The Perpetuation of Stereotypes by Narrative Reality Television Shows

Katy Grunenwald
MMW&R
4/3/15
Research Essay

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Ladies of London aired in the summer of 2014 on Bravo and promised a unique
look at the lives of a few of Londons upper-class women. Like many other reality
television shows currently airing it draws in its viewers with a promise of drama and
fighting while in luxurious settings. From the commercials alone it is apparent that the
show focuses in on the unique tension between the established England-born women and
the American women trying to build their reputations in a foreign society. This show is a
prime example of a narrative reality television show, in comparison to game shows,
cooking shows, home-improvement shows, and philanthropic shows all of which are also
under the umbrella of reality television. These narrative shows are known for getting up
close and personal in the lives of their subjects in order to provide a realistic view of their
everyday lives. Critics of many of these narrative reality shows have argued that they are
more staged than they are reality and that they promote stereotypes about the groups
they portray. Is it possible that the contents of Ladies of London and many other reality
television shows that present people from different countries could be affecting viewers
perceptions of not only the subjects of the shows but entire nations of people?
Before analyzing the contents of and viewing of reality television, it is imperative
that one understands a few key social psychological theories: stereotyping, intergroup
conflict, and the out-group. It is a natural human tendency to judge a person one has just
met by assuming they are similar to people one has met previously. This is because of the
multitude of information present in any given social situation that must be processed.
Attempting to understand every aspect of someones personality let alone multiple people
is impossible, and therefore, humans employ mental shortcuts called heuristics to help
navigate social situations. Heuristics are mental tools that humans use to group people

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and events into different categories in order to determine the appropriate response or
course of action. As helpful as this grouping may be, however, it can lead to the creation
of stereotypes in which one assumes that all people of a certain group share certain
characteristics. This happens when one skips all mental cognition and instead of looking
to a persons words and actions for clues about their personality, they base their
assumptions simply off things like nationality, race, gender, religion, etc.
Stereotypes give the illusion of out-group homogeneity, which impacts that
groups identity. Personal identities are composed partly of the group identities that one is
part of, therefore, it is natural for humans to want the groups they belong to (in-groups) to
be successful and viewed in a positive light. For example, those who tell jokes with
stereotyping in them generally feel superior to those they are stereotyping (Berger 332).
This superior feeling is due to the positive comparison of their group compared to the
group they are ridiculing in the joke. This can create conflict, however, between different
groups as was demonstrated by an experiment conducted in 1954 in which teenage boys
were placed in a camp-like environment and split into teams. The results of this study
showed the development of hostile sentiments between boys of different teams, even
though the teams were made randomly, not by any specific difference among the subjects.
The only successful solution that was found to alleviate this tension was forcing boys
from opposite teams (out-groups) to work together for a common goal and get to know
one another. Once they did this, the boys realized they had misjudged one another and
begun to stereotype entire groups of people they had never interacted with. (Sherif 206210). These results shed light on some of the natural tendencies enacted to improve ones
own self-esteem and the dangers of overgeneralization. The boys became extremely close

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with others in their in-groups, but developed a strong dislike for those in the out-group.
Applying these results to larger groups such as entire nations, it becomes obvious what an
issue stereotyping is and how much more peaceful the world would be without it.
Aside from assuming that people not in ones in-group are more or less the same,
people also tend to ascribe only primary emotions to people in the out-group. A study was
conducted in 2007 in which researchers read participants a story about a victim of
Hurricane Katrina, randomly changing the ethnicity of the victim to observe the effects
that this would have on responses about how the victim might be feeling and whether or
not subjects would offer aid. What the study found was that people more often ascribe
only primary emotions (pain, fear, anger, etc.) to members of the out-group, while
ascribing primary and secondary emotions (mourning, resentment, guilt, etc.) to members
of the in-group. This observation also correlated to and was determined to be the cause of
subjects being more likely to aid those in the in-group. (Cuddy, Rock, Norton 192-196).
This shows a pattern of dehumanization of those we find unlike ourselves by assuming
they are not capable of feeling the same complex emotions as ourselves. This is a
dangerous assumption that also contributes to group conflict.
Narrative reality television shows such as Ladies of London promote
stereotyping by displaying a select group of people who vaguely resemble the stereotype
and presenting the footage in a way that emphasizes and reinforces its validity. Because
producers control post-production editing of the programs, they can heighten the drama
by emphasizing stereotypes that clash (Wyatt and Bunton 31). This is accomplished in a
couple different ways, and is successful because of the social psychological concepts
explained previously. An example of the ways producers can manipulate content to

