Reality television is popular all over the world. The influence reality television has on society is significant, especially its influence on the youth generation since television is a widely accessible form of mass culture. Psychologist Randall Flanery, PhD, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine tells Webmd.
com (2003) that he is especially concerned about its teenage viewers, who are more than likely to develop eating disorders.Holly Hoff, program director of the National Eating Disorders Association, also shared with Webmd. com (2003) her concerns about reality television’s impact on youth, saying that reality television emulates these most often, unhealthy standards when anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (see Sperry, 2009), the number of cosmetic procedures has increased to over 10 million in 2006, representing a 48% increase from 2000.
This increase in cosmetic surgery performance is caused by the popularity of reality cosmetic surgery television programming.In fact, psychologists bring to public attention how easily reality television programs find a way to peoples mind (see Ruocco, 2004). For most viewers, these programs are purely entertainment, but the truth is that they have a profound effect on society. Reality television causes the following serious problems among society: increases in eating disorders; significant increases in plastic surgery, and surprisingly noticeable increases of racism. To begin, one way that reality television shows increase eating disorders is by exposing viewers to thin-ideal body images, which causes body dissatisfaction and encourages a drive for thinness.
Research has shown that reality television programs influence eating disorders. Mazzeo et al. (2007), investigated effects of reality TV cosmetic surgery programs like The Swan, and their findings indicated that the effects of the cosmetic surgery makeover program were most negative for young women. The results of this study can be used to illustrate the process of how reality shows increase eating disorders. First, women exposed to reality shows like The Swan lower their self-confidence, plunge into depression, and finally in consequence, they become determined to do everything to achieve the ideal body quickly, without thinking about the serious consequences of eating disorders.Those fatal health consequences are usually bulimia, and anorexia, which has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder, according to the WebMD.
com (2003). Young women who have a greater appeal of the thin-ideal body, usually become alienated with their desire, and plunge into anorexia, or bulimia following an ideal body image as seen in reality television programs, and they do not realize they already need help, such as professional psychological treatment.Most of the time they actually refuse help, and try to find evidence that this problem does not exist in their life. Another way that reality television shows increase eating disorders is by promoting extreme thinness and reinforcing the problem while treating eating disorders like they are not a problem. Experts provided evidence that some reality television programs help identify and accept the problems of eating disorders, completely ignoring their serious consequences.
As Jorissen et al. (2008) indicate that while the amount of television young women watched did not have a signi?Cant correlation with body dissatisfaction or drive for thinness, the categories of the programs they watched did. Regarding to Jorissen et al. (2008) findings, extreme thinness promoting shows are frequently watched by those who are already dealing with an eating disorder problem.
These findings illustrate that reality television shows may not only cause an increase of eating disorders, but can help identify and accept the problems of eating disorders without giving a solution for those who need it, but it simply reinforces a problem by treating eating disorders like they are not a problem.That is why treatment for eating disorders is so difficult because some of the patients just refuse to admit that they have a problem, when they identify themselves with reality television contestants who seems to always be doing well, even though it is obvious that they are dealing with an eating disorder problem. Clearly, reality television shows promote the drive and motivation among our society to be thin, while simultaneously reinforcing the eating disorder problem by ignoring it. In addition to increasing eating disorders, reality television shows increase the desire to undergo cosmetic surgical procedures among society by motivating viewers to pursue cosmetic enhancements and creating moral justifications for plastic surgery.Reality television shows increase the desire to undergo cosmetic surgical procedures by motivating viewers who are dissatisfied with their bodies to pursue cosmetic enhancements.
For example, a dramatic, undefined increase of cosmetic surgeries in the United States is connected with more and more popular reality shows like The Swan or Extreme Makeover I want a Famous Face. Nabi (2009) investigated how those programs increase desire to undergo cosmetic surgical procedures among American society.The results of this study indicates that viewing cosmetic surgery makeover programs associates with an interest in pursuing cosmetic enhancements. The process is that the young people who are dissatisfied with their bodies compare themselves to program participants, what motivate them to want the procedures.
