Melissa Wallace

Reality television has become very popular in today’s culture. From what to wear, what to eat, and where to live our society has been impacted. Shows that are put on to display the abnormal are making that atypical life style seem like the new way of living. A prime example would be Teen Mom. This show causes young teens to think it is socially acceptable to enter into motherhood with no stable foundation to raise a child. The think they can have a child at 16 and then some TV producer will come pick them off the street and throw them onto a reality TV show. They think it is suitable to throw, not only their own life away, but their innocent child’s. Some of the other reality shows are used to enhance the culture of our society. You can learn things from them: how to survive in the wild, how to cook gourmet meals, who is the better special effects artist. Being on a reality show can jump start your career. Jersey Shore is a great example of this. Before they were those fist pumping Italians everyone was talking about they were pretty much non-existent. Now they appear as guests on other TV shows, they are on the cover of famous magazines; they are models of behavior for any person who watches them on their TV.  They are now making millions of dollars just doing whatever they want and people sitting at home are eating it up. Phrases they say, things they do, brands they wear are beginning to show up. You can find them on T-shirts at the beach, coming out of your neighbor’s mouth, even in your own everyday conversations. These are the shows people are ashamed to admit they watch, the shows people mock endlessly, yet they have gained such a huge role in shaping our society.