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achieve a desired effect would be in the different questions they ask subjects in their
interviews throughout the show. The average viewer of these shows, however, isnt
analyzing all these specific details and intentions; television is normally a means of
relaxation, not mental stimulation. People watch reality television not because its always
relatable, but because its entertaining; there may be a couple scenes that one can
sympathize with, but for the most part, whats bringing in viewers is the outrageous
behavior, lavish lifestyle, or a plethora of other unbelievable circumstances. In providing
this, however, reality shows spread stereotypes by misleading viewers. This goes for
many different kinds of narrative reality television, not just those that deal with
international stereotypes such as Ladies of London. For example, many Italian
Americans were enraged by the way they were stereotyped in the MTV reality show
Jersey Shore that follows a group of 20 something year olds as they drink and tan their
way through life (Lowry).
In the television series Ladies of London the cast is split from the beginning
into Brits vs. Yanks. Next to each persons name appears a little flag, either British or
American and throughout the show references are made to the different behaviors typical
to Americans versus England-born citizens. Repeated over an over again is the notion that
British women are more polite, pragmatic, and calm, but also two-faced, terse, and stuckup. American women on the other hand are portrayed as excitable, rowdy, ill-mannered,
and shallow, but honest. For example, while at a polo match one of the British women
describes one of the American women, Juliet, saying: Juliet is very vocal, shes very
American so excited and so nave (A Culture Clash Over Polo). Anytime the
women fight or discuss almost any character trait they relate it back to that persons

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nationality rather than ascribing it to their unique personality. They also make large
generalizations by saying things like English ladies do not like when and American
women are quite good at Its these umbrella statements that contribute to viewers
thinking of the qualities of the show as a realistic view of all British and American
women rather than just the few subjects portrayed. Statistically speaking, stereotypes are
overgeneralizations based on sampling errors- assuming that all members of some group
are like some members of the group- the one that has been sampled either in person or
carried in the media (Berger 329).
Aside from just suggesting that one can ascribe certain characteristic to someone
simply based on their nationality, Ladies of London presents the attitude that American
women are lesser than British women and must conform to their superior way of living.
In a special clip from the show one of the American women interviews a British man in
order to determine what an American woman must do to land a British man. She
summarizes the requirements at the end by saying if you want to land your British
prince charming, I recommend that you dont stand out too much, dress down, learn to
love an ale, have a laugh at yourself, and of course forget your diet (How to Land a
British Man). In another episode one of the British women brings two of the American
women to an etiquette lesson, suggesting they learn to be more proper, more British.
Juliet (American): In England I find that its proper to hide how you truly feel and
truly think.
Etiquette coach: Yeah thats normal.
Juliet: I find that rude and disrespectful.
Etiquette coach: No, no youre being very wrong Juliet.

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(The Ladies Get an Etiquette Lesson).
The etiquette coach clearly reinforces this stereotype that British women are more polite
in that they refuse to make a scene in front of a crowd by bringing up emotions, while
blatantly telling the American-born Juliet that her way of handling things is utterly
wrong. This notion that British women all do things a certain way and an American living
in Britain must conform to this lifestyle can be utterly devastating to impressionable
viewers. A young American girl, for instance, watching this show may become insecure
about her loud, out-going personality that she had once been proud of and try to curb her
tendencies in order to conform to this supposedly more appropriate behavior.
This issue of stereotyping in reality television is of tremendous importance
because it has become a large element of mainstream culture. US television networks
aired almost 600 different prime-time reality programs between 2000 and 2010, and some
observers contend reality is the most popular television genre in the world. Stereotypes
on reality television are consumed by millions of viewers (Wyatt and Bunton 35).
People are especially susceptible to influence from these shows compared to scripted
shows, because being under the genre of reality they carry more weight and authenticity
in the minds of their viewers. Some argue that the majority of people are smart enough to
put these shows into context and realize that they in no way represent whole populations,
but for shows such as Ladies of London that portray international stereotypes, many
viewers may not know much of anything about British culture and not have the
knowledge to combat these hidden falsities. Another argument in favor of reality
television shows like this is that we cant help but notice if we watch enough, we seem
to be happier than these people. Not all of us and not all the time, but if we note the

