TV Shows Give Girls a Bad Name? | Teen Ink

TV Shows Give Girls a Bad Name?

October 4, 2008
By Anonymous

Bottom Line, TV is addicting. Its purpose is to inform the viewer, but above all, entertain them. Over the past few years though, what’s being aired has gotten out of hand.

Television has become plastered with shows like The Hills, Gossip Girl, the newly revived 90210, and reality shows such as My Super Sweet Sixteen.
Typically depicting young attractive white girls and story lines jam-packed with drama, cattiness, lunch dates, parties and of course, boys. But wait! Don’t forget wealth and materialism! It’s the epitome of a high school cliché.

In general, I think the surge of televisions shows like such can really send a bad message to its viewers. In actuality, they’re glorifying negative behaviors to be socially acceptable. The female characters are commonly portrayed as being mean, insecure, ‘fake’ and envious. There seems to be no truly genuine female friendship on these programs, even within reality shows. Ugly Betty actress America Ferrara, recently stated in an interview, “…all the backstabbing shapes the way we act – you go to school, and you think your job is to find a sworn enemy and be jealous of each other."
I couldn’t agree more with her statement; I think its great she spoke up about how ridiculous television is becoming. I especially like this statement coming from her because she’s one of the more down to earth and ‘real’ female celebrities out there.

Honestly, these shows do make great TV, but young impressionable females are watching them.

Sure, there are tons of girls and young adults who can looks past their absurdity- but girls are getting obsessed with these fictional characters and female ideals. These programs are a joke. They’re just aiding in a shallow American society; As well as giving false standards about what young women should be and how she should conduct herself within a social setting. Life is more than a popularity contest.


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This article has 2 comments.


on Apr. 20 2009 at 9:51 pm
Vexa_Rave SILVER, Mt. Clare, West Virginia
9 articles 0 photos 57 comments
i totally agree. it's the same with music, too. Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, etc. dress in sleazy clothes and are extremely pretty, but where's the meaning in the songs? where's the emotion? there isn't any. that's why i recommend girls looking up to women like Amy Lee, Vanessa Carlton, Hayley Williams, etc. they're also newer artists, but they don't go out and dress innapropriately and talk about sex all the time. in fact, their lyrics are VERY passionate and meaningful. i love them so much. ^_^

Sweetlily said...
on Oct. 16 2008 at 12:48 am
I completely agree! These shows are so fake that it makes me a little sick! I cannot believe how writers portray girls on the shows.