Gender Stereotypes In The Real Housewives

Gender Stereotypes and The Real Housewives: What It Means for Male Viewers

“Oh, no!” I thought to myself when she asked us to present our essay proposals to the class. A sinking feeling set in, and my heart began to race. I was about to share one of my deepest, darkest secrets. Each person went, and finally, it was my turn. My heart felt like it would burst as the words glided in slow motion across my lips: “Real Housewives.” The whole class started to laugh, and I wanted to shove the words back into my mouth, but I couldn’t. I just sat there and thought: “What have I just done?”

As a male in society, there are certain habits and behaviors that I’m supposed to partake in and be happy with: mowing the yard, watching televised golf, drinking muscle milk, and playing video games with “my bros” with little-to-no dialogue because men bond better through activities than

conversation. Well, no thank you. While (after years of resentment) I find myself liking to mow the yard, I cannot truly attest to liking any of the latter. Muscle milk tastes like a chalk and Elmer’s glue cocktail, video games frustrate me because I’m stubborn and want to win without a challenge, and golf on TV is about as entertaining as watching The Tree of Life on mute—that is to say, there is a lot of greenery and boring silence.
I like to think of myself as a product of the aught age where the gender gap is beginning to narrow and androgyny is the new black. I enjoy building things with my hands and getting dirty on ATV treks, but I also enjoy browsing Target and long conversations over brunch about an online Amazon sale; “I’m the male voice of my generation,” says my inner Hannah Horvath. While most modern men aren’t as embarrassed by their feminine side as Don Draper-generations past, there is one thing that I only feel comfortable telling a few select female friends about: I am completely obsessed with Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise. The taboo statement has finally come out of the proverbial Birkin-handbag-stuffed closet.
Week after week and city after city, the housewives play the game like Wizard’s Chess, instigating their signature quip of “drama,” and demolishing whomever dare stand in their way. Words and insults are thrown like Chinese daggers, and the ever-changing relationships and alliances could give the men of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy a run for their money. And the glamorous 1% world that, as Americans, we’re supposed to aspire to seems more like the playground harassment of elementary days. But, what is it about this show in particular that causes a room full of people to scoff and giggle when I say that I am writing an essay on The Real Housewives? Or to put it simply, what is it about these shows that creates the stigma that it’s unnatural for men to watch?
Upon closer inspection, The Real Housewives bolsters subliminal and explicit gender stereotypes and tropes, craftily manipulated by the network.

These manipulations and frames clearly outline the roles of men and women in society, which conflicts with the idea of male viewership. The role of stereotyping in The Real Housewives significantly contributes to societies dismissal of men who enjoy this so-called “Women’s TV”. By closely analyzing gender stereotypes in The Real Housewives, it is possible to see an implicit message that The Real Housewives is for women and women alone, because what man would willingly partake in such “feminine” behaviors? The media is a platform that has the ability to emphasize certain standards and stereotypical norms in society. More specifically, they can highlight gender roles in an attempt to place their characters within culturally dominant ideologies. The Real Housewives reinforces these dominant ideologies, which can have negative cultural repercussions for male audiences which I will elaborate on after analyzing these stereotypical feminine