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material blessings they have and then consider what we can determine about their mental
health, we cant help but see that having it all does not happiness make. Could there be
a more important message to be taking in and passing along to our children? (David
693). While it is certainly possible that one may come to that conclusion from watching
these shows, there are many other ways to realize that happiness does not come from
material goods that arent as harmful as reality shows.
An obvious solution to this issue of perpetuation of stereotypes is to cancel the
shows that display them, but the shows producers and stars often profit greatly from
them, so its doubtful they would willingly quit. Not only can producers employ editing
techniques to carefully craft the stories they want to tell, but they're provided plenty of
choices by the wannabe famous, who surely understand by now that outlandish and
exaggerated behavior usually pays off in maximum exposure (Lowry). Therefore, the
goal must be to educate the masses on the harm these shows do in hopes that they will
either stop supporting these shows by watching them, or at the very least be able to watch
them more critically. Stereotypes can lead to larger issues and must be taken seriously,
and the best way to combat them is to empower viewers with the knowledge about how
these stereotypes are formed and communicated so that they can consciously counteract
this process. It is still possible to find entertainment an enjoyment in reality television
without allowing oneself to buy into the stereotypes they create and perpetuate. Viewers
must remember that they are seeing a superficial layer of the subjects lives and that it
may not accurately represent who they are as a person. It is important to remember that
just because someone is different, doesnt mean that they are any less human and capable
of the same emotional range as oneself. Also, the subjects of any reality show dont in

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any way represent whole groups of people that they are part of. Viewers must ask
themselves whether the entertainment they receive from a television show outweighs the
negative message that they are supporting. Not all reality shows perpetuate stereotypes;
in fact some attempt to break them down by showing exceptions to stereotypes. One
mustnt let the often times ridiculous and disgraceful events they see on reality television
alter their view of nations, this generation, or humankind. Its easy, and human tendency,
to judge others especially when they give us reason to, but there is so much viewers of
reality TV dont see about a person, and regardless, all people deserve compassion and
understanding.

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Works Cited

Berger, Arthur Asa. A Frenchman, an Englishman, and a GermanStereotypes in

Humorous Texts. Psychology of Stereotypes. Ed. Simon, Eleanor E. New York:
Nova Science Publishers, 2010. Web.
Cuddy, Amy J.C., Mindi S. Rock, and Michael I. Norton. Aid in the Aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina. Classic and Contemporary Perspectives in Social
Psychology. Ed. Perves, Sharon E., and Jeylan T. Mortimer. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2011. 192-196. Print.
David, Anna. Cant we just sit back and enjoy reality TV. CQ Researcher. CQ Press,
Aug. 27, 2010. Web.
How to Land a British Man. Ladies of London. Bravo. Exclusive Clip. Web.
Bravotv.com.
The Ladies Get an Etiquette. Ladies of London. Preview from Ep. 7. Bravo. Jul 14,
2014.
Lowry, Brian. Television: Stereotypes: Reality TVs Dirty Little Secret. Variety Jan. 11,
2010: 16. Web.
Sherif, Muzafer. Subordinate Goals in the Reduction of Intergroup Conflict. Classic
and Contemporary Perspectives in Social Psychology. Ed. Perves, Sharon E., and
Jeylan T. Mortimer. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 206-210. Print.
Wyatt, Wendy, and Kristie Bunton. The Ethics of Reality TV: A Philosophical
Examination. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2012. Print.

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