Reality Television as a Significant Development of Television Viewing Experience - Research Paper Example

Introduction Reality Television is a significant development of television viewing experience from the conventional / contemporary programs to a more authentic, close to life depiction of events - the one that has literally blurred the line separating the ‘real’ from the ‘reel’. It is in fact, considered as, a rapidly growing genre of television programming which has emerged and catapulted to unprecedented heights in the recent years. The introduction of reality television has drastically changed the media landscape the world over and could well be considered as a revolutionary change which has invaded our living rooms infiltrating every aspect of our lives making it an inevitable element of every television programmer’s top favorite must see list. The domain of television has been perceived as a healthy mix of myth and reality owing to its ability to integrate the real and the unreal cleverly crafting a creative space for the purpose of offering pure viewing pleasure to its audiences. However the onset of reality television has today redefined the conventional perspectives of pleasure and entertainment creating a whole genre which is far more glamorous, commercialized and bold making ordinary people like Jade Goody, Jonathan Shearer , and Paul Potts from popular reality shows Big Brother, Castaway, and Britain’s got Talent into overnight celebrities. This paper seeks to study the British television culture in today’s times particularly from the context of reality television and understand, analyze and discuss the post modern post feminist world of media culture that has exploded the media scene in recent times. 1. Key Terms and Definitions Reality Television: It is a genre of television program which showcases unscripted factual and real life events usually of ‘ordinary’ people i.e., non professional non celebrity actors. It usually covers a wide range of programs from games, quiz shows, talent shows – including dance and music etc and does not include news or documentaries. According to Chad Raphael (2004)1 reality television is “an umbrella term for a number of programming trends that have rapidly expanded since the late 1980’s across all hours of network schedules, first run syndication”. Post modernism: The term post modernism is related to the term modernism which refers to the period in western culture between later nineteenth and early twentieth century and the changes that this era underwent. It includes and applies to a wide range of disciplines ranging from art, and literature to architecture and technology2. Post feminism: The concept of ‘post feminism’ refers to the period after the third wave of feminism which took place during the later part of the twentieth century and which is basically centered on struggle for social, economic and political equality of both the sexes. According to Tasker and Negra (2007) Post feminism refers to a set of assumptions which presumes that women are unsatisfied by their legal and social equality and hence now seek to achieve fulfillment of their goals by adopting practices of transformation and empowerment. 2. The Post Feminist Media Culture One of the most prominent features of post feminist post modern media culture is its compulsive addiction with the female physicality. The term feminity in today’s time has assumed a whole new meaning which has left behind the conventional meaning that related it to ‘motherhood’ or ‘nurturing’ and assumed a new role which is neither social nor psychological in nature but has more to do with the physical aspect which is why women in media today are represented as sexual objects associating it as a free form of expression in present day modern times. It is persistently depicted as a source of power and is subjected to scrutiny, surveillance and criticism through reality television which thrives on portrayal of the female attractiveness. Feminity as depicted in the media today constitutes a sizeable percentage of all television programs particularly reality based shows. Not only has the reality television transformed the media landscape but it has further led to the creation of a new genre of television program which transforms ordinary citizens into overnight celebrities. It is this very aspect of reality shows that has increased the viewership of such programs drawing millions of viewers each day, with an irresistible appeal of watching their neighbors, acquaintances or even family members on the small screen. 