Reality Television Redefining Women or Not?

Reality television shows are popular amongst the American public. Shows such as “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Kendra,” and “Paris Hilton’s The Simple Life,” all revolve around the lives of wealthy, Hollywood starlets. While these television shows provide endless hours of trashy entertainment, they also help bring to light issues that have been floating around in American society. In these shows, young women reinvent the way society looks at the female gender. Kim Kardashian, the “protagonist” of “Keeping up With the Kardashians,” is best known for her body and sex appeal. The same is true for Kendra Wilkinson, a former play mate bunny, and the famous Paris Hilton. All three women tell their viewers and the press that they aspire to be role models for women, but is this really true? While Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian tell the press that their goal is to help young girls feel comfortable in their bodies, these three sisters constantly criticize their own weights and body figures on their show.  In most cases, people would write this issue off and say, “The Kardashians, Kendra, and Paris Hilton are paid to act. They say what they are supposed to, so why is their image so important?” This viewpoint is not true however because these women are supposedly not acting in their shows, and are trying to live their lives normally. If this is so, and they are trying to be role models while on t.v., then why do they constantly act unhappy with their outer appearance? This only shows young viewers that sex appeal and beauty create a woman, not a personality, and that you should be unhappy with the way you look. The women also feel as though their looks will get them places, not their intelligence. This is shown when the Kardashians and Kendra must get in shape in order to pose for their photo shoots. Eight weeks after having a baby, Kendra Wilkinson began to freak out on her show because she needed to wear a bikini and go back to her pre-baby size. For the next two episodes, Kendra only worked out, and even then, she was not back to her original shape, yet in the magazine, she looked even skinnier than she was before she gave birth. This again reinforces the idea that girls need to be sexy and skinny in order to get positive attention from men and be successful. Reality television stars all face the same battles as every other American woman- body image, self- esteem, success, and sex appeal- yet they try to deny it. Although they tell the press that they are happy with their body, they contradict themselves in their television shows, and therefore, reinforce the idea that skinny and sexy amounts to success and male attention.