TV Does Nothing for Relationships!

This week in class we watched the pilot episode of a show called “Work It” that reinforced gender stereotypes heavily. It portrayed the man of the house as the one who needed to be the breadwinner while it portrayed women as silly, clueless and only capable of power through their sexuality.  It depicted a stereotypical man drinking beer at the bar with his friends while the stereotypical nagging wife would always forgive him in the end, especially when he brought her material goods as an apology.

It related a good deal to the show I chose to watch this week known as a “The Bachelor”. I actually do watch this show on a regular basis, mostly because I find it ridiculous, over the top, and funny. The show places a large group of women with one man and allows him to choose through a series of overly romantic dates who he would like to marry. The show is very adamant about the fact that any of them could find “true love” without ever addressing the obvious notion that finding true love on a reality show is just silly.

On the particular episode I watched, Bachelor Ben took one of his bachelorettes on a date where the climbed to the top of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. The girl overcame her fear of heights and was ensured that their relationship could last because Ben was able to comfort her through her fear. It reinforced the idea that men are saviors and supporters to women. What I also found interesting about the show is that there is never any discussion of jobs, locations, or anything that might affect these possible relationships in the future. Ben is also in his 30’s while all of the women are in their 20’s. Hmm.

The thing I will take away from both of these shows is that they play a role in telling women what their role should be in society. “Work It” constantly depicts the wife in a kitchen and the working women shown are never actually working but socializing instead. “The Bachelor” asks women not to consider their future mate’s job, credit, family, or friends, but be dazzled by the romantic locations he (or the show he is on) may take them.  Good or bad, they make a difference and DO affect behavior within society.