The Impact Of Reality

TV On Our Teens.

As reality TV has become staple entertainment for young

people and adults alike, tween and teen girls who
regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level
of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and
measure their worth primarily by their physical
appearance, according to Real to Me: Girls and Reality TV, a national survey released today by the Girl Scout
Research Institute.

Reality TV is a huge part of our television viewing culture. It may be clear to many adults that not all is “real”
in the world of “reality” TV. But how do children and adolescents understand the world of reality TV? What
could reality TV be teaching adolescent girls, in particular, about what is valued in the real world? And, how
does it affect their attitudes, beliefs, self-image, and behavior?

Physical Beauty And Sex Appeal

Many reality shows depict women idealizing beauty and thinness, giving the impression that a woman’s value is
based on her appearance, and that popularity is derived from beauty. Girls who view reality TV regularly are
also more focused on the value of physical appearance. 72 percent say they spend a lot of time on their
appearance vs. 42 percent of non-viewers, while more than a third (38 percent) think that a girl's value is
based on how she looks. Competition shows such as America’s Next Top Model perpetuate this ideal, as
women compete with one another to gain a lucrative modeling contract.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians features the life of a family that spends a great deal of time and money on
appearance, with a consequent rise in fame and popularity of its girls and women. Their Instagram pages,
often followed by young fans of the show, are full of “selfie,” bikini,
and modeling photos. Photos that feature their “ordinary” everyday
lives are highly sexualized, including the pages of the youngest teen
members of the family. This practice perpetuates the notion that
“real” people gain popularity and happiness by focusing on their
appearance—and to be successful, personal image, even at a very
young age, should be laced with sexuality.

Aggression And Bullying

Reality TV typically reveals inappropriate behavior within peer groups, often promoting interpersonal drama,
aggression, and bullying. For example, women in The Real Housewives franchise gossip, back-stab, and behave
aggressively, condescendingly, and catty toward one another. The expression of relational aggression
between females seen across several reality shows gives girls the idea that gossiping is a normal part of a
female relationship, that it’s in girls’ natures to be divisive and competitive with
one another, and that being mean earns respect and is often necessary to get what
you want.
"Girls today are bombarded with media - reality TV and otherwise - that more
frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in
support or collaboration. This perpetuates a 'mean-girl' stereotype and normalizes
this behavior among girls," states Andrea Bastiani Archibald, Ph.D. Developmental
Psychologist, Girl Scouts of the USA.

As we try to discourage bullying, gossiping, and other forms of interpersonal aggression between young girls,
it’s unfortunate that reality shows often feature adults behaving in exactly this manner, all the while
continuing to gain popularity in mainstream media.

iSLCollective.com
 The Impact Of Reality
TV On Our Teens.

As reality TV has become staple entertainment for young

people and adults alike, tween and teen girls who
regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level
of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and
measure their worth primarily by their physical
appearance, according to Real to Me: Girls and Reality TV, a national survey released today by the Girl Scout
Research Institute.

Reality TV is a huge part of our television viewing culture. It may be clear to many adults that not all is “real”
in the world of “reality” TV. But how do children and adolescents understand the world of reality TV? What
could reality TV be teaching adolescent girls, in particular, about what is valued in the real world? And, how
does it affect their attitudes, beliefs, self-image, and behavior?

Physical Beauty And Sex Appeal

Many reality shows depict women idealizing beauty and thinness, giving the impression that a woman’s value is
based on her appearance, and that popularity is derived from beauty. Girls who view reality TV regularly are
also more focused on the value of physical appearance. 72 percent say they spend a lot of time on their
appearance vs. 42 percent of non-viewers, while more than a third (38 percent) think that a girl's value is
based on how she looks. Competition shows such as America’s Next Top Model perpetuate this ideal, as
women compete with one another to gain a lucrative modeling contract.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians features the life of a family that spends a great deal of time and money on
appearance, with a consequent rise in fame and popularity of its girls and women. Their Instagram pages,
often followed by young fans of the show, are full of “selfie,” bikini,
and modeling photos. Photos that feature their “ordinary” everyday
lives are highly sexualized, including the pages of the youngest teen
members of the family. This practice perpetuates the notion that
“real” people gain popularity and happiness by focusing on their
appearance—and to be successful, personal image, even at a very
young age, should be laced with sexuality.

Aggression And Bullying

Reality TV typically reveals inappropriate behavior within peer groups, often promoting interpersonal drama,
aggression, and bullying. For example, women in The Real Housewives franchise gossip, back-stab, and behave
aggressively, condescendingly, and catty toward one another. The expression of relational aggression
between females seen across several reality shows gives girls the idea that gossiping is a normal part of a
female relationship, that it’s in girls’ natures to be divisive and competitive with
one another, and that being mean earns respect and is often necessary to get what
you want.
"Girls today are bombarded with media - reality TV and otherwise - that more
frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in
support or collaboration. This perpetuates a 'mean-girl' stereotype and normalizes
this behavior among girls," states Andrea Bastiani Archibald, Ph.D. Developmental
Psychologist, Girl Scouts of the USA.

As we try to discourage bullying, gossiping, and other forms of interpersonal aggression between young girls,
it’s unfortunate that reality shows often feature adults behaving in exactly this manner, all the while
continuing to gain popularity in mainstream media.

iSLCollective.com