F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

I watched an episode of Laguna Beach titled “Kiss and Don’t Tell�. This show airs on MTV and follows the lives of high school students from Laguna Beach, CA. This particular episode was about some of the stars that went to San Diego for a night. One of the guys, Cameron, “hooked up� with a girl named Tessa, who was the reason they went down there for her modeling. It was a big deal because Cameron is kind of dating someone else, Jessica, and, therefore, it was seem like he was cheating on her to the audience, although Jessica does not know.
Stereotypes run rampant throughout this show, and this episode was no exception. First there was the stereotype of women are not as strong as men. This was portrayed by Cameron and Jessica at the gym. They showed her as being weak and a complainer. Another stereotype shown by the directors was that women are easy to fall in love. They show Tessa just smitten with Cameron after only one night together. Meanwhile, Cameron just sees her as a “hook up� and goes back to Jessica the next day.
Another portrayal in this show is the obsession with perfection. Every character has gorgeous hair that looks like they have their own stylist. Their clothes are right out of the magazines. They are fit and petite. Their nails are manicured and their feet perfectly pedicured.
This show is the perfect example of what Myra Mendible talks about in her essay on humiliation. She explains how many of the people on reality tv subject themselves to humiliation because the fact that millions of people are watching makes them feel extremely important (336). It elevates their status and helps them keep their self esteem because even though things may hurt them on the show, they know people are watching and it helps them think that people care (336).
I think this has a lot to do with the people on Laguna Beach. They are ordinary people, however, their lives are taped and viewed and the audience plays right along in with their drama. It makes them feel like they are celebrities and so they act like them, even though they are not. They are just reality tv stars.