characteristic.
The Real Housewives typifies societal standards of feminine beauty, typecasting women in a role that perpetuates certain standards of attractiveness. The series consistently promotes a narrative of women and the importance of maintaining their exterior appearances. Look at any one scene and you would find an apparent regard for appearances. The women are consistently dressed to the nines. Their affections for youth and beauty ring true in many of the taglines, a catchphrase employed in the opening credits of each show. The tagline functions as the first thing a housewife wants you to know about her. In Season 4 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Joyce Giraud states in her tagline: “You can never be too young, too thin, or too honest.” (CITATION). In Season 5 of the Real Housewives of Orange County, the infamous Alexis Bellino states in her tagline: “Am I high maintenance? Of course I am, look at me.” In Season 5 of RHOC, Tamra Judge née Barney states: “Housewives come younger, but they don’t come hotter.” In Season 3 of the short-lived Real Housewives of Miami, Joanna Kruppa states: “Don’t hate me because I have it all, hate me because I’m beautiful.” And to put the cherry on top, in Season 2 of RHOM, a surgeon’s wife, Lisa Hochstein, states: “My husband’s a top plastic surgeon in this town, and I am his best creation.” These taglines exemplify the focus on the flagrant stereotypes of the importance of physical attractiveness. Apparently in the World of the Real Housewives, you can never be too beautiful, women are high maintenance, they are HOT, and they always have a surgeon on hand to preserve that beauty. In the Season 6 Premiere of RHOBH, Yolanda Foster dragged herself out of her sick bed to support her friend Lisa Rinna at her birthday party. And despite her chronic illness, it seemed her make-up free face was the ultimate no-no, practically turning the other women’s stomachs. Instead of offering compassion, Kyle Richards and Lisa Vanderpump were fixated on Yolanda’s lack of make-up. “She does not look good at all, not even a bit of under eye…maybe she could just take ten seconds to do that,” griped an unsympathetic Lisa Vanderpump. Lisa’s husband Ken went on to state: “I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t think she looked good…I told her she looked better; she didn’t. I promise you she did not look better; she looked terrible.” Then in his confession, he states: “It’s always nice to be told by a man that you’re looking good. I’m sure if Yolanda looked like she did, there’s not many people telling her that she looks good.” Yolanda was slammed for wearing no make-up, as if it is a woman’s sole purpose to look good. Ken puts the icing on the cake when he says that a woman’s only sense of self-worth comes from a man telling her she looks good. Clearly, beauty is paramount. Every scene is constructed around the sexual appeals of women. These feminal tropes will come into play shortly.
In addition to the stereotype of women needing to be perfect at all times, The Real Housewives personifies the stereotype that women are rancorous and gossiping creatures with a penchant for cat-fights and drama. There have been numerous fights in the history of The Real Housewives, and it has become a very common trope in the production of the show. No one will ever forget what happened in the limo in the first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. After a season of drama, fights and heartbreak, the RHOBH Season 1 finale was by far the most shocking episode yet. In a crazy turn of events, an explosive fight between sisters Kyle and Kim Richards resulted in Kim's family checking her into rehab. What began as a friendly party to celebrate Taylor's birthday turned into a group fight amongst the women while the husbands stood around in shock. The fight initially began between Taylor and Kim, who was clearly intoxicated, Kim clearly felt backed into a corner and told Taylor that her sister Kyle has fallen for her charms but she hadn't. “She is faked by you,” she tells her. When Kyle intervenes and Lisa follows, Kim tells them: “I don't really enjoy any of your company.” Kyle asked her who she was talking about and Kim pointed at her and told her to 'watch her step.' The sisters begin fighting and Kim tells her she thinks Taylor and Lisa “stir up all the s**t,” leading to Kyle walking away from her and Kim leaving the party in tears. Kyle later follows Kim to the limo where Adrienne is trying to placate an upset Kim but rather than fix the situation between the sisters, it actually escalated further with Kyle calling Kim “an alcoholic,” “delusional” and “demented” before saying “mom had to die and leave this on my shoulders.” Kyle stormed out of the limo telling Kim: “We are done. You're on your own now Kim.” The Real Housewives franchise is full of drama, cattiness, and fighting: Kelly vs. Bethenny, Teresa vs. Danielle, Sheree vs. Marlo, Brandi vs. Lisa V., Kim vs. Lisa R., Bethenny vs. Jill, Vicki vs. Gretchen, Teresa vs. The Table. The list goes on and on, further personifying the networks use of these female stereotypes that have been constructed by our society. The show is packaged in such a way (centered around female stereotypes) that it is almost impossible to envision a man watching. Further analysis is to come.
Finally, in The Real Housewives when they’re not gossiping, fighting, undergoing procedures, or sipping rosé, the women are shopping (or at least flaunting their wealth). It’s the most favored housewife pastime, and they really know how to do it. In the entire franchise, no one does it better than the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In almost every episode, these women are buying something! In the last episode alone, Kyle bought a pair or $72,000 rose gold and pink diamond frame sunglasses. So much shopping, from pink diamond rings that cost more than Rolls Royces to actual Rolls Royces, to Lisa’s $900.00 custom-made shirts with Swarovski crystals, $100,000 Hermes Birkin handbags, $120,000 Maseratis, $90,000 Range Rovers, multi-million dollar weddings, a $60,000 birthday party for a 4-year-old; we have truly seen it all, and they never forget to show the price tags.