Mind Games: I Love New York 2
I Love New York 2 is based off of a woman named Tiffany Pollard, aka New York, who is trying to find her true love, again. The show was created by Chris Abrego and Mark Cronin, who are also the executive producers along with Ben Samek and airs on VH1. In Season 1 of I Love New York, New York chose Tango, who then dumped her on the reunion show, the first time they had seen each other after she picked up. Season 2 is New York’s second attempt to find another “true love”.
Tiffany got her nickname (New York), her fame, and her own show from her previous involvement with the show Flavor of Love. William Drayton, aka Flavor Flave from Public Enemy, had the same concept for his reality show: seeking love from a large cast of women that wanted to be with him. He never chose New York as the winner in either episode, but she drew much attention from viewers all over the country.
The targeted audience seems to be aimed at younger viewers considering it is aired on VH1. Many of the commercials are on other shows that are on VH1 and also other products that would fit the “lives” of a younger group: beer, partying, perfume/cologne, and music.
New York is a perfect example of performativity. She has long, smooth hair, pounds of makeup, long nails, long eyelashes, and huge breasts (from her implant surgery after Season 1). She is hyper-feminine most of the time while also being very blunt about her control over all of the men in the house. The gaze of New York is constructed by the way the camera focuses mostly in a close up of her plastered face, and a shot that emphasizes her enormous breasts. The gaze of the men is openly talked about whenever New York walks into the room, they all complement her on how good she looks, they all are never afraid to tell her that she is really sexy, and are definitely not afraid to tell the camera (in the confessional room) and other men how willing they are to have sex with New York.
The episode I watched was called Mind Games. New York takes the contestants to see her therapist for “couples counseling” and to a Psychology Technician. When they are in couples counseling New York makes it clear to all the men that she wants to be the male figure in the relationship and she wants them to be her “wife”. The therapist then asks the men what they think of this and some reply that they would do whatever it takes to make New York happy, while others, such as Buddha, say that he will always “be the man”. In the essay Commentary and Criticism Into by Karen Ross and Sujata Moorti, they remark that most reality television shows are based on hetero gendered relationships, which favor men over women and thus duplicates the patriarchal social structure and presents the female body for the voyeuristic gaze. New York questions this theory of hetero gendered relationships by opening saying that she will pick a man based on his ability to let her take the control in the relationship and take the role of the “wife”. On the other hand, she assimilates with the concept of the women playing the role of the object for the voyeuristic gaze produced by the camera and by the men. Although, she does project her own voyeuristic gaze onto the men by constantly commenting on their physical bodies and their “assets”.
For the most part, I Love New York 2 portrays the concept discussed by Ross and Moorti of glamorizing the traditional roles of women and men and normalizes acceptable behaviors between the both of them. Although she does exert her own agency onto the men by telling them what to do, making them worship her and love her, she is still the object of desire amongst the camera, the men, and the viewers.