Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV
Edited by Jervette R. Ward

From The Real Housewives of Atlanta to Flavor of Love, reality shows with predominantly black casts have often been criticized for their negative representation of African American women as loud, angry, and violent. Yet even as these programs appear to be rehashing old stereotypes of black women, the critiques of them are arguably problematic in their own way, as the notion of “respectability” has historically been used to police black women’s behaviors.

The first book of scholarship devoted to the issue of how black women are depicted on reality television, Real Sister offers an even-handed consideration of the genre. The book’s ten contributors—black female scholars from a variety of disciplines—provide a wide range of perspectives, while considering everything from Basketball Wives to Say Yes to the Dress. As regular viewers of reality television, these scholars are able to note ways in which the genre presents positive images of black womanhood, even as they catalog a litany of stereotypes about race, class, and gender that it tends to reinforce.

Rather than simply dismissing reality television as “trash,” this collection takes the genre seriously, as an important touchstone in ongoing cultural debates about what constitutes “trashiness” and “respectability.” Written in an accessible style that will appeal to reality TV fans both inside and outside of academia, Real Sister thus seeks to inspire a more nuanced, thoughtful conversation about the genre’s representations and their effects on the black community.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction The Real Scandal: Portrayals of Black Women in Reality TV
Jervette R. Ward

Chapter 1 Black Women: From Public Arena to Reality TV
Sheena Harris

Chapter 2 Selective Reuptake: Perpetuating Misleading Cultural Identities in the Reality Television World
LaToya Jefferson-James

Chapter 3 Striving to Dress the Part: Examining the Absence of Black Women in Different Iterations of Say Yes to the Dress
Alison D. Ligon

Chapter 4 The Semiotics of Fashion and Urban Success in The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Cynthia Davis

Chapter 5 A Home without Walls, A Family without Boundaries: How Family Participation in Reality Television Impacts Children’s Development
Detris Honora Adelabu

Chapter 6 Where Is Clair Huxtable When You Need Her?: The Desperate Search for Positive Media Images of African American Women in the Age of Reality TV
Monica Flippin-Wynn

Chapter 7 Questions of Quality and Class: Perceptions of Hierarchy in African American Family-Focused Reality TV Shows
Preselfannie E. Whitfield McDaniel

Chapter 8 Contemplating Basketball Wives A Critique of Racism, Sexism, and Income-Level Disparity
Sharon Lynette Jones

Chapter 9 Exploiting and Capitalizing on Unique Black Femininity: An Entrepreneurial Perspective
Terry A. Nelson

Chapter 10 Reunion Chapter: A Conversation among Contributors
Jervette R. Ward

Appendix Reality TV Shows That Prominently Feature Black Women

Notes on Contributors

Index