No one with cable these days is a stranger to “reality TV” shows whether they choose to watch them or not. Sure, they make us laugh, roll our eyes and even cause a Twitter timeline frenzy, but how far is too far? Are the reality shows being aired, featuring mainly women, providing a false sense of reality to teenage girls and younger women? What happens when these shows are indulged in by those who don’t realize these shows were created to entertain; not to show what life is really like?

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Do I think all reality shows are bad or negative? Certainly not! There are a few reality shows that are relatable to the general public and contains a quality of substance. Shows that are on the level of Braxton Family Values or T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle tend to give off a more realistic vibe. Everyone has some level of family drama, but just like these shows, it’s not too over the top in most cases. There’s a mother and father on these shows that commands respect, yet still have a healthy relationship with their children. That describes several families in America. What happens though when we have teens and young women who haven’t quite grasped reality yet, being fostered by reality shows like The Real Housewives series, The Bad Girls Club or even Married to Medicine? These are shows that were created to entertain; not to set a positive example for women. It’s important that the younger generation (and even some of the older generation who hasn’t quite gotten it yet) understands that. The longevity of shows like those thrives on drama.
 

As adults, we pick and choose what to partake in socially and entertainment wise, but as an adult we should be able to decipher what’s real and what’s not. Unfortunately, not all of these teenage girls and some of the women in their early twenties can do that. It’s becoming very apparent that some young ladies are beginning to believe that life is all about shopping and looking like a superstar. That is not reality. I live in Atlanta and I can tell you, what you see on TV is not every day life for the majority of residence whether they are rich or not. These shows highlight the lavish lifestyle, but doesn’t do too great of a job showing how much work goes on to acquire those lavish lifestyles. For some, they can’t even afford the lifestyles they depict on TV. Besides that, why are we exuding women behaving badly? That’s not the example that should be set for young girls or the image that we should be depicting as women in general. Yes, it’s entertaining at times, but how far is too far?
 

It’s too far when we have people getting excited and anticipating fight scenes between women on television that they’ve never even met. The goal is not to live life in total discord and dysfunction, but to strive for harmony and peace with one another. It’s no wonder that videos of fights between teenagers are being posted to YouTube and are getting thousands to millions of hits. What’s worse is that there is a multitude of adults clicking on those videos too. Reality TV isn’t solely to blame for that, but it certainly does affirm it. It’s not a secret that some cast members of shows like The Real Housewives were released for not bringing enough drama to the show. I can’t even go into a hair salon without there being a conversation going on about cast members of Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta or The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I find it pretty sad when grown women are sitting around discussing other women that they’ve never met even when they show isn’t even being played in the vicinity of where they are. I have witnessed grown women arguing about which cast member of RHOA has more money. Are you serious?  In the famous words of Tamar Braxton, “Get your life!”
 

We’re responsible for what we watch, but we have to remember that the media will only feed us what we’re willing to eat. Don’t say you miss shows with substance if you’re going to engage the ratings of garbage. Kudos to all the reality shows that are keeping it positive…or better yet, keeping it real!
 

~Miss Jennipher~

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