“You should be ashamed of yourself,” is what my boss said when I let it slip that I watch “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”.” “I can’t believe you watch that,” said my Asian co-worker. Say what now?Though I would not consider myself a fan of the “Real Housewives” franchise, the Atlanta cast is my favorite and honestly, it’s one of the very few shows I watch consistently. So why did I feel a twinge of shame at admitting my fondness for the show? Probably because it makes us look bad. I mean no one of the show is truly a ‘house wife” and they do perpetuate stereotypes of black women being vulgar and raunchy (ex. “I know a stripper who could give his own self head.”), gold diggers (ex. Sheree) catty and loud (ex. Nene), oh and let’s not forget Ms. Cynthia and her frontin and going broke for a wedding. Not to mention all of them had kids out of wedlock and only two earn a steady income. Well damn, is it that bad?
Yep, but they are so darn entertaining. Am I part of the problem? Am I a hypocrite of some sort because I would never conduct myself the way those women do or put myself in the situations they put on display for the world to see? Maybe?
Its get worse, I saw most of this season of “Basketball Wives.” Eeek, they are the worst. They really make the housewives look like Southern belles. So here’s my issue, as a black woman who is appalled by the negative images of black women in the media and our status within our own race, why in the HELL am I watching this coonery?
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