2.1. Post Modern Post Feminist Aspects of Reality Television Prior to the onset of reality television excessive monitoring and criticism of female physicality was subjected towards celebrities alone however with the advent of reality based shows such as BBC’s ‘What Not To Wear’ and Channel 4’s ‘10 Years Younger’ even ordinary (non celebrity) women are subjected to such constant scrutiny. Both these shows which fall under the makeover reality show genre are based around making the contestants look younger and better and much more appealing. In the process shows such as these actively promote extreme steps such as cosmetic surgery in a bid to look younger and attractive and thereby promoting the sexualized representations of the participants and particularly the female contestants. Goldman (1992)3 observes that where once sexualized representations of women in the media was an attempt to present them as passive mute objects which apparently was received with an assumed male gaze, today the representation of female sexuality is indicative of a more liberal and evolved personality which is in sync with their feminist objectives. It is clearly an attempt to cater to the needs and desires of the post feminist sensibilities of the 21st century woman. Whelehan (1995) states that “Today’s successful woman is still tyrannized by Western Standards of female beauty – particularly in the age of cosmetic surgery where ‘perfection’ is seen to be achievable and indeed the ultimate quest for the wealthy female consumer”4 The reality shows are based on sexual content that represents a trend reflective of the modernization of feminity whereby glorification of sexual representation is the new central to almost all the themes of shows which caters specifically to the female viewers. However, the judging of female sexuality has shifted from males to self introspection thereby giving women the power or control to the objectification of self and in turn transforming them from ordinary to a desirable object as viewed from the male perspective. Although the content of such shows has raised uproar in some circles with concerned viewers raising serious objections reality shows still continue to dominate the media scene with shows running into several seasons which reaffirms the fact that audience’s appetite for reality based shows is increasing rapidly. 3. Depiction of Feminism in the Post Modern Era Lifestyle makeover based reality programs which are an integral part of a popular genre of television programming in recent times, relates to the theory of presenting television viewing as a virtual dream space which seeks to blur the line separating myth from reality. Such programs attempt to tantalize the viewers by construction of narratives which promises to offer the audience the pleasure of viewing and realizing their dream goals through mediated reality5. The introduction of an immensely popular yet controversial makeover reality show 10 Years Younger first launched in 2004 and aired on Channel 4 in Britain, witnessed the beginning of a revolutionary trend in the realm of reality television that was previously unseen on British terrestrial domain6. Similarly other shows such as What Not To Wear (BBC1, UK) and You are What You Eat (Channel 4, UK) which combined cosmetic surgery, fashion and nutrition all in a bid to make the contestants, predominantly female, live a dream of transforming themselves into attractive desirable personalities. However such reality based shows have faced severe criticisms from the advocates of feminist theories who have condemned such depiction stating that “it colonizes women’s bodies in conforming to ideals of female beauty through technological intervention”7. Reality based Television programs created a virtual transformative space whereby the participants of the show who were mostly comprised of people from ordinary walks of life, were subjected to constant public gaze thus, altering their ‘ordinary lives’ and turning them into overnight celebrities. The lure of ‘celebrification’ which reality television promised drove people towards such shows making themselves available for public scrutiny in exchange for fame and money8. As noted by Palmer (2008), in the post modern era the concept of female empowerment is conceived as a project of liberating self and where private lives and consumer capacities are regarded as ideal outlets for self expression and agency. Thus individualization of women in the post modern post feminist period varies remarkably from ‘the historical feminist emphasis’ which stressed more on social change and liberation of self9. The intense focus on female bodies marketed in the media as a depiction of feminity in the post feminist world is reflective of a ubiquitous sexualization of our conventional perception and understanding of culture. 4. Theories and Discussion The study of media culture in the third wave feminism offers a multitude of opportunities to analyze, criticize and discuss the revolutionary trend in the form of reality television that has engulfed the audiences worldwide in the post modern post feminist era. Several innovative reality based shows have stormed almost all the major networks in the U.K which tend to venture into territories that go beyond the conventional norms and standards of contemporary entertainment programs10. The wide scale appreciation and interest that these shows have managed to garner over the years is phenomenal leading to the need for researchers to understand the audience’s psyche and their interpretation of pleasure and entertainment in the post modern era. The various theories discussed in the later part of this paper seeks to discuss the manner in which the audiences retain or resist and identify with the ideologies propagated through such shows and programs, focusing on the elements of pleasure, gender and sexuality in the process. 