Reality TV is a growing form of entertainment, with streaming giants like Netflix and Hulu offering an extensive array of programs catering for different audiences. Currently one of the most popular franchises is “The Real Housewives”, within the franchise itself “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” is ranking at the top. Despite it`s high entertainment value, much of Reality TV has been critiqued for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. This study therefore aimed to uncover the underlying messages regarding femininity, power, and social roles that are communicated to the viewers of the popular reality show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”. The following research question was formulated; How does "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" portray women in ways that either challenge or reinforce (gender) stereotypes? The study has employed a multimodal critical discourse analysis to the last three episodes of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” latest season (season 13). The episodes were watched and discussed multiple times, leading to the identification of four overarching themes; romantic relationships, career, conflict and physical appearance. Scenes from the show regarding these themes were analyzed, using theoretical frameworks concerning stereotypes, hegemony and gender. The results showed some gender stereotypes being reinforced while others were challenged. The reinforcement of stereotypes through “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” lies in stereotypes being used as a weapon by the women against each other, portrayed by the network. The challenge of stereotypes lies in the way the program portrays the women as they contradict these narratives.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-532944 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Fogelberg, Stella, Hammarqvist Ulmanen, Kasper |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informatik och media |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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