reality TV

“Jackass” Made Me the Trans Woman I Am

What Jackass has—what makes it “forever”—is genuine heart.

Love and Surveillance: Dating Shows Channel More Than Reality

Netflix released multiple reality TV shows in 2020 that feature beautiful people blissfully succumbing to the power of being watched. Read more »

Poisoned Rose: Why the “Cruel Optimism” of “The Bachelorette” Still Draws Us In

In a time that’s more mediated than ever before, love is a contrived TV show for us all. Read more »

Go Low: The Time for Civility Is Over

We don’t pay our representatives to be scared, hiding behind the apron strings of civility. Read more »

Polish and Privilege: “RHONY” Illuminates the Class Divide in America

Extreme economic disparity in America is the problem. RHONY just makes it visible. Read more »

If “Selling Sunset” Is One Big Happy Family, What’s with the Sexism?

In Selling Sunset, once you join the family, you are free to pursue the golden dream–but that can come at a cost. Read more »

Trauma Fishbowl: Reality TV Is Costing Survivors More Than Privacy

These events are a stark reminder of the price of fame. Read more »

Eugenics as Entertainment: “Indian Matchmaking’s” Lighthearted View of Caste Oppression

Indian Matchmaking reveals all the isms associated with arranged marriages—colorism, casteism, sizeism, ableism, and classism—without criticizing any of it. Read more »

“Too Hot to Handle” Is a Conservative Nightmare of a Reality Dating Show

The premise is simple: for the duration of the season, no one can have sex. Read more »

She’s so Pure: “The Bachelor” Still Has a Virginity Problem

Madison’s “purity” rhetoric illustrates a much broader, scarier problem with her virginity-focused narrative arc. Read more »

“Love Is Blind” Shows There’s No Bisexual Boom for Black Men

Televison’s “bisexual boom” hasn’t yet reached Black men. Read more »

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