4.1. Audience Theory of Pleasure The concept of reality television first arrived in the U.K., in 1954 with the program Seven Up and since then such shows have dominated the world media scene. In order to assess the exact reason behind the unprecedented success and popularity of such shows one must first understand what attracts the audiences towards such shows. According to a study conducted by Lee and Lee (1995)11 ‘mood elevation’ was found out to be the most common reason for high viewership of reality based shows. The reality shows features ordinary people from ordinary walks of life, much similar to the target audience to which it caters and hence they find the characters portrayed in such programs as more identifiable and relatable. Besides the various elements such as grief, happiness and joy that these shows offer act as a ‘stress buster’ which helps the audiences to relax and get rid of their everyday worries. Another significant factor according to the researchers that drove audiences towards such shows was the ‘social grease’ – a term which is used to describe the communication of the shared television experience with peers. Statistics reveal that the grand finale of the Channel 4’s popular reality T.V show Big Brother which was telecast live by the channel was viewed by 7.8 million people12. According to Blumler13 (1979) viewers have a keen desire to search for media content which tends to satisfy or cater to their individual needs and interests. The basic allure of reality based shows lies in its ability to offer consumer motivation. According to Reiss14 (2004) “people pay attention to stimuli that are relevant to the satisfaction of their most basic motives, and they tend to ignore stimuli that are irrelevant to their basic motives”. This ideology is relevant to the sensitivity theory alternatively known as the theory of 16 basic desires. The sensitivity theory suggests that individuals are more likely to notice and respond to the stimuli which are relatively more relevant or appropriate for self satisfaction and achieving their own goals, motives and desires. Theorists often argue that reality television tends to generate and promote voyeuristic tendencies among the viewers by making them believe that they are an integral part of the scenes or events which are unfolding in front of them. Such a claim is negated by others such as Creed (2003) who argues that movies offer much more voyeuristic pleasures as compared to reality shows. For instance, reality shows such as Big Brother which is more transparent owing to its generic structure and potential of encouraging audience involvement and interaction. He further states that reality television has the ability to free the audiences from voyeuristic entrapment by overthrowing the contemporary ethnographic gaze with a view to portray the dominant culture ‘looking at itself warts and all15’. 4.2. Post Feminist Theory The term post feminism is used widely with often different interpretations. According to Michelle` Barrett16 post feminism can be categorized and understood in terms of two distinct concepts – that of ‘a popular feeling that a drearily militant feminist politics’ is replaced by a new phenomenon popularly termed as ‘girl power’ and ‘academic developments that have transformed feminist theory through the incorporation of ideas from post structuralist theory’. Post feminism broadly embraces a range of assumptions which are widely found to be dispersed within the popular media forms. The concept is indicative of a more complex and complicated relationship between culture, politics and feminism. The contemporary post feminist culture chooses to take into consideration a selectively defined concept of feminism while conveniently ignoring others in order to reassert the fact that it is no longer required17. As observed by Tasker and Negra (2007) “The limits of the kind of gender equality within contemporary popular media culture are profound; they are marked by the valorization of female achievement within traditionally male working environments and the celebration of surgical and other disciplinary techniques that enable women to maintain a youthful appearance and attitude in later life”18 This fact can be reasserted from the host of reality television programs on air in the U.K such as What Not To Wear and 10 Years Younger which actively promotes the “makeover” of women by altering their physical characteristics to suit their perceived images of beauty. It is in fact helping them to confirm gender stereotypes whereby a female body is supposed to be an object of desire and for the viewing pleasure of the male gaze. The reality show 10 Years Younger actively promotes the use of surgical procedures such as cosmetic surgery in order to make the participants, predominantly females, to look years younger than their actual age. Reality shows such as these tend to reassure the myths and fantasies of individuals in general by confirming to conventional theories of social acceptance. Post feminism has emerged as a dominant discursive system across the various media forms whereby reality shows act as a perfect medium for expression of an energetic and boisterous vision of female personal empowerment. The growing demand for reality based content acts as a driving force behind the popularity of reality shows in Britain which thrives on the talents of ordinary young and liberated men and women simultaneously confirming to the widely discussed and critiqued discourses of feminist representations. 