F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

The reality TV show that I chose to watch was My Super Sweet 16. I choose this show because I have watched it many times before; I, along with many other female viewers, don’t necessarily like this show, but am somehow drawn in every time it is on. This show is definitely aimed at young girls and women, as most of the people featured are young women (just turning 16). This show features girls that the audience loves to hate; all these girls fit perfectly into the stereotype of “spoiled little rich girl�. They have never had to work a day in their life and their parents pay for their designer clothes and hair styles that cost hundreds of dollars. The particular episode that I watched featured a girl named Nicole, a slightly heavy, but still attractive young girl with long dark hair. The party that she planned had circus performers and professional dancers. Before the party Nicole tries on many dresses, trying to figure out which looks best. She ends up buying four, each one costing thousands of dollars. She does this because she knows that everyone at the party will be looking at her, especially during her entrance into the party, and she wants to look as attractive as possible. This is an interesting representation of the gaze, because Nicole knows that everyone will be looking at her and actually encourages it; she thinks of it as a good thing, unlike many other examples of the gaze that have been discussed. Her mother describes her dresses as “dainty�, and Nicole describes them as “sexy�, both traditionally desired aspects of a woman. After choosing dresses to wear, Nicole flies to Hawaii to have a certain stylist highlight her hair, and then spends hours before the party have professionals apply makeup and style her hair. In the chapter, “Commentary and Criticism Introduction� Karen Ross and Sujata Moorti discuss how Joe Millionare “glamorizes traditional notions of appropriate demeanors for women, and normalizes ideas about roles acceptable for women to assume and the goals women should aspire to.� Although this show is very different from Joe Millionare, I believe it has a similar effect. The girls on this show do not spend money that they earn themselves, but money that a man (at this point in their lives their father) gives to them. These girls do not aspire to become more intelligent, become successful, or do anything important with their lives; they aspire to look pretty and have someone take care of them and continue paying for their designer clothes. In Myra Mendible’s chapter, “Humiliation, Subjectivity and Reality TV� she discusses a survey done by Psychology Today which reported that fans have a desire to see [and imagine] prestige and status. This show allows them to see young girls that have a high status, simply because of their parents’ money. This causes a reaction of jealousy and sometimes hatred from the audience, which the creators of the show take advantage of. They know that the audience loves to hate these girls and that is what brings in the viewers.