Reality TV shows are everywhere.

They have many fans since people seem to identify with the participants and enjoy watching them compete in fashion, cooking, survival, or even love trials. Many will say that viewers are just having a good time. But if we look in-depth at what reality shows show us, we will see that their messages are not so innocent.

Apart from many scenes that I think are quite bad taste, there are many stereotypes against some social groups. It is clear that all this is done for television viewing, and many people do not take it seriously. But do the messages conveyed by realities reproduce social problems?

I am referring, of course, to those messages that show women in a degraded position. It’s not something that will be said explicitly, but you will realize it if you search better. There are sexist moments against women in many TV shows. In reality shows, which aim to attract viewers, the female image follows the prevailing standards to approach what most people have in mind -men and women- and attract them.

Therefore, according to these standards, the woman is hot, always well-groomed, an object of desire, and of course, in difficult moments, she is the one who shows her “weakness.” They are trying to promote her beauty, and in fact, her beauty and charm are the elements that will help her win. The production will reproduce stereotypes to attract interest. They will also make sure that scenes are played on TV, randomly or not, to confirm these stereotypes.

In fashion realities, the woman is considered an object. The judges can comment and judge her appearance as if the contestant was not in front while anxiously waiting for the judges’ result. It has become known through these shows that the fashion world is “tough.” But how is it different from other professions? I cannot find any reason to behave in the models with such disgrace, as in any other job, of course, this should not happen.

In survivor realities, women are considered the weakest players. Everyone thinks that they are fragile and can not withstand high pressure, so they are often offered to leave. Men, also, usually prefer them as opponents. No one said that women are stronger than men since it is a given that they have different physiques. What I do not understand is why this devaluation exists from the beginning. Why should we consider that the only way for a woman to win is her beauty and not her strength or intelligence? The woman is out of competition from the beginning in the eyes of many. She is not allowed to fight on equal terms.

Next, let’s look at the realities that the contestants are looking for “true love” or the only partner. Here the image of the woman seems completely distorted. In the house where the contestants live, they are always well-groomed, with beautiful hair and make-up, thus projecting a model that is far from reality. If a woman has extreme make-up, hair, and clothes as if she is ready for a night out, will she find her only love?

It is becoming clear that these female role models do not represent women in real life. We all know that. So why is the woman presented in this way? I believe that the answer lies more profound than we think. Yes, the average woman does not look like what we see on TV. But stereotypes are so deep in the behaviors and thoughts of people - again, men and women. Maybe they are a bit familiar to us, seeing them on the screen, and it isn't easy to distinguish them. For many years there were sexist stereotypes, and we may not have eliminated them yet. So, I would say they exist; they do not seem at first glance. And this is a little more “dangerous.”

The worst part is that we see them, and many times we consider them normal. And this is what the production of realities aims at. The “humor” that these shows have is nothing but the reproduction of a stereotype, which is unfortunately accepted by many but remains a lousy stereotype. But how funny is it when young children watch these shows and think that they should behave like that when they grow up?

We have a social responsibility on this issue. When this stereotype enters our homes, whether we like it or not, we get used to it and accept it. I do not blame the contestants, nor the production and the channels. They do their job, especially if they find an audience to listen to them and get what they want to continue to do it. We all have a responsibility. Television is society’s microcosm. If society allows the reproduction of these stereotypes, it is not just the television that broadcasts them.

Realities reflect our social reality in a more robust and indeed more distasteful way. People allow this, and women often take advantage of it, believing that they will only achieve what they want. I am sure that many do not agree with what they see. But we do not do anything about it. We take it for granted that the world will not change. But it’s not funny at all; we should not joke with any sexist stereotype. When we see how women are treated in reality shows, we should not consider it funny.

But in the end, if we do not change ourselves, the television will not change, and the same things will happen again and again.