5. Media Makeover: From Documentary To Reality Television Television, in the past few decades have undergone major transformations with the introduction of hundreds of digital channels, and a wide range of options ranging from subscription, to broadband being made available to viewers in Britain. Such multiplicity of options to choose from and the emergence of technology have together helped create innumerable opportunities for production houses, as well as artists to venture into newer territories and broaden the scope and extent of the British media. The wide range of reality television shows aired in U.K in present times is representative of a trend that reflects the country’s stance on gender politics, set of beliefs and feminism. The British television culture has evolved from the conventional trajectories of a documentary / drama to a reality based shows which by popular opinion are often regarded as an adulterated and commercialized offshoot of documentary style programs. Biressi and Nunn (2005)19 claim that reality television can be considered as culturally significant since prior to its arrival, "factual programming had never succeeded as a consistently top - rated TV genre on British television”. Ever since it was first launched in the U.K, reality television has successfully catered to a wide range of audiences in innovative ways and managed to retain the viewer interest and attention since decades. The lure of high visibility that immensely popular reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor and lifestyle based reality shows such as 10 Years Younger have to offer attracts audiences in droves. The fact that such shows depicts the lives of ordinary people in unscripted situations which is a trademark of such shows, attracts audience interest and generates curiosity which explains the high television ratings that such shows manage to gain. In the post modern era reality television can be equated to consumerism whereby ordinary people particularly females are used as props for advertising and marketing of a particular product. The lifestyle shows that champion the cause of a female’s right to beauty conveniently use older women and claim to make them look and appear younger and attractive by the use of unconventional practices such as cosmetic surgery. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper seeks to explore and articulate feminist ideas in conjunction with gender relations and media portrayal of women in reality television. The study of women representation in a post feminist post modern media is highly complex since on one hand women are gaining critical acclaim on account of their representation as strong, independent and liberated individuals and girl power, yet on the other hand they are represented as objects of sexual desire who are willing to succumb to gender stereotypes in the guise of feminism, by agreeing to go under the knife to look glamorous, appealing and desirable to males. These two parallels further reaffirm the fact that the concept of post feminism is much more than a mere backlash / response against / to feminism it is in fact a sensibility which is partly formed through the widespread existence of neoliberal ideologies. References: Blumler, J. G., (1979). The Role of Theory in Uses and Gratification Studies, Communication Research, Vol. 6, Pp. 9 – 36 Browning, G. K., Halcli, A., Webster, F., (2000). Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present, SAGE Publishing, Pp. 46 Biressi, A., Nunn, H., (2005). Reality TV: Realism and Revelation, Wallflower Press, Pp. 2 Creed, B.(2003). Media Matrix: Sexing the New Reality. Allen and Unwin, Australia, Pp. 40 Couldry, N. (2003). Media Rituals: A Critical Approach, Routledge, Pp. 130 Goldman, R. (1992). Reading ads socially, Routledge, Pp.65 Johnson, M. L., (2007). Third Wave Feminism: Jane Puts it in a Box, I.B. Tauris Publishers, Pp. viii Lee, B., Lee, R. S., (1995). How and Why People Watch Television: Implications for the future of Interactive Television, Pp. 9 - 18 Palmer, G. (2004). The New You: Understanding Reality TV, London, Routledge, Pp.173 Palmer, G. (2008). Exposing Lifestyle Television: The Big Reveal, Ashgate Publishing Pp. 85, 86, 87 Raphael, C. (2004). The Political – Economic Origins of Reali – TV. Reality TV : The Remaking of Television Culture, New York University Press, Pp.120 Reiss, S., Wiltz, J., (2004). Why People Watch Reality Television. Pp. 363 Tasker, Y., Negra, D., (2007). Interrogating Post Feminism: Gender and Politics of Popular Culture, Pp. 1 Whelehan, I. (1995). Modern Feminist Thought: From the Second Wave to “Post Feminism”, Edinburgh University Press, Pp. 217 eSSORTMENT (2009). Definition and Meaning of Post Modernism, viewed: Feb 26, 2009, from: BBC News (2009). Big Brother Final Watched by 7.8m, viewed Feb 28th, 2009 from: Read More