But also gives women as a whole a bad name as on the show they typically argue and have cat fights over the smallest subjects, it raises the impression that all women are backstabbers and bitchy. The show also glamorises the idea of wealth and appearance are more important than brains and personality, as a lot of the women (Specifically the Orange County housewives) come across as airheads with stereotypical appearances - being; bleach blonde hair, orange tans, snow white teeth and carrying dogs in their designer handbags. Shows belonging to this franchise anger people because they do not agree with the women's fame and how they degrade any achievements any female has made in their life - like how Hillary Clinton is at a high position of political power. Some people also disagree with the 'Housewife' element of the show because it makes it appear that all women should have this role and stay at home with the children, But this has totally changed as women are finally seen as equal and people like Oprah Winfrey & Hillary Clinton are embodying success as a woman. 

This was identifiable as the women on the show are considered to be negative and how the whole basis of the show can have a highly negative effect on teenage girls that would watch the show, as they may grow up with the impression that they will marry into wealth and have their own reality TV show. The real housewives are a fixation of popular culture as they are often described as 'war zone shows' by journalists and jokes are made constantly about these shows because of how degrading they are to women. Although people do disagree with the show it is still watched by millions of viewers and is unlikely to disappear any time soon, which just shows that the criticism and negative representation does not affect viewership.