Kill Your Darlings

After a bit of a hiatus, we're back for season 2! This season, we're talking about power: who has it, who doesn't, who wants it.

In today's episode, we're exploring Bravo's Southern Charm--a show steeped in shocking amounts of colonialism and racism and somehow on its tenth season.

Content warning(s): N/A

Sources:

-Blouet, H. (2019). Past Reality Meets Reality Television and Social Media: Southern Charm as a Tool in Education, Outreach, and Scholarship. Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, 8(3), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/21619441.2019.1674482

-https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Commentary-Southern-Charm-suffers-from-big-15636902.php

-From E! How Southern Charm Became the Sleeper Hit of Bravo:

https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/bravos-appalling-southern-charm-or-the-real-housewives-of-dixie.php:

In today's episode, we're diving into sex and (in)fidelity across Bravo. We'll tackle some hard hitting questions: if you don't kiss during a hookup, does that count as cheating? Is anyone on reality television having lots of sex?

Content warning(s): N/A

Sources:

-Rehash podcast, Try Guys episode

-In Bed with the Right podcast, Talia Lavin on the Christian Right’s View of Marriage and Parenting episode

-The New Yorker, ‘Big Gulp: Drinking and Drama on Vanderpump Rules’ by Emily Nussbaum

Today, alongside our guest (and Keira's lovely coworker) Hélène Bigras-Dutrisac, we're looking at post-feminism and neoliberal feminism across the Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules. We swear, it isn't as jargon-y as it sounds.

Content warning(s): Domestic violence, sexual violence.

Sources:

-White Picket Fence podcast, Rise of Neoliberalism episode

-Postfeminism and Popular Feminism by Sarah Banet-Weiser

-How neoliberalism colonized feminism – and what you can do about it by Catherine Rottenberg, The Conversation

This week, for some lighter content, we're looking at the Husbands of our leading ladies on Bravo. From the fedora-wearers to the men sexually bested by their pets, we have a lot to say.

Content warning(s): N/A

Sources:

- r/realhousewives, Gender Roles and Sexuality thread, first published 5 yr. ago

- r/realhousewives, Best Real Housewives' Husbands thread, first published 1 yr. ago

- Vulture, The Types of Men You Find on Real Housewives article

- Observer, The Everlasting Appeal of the Real Housewives article, by Jamie Valentino

- Behind the Gates: a feminist critique of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" by Giovanna Derenzo, published for California Polytechnic State University

In the famous words of RHONY's Dorinda Medley, "Martinis are like breasts: two are great, three are too many". Today's episode will cover substance use across Real Housewives and Vanderpump rules, looking at why and when women are in the hot seat for one too many pinots, and how producers fail to provide adequate support for stars struggling with addiction.

Content warning(s): Substance use disorder, abuse (brief mention).

A quick correction to today's content: Kim Richards was abused as a child, not 'by' a child.

Sources:

-The Guardian, 'Alcohol is a Hand Grenade: how reality TV went from boozy Big Brother to nosecco Love Island' article, by Amelia Tait

-BBC News, 'Serena Williams and the trope of the 'angry black woman'' article, by Ritu Prasad

-Vanity Fair, 'Inside the Real Housewives Reckoning That's Rocking Bravo' article, by Anna Peele

-Angelofdevs.wordpress.com blog

This week, we're discussing diet culture and cosmetic procedures accross the Bravo-verse. Cause a little nip and tuck never hurt anybody, right? Tune in to hear from our second guest, Sophie!

Content warning(s): Disordered eating, dieting, weight loss.

Sources:

-The McMaster Journal of Communication - ‘Reality Television and the Promotion of Weight Loss: A Canadian Case’ by Zuzanna Blaszkiewicz.

-RealSelf article, All the Cosmetic Procedures the Real Housewives Got in 2022, by Melanie Rud.

-Maintenance Phase podcast, Ozempic episode.

-People Magazine, Sonja Morgan Reveals She Got a Lower Face Lift and Neck Lift: 'I Needed a Pick Me Up' article, by Hanna Flanagan

Pets are a huge part of our favorite Bravo shows. In today's mini episode, we’ll be looking at what they say about wealth and class in The Real Housewives and VDP Rules.

Content warning(s): N/A

Sources:

Vulture, The Most Iconic Housewives Pets, Ranked, by Bethy Squires

Graduate thesis for Texas A&M University, Commodifying Fido: Pets as Status Symbols, by April M. Plemons

Reality Tea, Lisa Vanderpump Sued by Luxury Dog Boutique Over Not Promoting Giggy’s Clothes, by Erin Martin.

Surprisingly (or, not so surprisingly) there’s a lot of domestic violence that rears its ugly head across the Housewives franchises. Today, we’re talking about abuse, victim blaming, and our own responsibilities, as viewers.

P.S. We’ve finally figured out our audio quality!

Content warning(s): Domestic violence and suicide.

Sources:

[As always] Money Can’t Buy You Class podcast

Behind the Velvet Rope podcast - Taylor Armstrong (on RHOBH, Russell, The Domestic Abuse, Lisa Vanderpump & OG Cast!) - parts I and II.

Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others - great synopsis and evaluation at: https://stairway.highexistence.com/regarding-the-pain-of-others-by-susan-sontag/

Reuters, Housewives Star Taylor Armstrong Details Abuse article

In this week’s episode, we look at breaking the fourth wall in reality television and the impact of this technique on storytelling and the viewer’s experience.

Content warning(s): N/A

Sources:

- The New Yorker, How “The Real World” Created Modern Reality TV, by Emily Nussbaum

- The Collector, Breaking the Fourth Wall: A Brief History of the Narrative Technique, by Theo Kapetanakis

- TV Tropes Wiki, Breaking the Fourth Wall

- Reddit page: r/realhousewives, ‘What was your favorite breaking of the fourth wall moment?’ thread

If you’re on the internet, you’ve probably heard of the Trad Wife and the Girl Boss. In this episode, we’re discussing gendered representations of labor and how these tropes play out across the Housewives franchises.

Content warning(s): Not applicable for this episode’s content.

Sources:

[As always] Money Can’t Buy You Class podcast

You’re Wrong About podcast - The Tradwife Rises

Infamous, Inside America’s Biggest Scandals podcast - The Rise and Fall of Glossier, The Wing, and GirlBosses

Leone Robinson - “Is the ‘GirlBoss’ Really Just an Anti-Feminist Commodification?”

Anna Peele, Vanity Fair - “Inside the ‘Real Housewives’ Reckoning That’s Rocking Bravo”