This explains a dramatic increase of cosmetic surgery in the United States. The Swan or Extreme Makeover I want a Famous Face have been criticized by psychologists for presenting invasive cosmetic procedures as relatively low risk, suggesting that improving one’s appearance should be acceptable.Another way that reality television shows increase the desire to undergo cosmetic surgical procedures is by creating a moral justification for plastic surgery. Reality television programs draw from cultural discourses of plastic surgery and self-improvement culture to frame cosmetic surgery as morally appropriate. For example Marwick (2010) describes the study on the contestant of the cosmetic surgery reality show The Swan by investigating how this program creates a moral justification for plastic surgery.
After looking into some of the contestants stories, the author of the article comes to the conclusion that The Swan portrays cosmetic surgery and self improvement like something that shouldn’t be controversial, but accepted, and again the risk is not mentioned. Young women start thinking that they should also have a chance to be deemed The Swan, and in consequence they decide for plastic surgery. Acceptance of the female self-improvement by the viewers of reality television and society is part of the process that plastic surgery is easily becoming less controversial and more popular among society.Evidently, reality television shows motivate society to pursue cosmetic enhancements, thereby increasing the number of plastic surgery procedures. Beyond increasing eating disorders and plastic surgery performance, reality television also increases racism among society by exploiting racial stereotypes and ignoring racial discrimination. One way that reality television shows increase racism among society is by exhibiting racial stereotypes and often presenting unreal images of racial identity.
Reality television programs often feature multiracial casts, using stereotypes, and a contrast between Black and White contestants, whereby producers try to attract viewers attention. Dubrofsky (2008) investigated two popular reality shows, Flavor of Love and The Bachelor. Both shows are based on the same format - a single bachelor is looking for a potential wife, with the difference being that in the case of Flavor of Love, the bachelor is Flavor Flav, a member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy. These two shows intersect in the display of raced identities, and portraying race stereotypes.Flavor of Love animates racial stereotypes presenting Black women as hypersexual and angry, exhibiting the worst characteristics of ghetto behavior in contrast to restrictive naturalized White identities presented on The Bachelor.
There is no place for black girl in the arms of prince charming on The Bachelor, and the same show is exposing materialism like a priority of White people. Reality shows like Flavor of Love or The Bachelor animate the worst racial stereotypes, presenting often, not real images of Black or White racial identity.In consequence of exaggerating racial characteristics for show demands, reality television causes an increase of stereotyping, and ignores racial discrimination by making it something entertaining. Another way that reality television shows increase racism among society is by reflecting racial preference among the viewers which indicates ignoring racial discrimination. The most popular shows are the best example of how raced reality television is, and how society ignores racial discrimination problems.For example Lee (2009) investigates whether viewers of the popular television show, American Idol, exhibits racial preferences.
Using econometric methods while examining voters preferences, Lee found evidence on same-race preferences among black viewers: when there are more black contestants in the show, more black viewers watch it. Another interesting finding is that black contestants are disproportionately more likely to be voted off, which might be related to the fact that a majority of viewers are white.Both findings reflects voter’s racial preferences. In the entertainment industry, talent is indistinguishable from appearance, including skin color. American Idol reflects racial discrimination among viewers, but above this, it confirms that what psychologists point out – society ignores discrimination. Professor of Counseling Alvin Alvarez, claims that denying or ignoring racial discrimination leads to greater psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, and lowers self-esteem among society (see Elaine Bible 2010).
Surely, reality television shows increase racism, stereotypes and ignoring racial discrimination which lead to serious social issues. The fact that reality television has significant impact on society, especially on the youth generation is unfortunately not well known. For most viewers, these programs are purely entertainment, but several studies have demonstrated profound negative effects of watching reality television on society. Reality television programs causes serious problems among society like increases in eating disorders; plastic surgery performance, and surprisingly noticeable increases of racism.Psychologists, and parents might especially care about how reality television affects the youth generation because it will help them understand that some serious problems are strictly correlated with watching reality television.
Developing awareness towards these serious growing problems may result in written publications and social campaigns that may help dissuade the youth from the serious consequences correlated with something that seems to be entertainment.
