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Behind
the Scenes:
Girls and Reality TV
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Pictured above: “Behind the Scenes: Girls and Reality TV”
expert panel: (From left to right) Jill Zarin, Jess Weiner, Kimberlee
Salmond, Caeley Looney, Danielle Carrig, and Noorain Khan.
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The Girl Scout
Research Institute released its latest research study, Real to Me: Girls and Reality TV, at an event titled
“Behind the Scenes: Girls and Reality TV,” hosted by Edelman Worldwide on
October 12, 2011, in New York City. A panel of experts in media and reality
TV discussed the impact of reality TV on girls in light of the new research
findings, which show that:
- Real-life reality shows such as Jersey Shore and
competition-based shows such as American
Idol were most popular with respondents. Many girls think
these programs reflect reality, with 75% saying of competition shows
and 50% saying of real-life shows that they are “mainly real and
unscripted.”
- Girls have both positive and negative perceptions
of reality TV; 86% of girls believe reality TV shows often pit girls
against each other to make the shows more exciting, while 75% of girls
believe reality shows inspire conversations with parents and friends about
things that happen on the shows.
- Reality TV viewers appear to accept as real the
dramatic aspects of reality TV shows. For example, 78% of regular
reality TV viewers think gossiping is a normal part of a relationship
between girls, compared to 54% of non-viewers.
Overall, the findings of the study show that reality TV seems to
impact girls on a personal and social level. Regular viewers seem to see
the world in more confrontational terms and relate to their peers
differently than do those who don’t watch as much. Reality TV can serve as
a learning tool, inspire families to explore new interests and activities,
and encourage young people to get involved in social causes. Read more
about the study here!
The expert panel
included Danielle Carrig, A&E Networks; Noorain Khan, formerly of
Jezebel.com; Caeley Looney, Girl Scouts of Nassau County; Kimberlee Salmond,
GSRI; Jess Weiner, author and media strategist; and Jill Zarin, TV
personality. For more on the event, check out this video!
In
the News
This research study
gained significant U.S. media coverage in TIME,
Huffington Post, Inside Edition, BET,
Los Angeles Times, TMZ,
The Hollywood Reporter, About.com, Entertainment Weekly, Fox Providence, Babble, Jezebel, BlackBook Magazine, Reality Check, Minneapolis StarTribune, Houston Chronicle, Television Blend, Augusta Free Press, Deadline New York, Broadcasting & Cable, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and many
other outlets.
The study also
gained international coverage in France,
the Philippines, Czech Republic, and Australia.
Girl Scout councils
in Colorado,
Northern Illinois, and Utah
have used this research to connect to local and national programming and
advocacy efforts.
Girl Scouts of
Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana launched an interactive video
campaign to empower girls ages 13–17 to share the realities of their lives.
The "Reality Check" campaign launched
with a live television studio discussion among a panel of experts
(including Judy
Schoenberg, director of research and outreach, GSRI) and
girls about the results of GSRI’s Real
to Me study. Check out the local coverage of this event in Chicago Parent and Chicago Tribune.
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Girls and Media
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This study on girls
and reality TV joins a larger portfolio of recent research examining girls’
consumption of various forms of media and how it may impact their
perceptions of self and others, as well as their attitudes and behaviors of
how the world works. Along with the reality TV research, the girls and media portfolio also includes
research on girls and social media as well as body image and the fashion industry.
These studies have
prompted healthy media advocacy efforts, such as the Healthy MEdia Commission, which convenes a
premier group of media industry leaders and subject matter experts to
provide recommendations for promoting positive media images for media,
parents, and youth. GSRI’s research also prompted Girl Scouts of the USA to
work closely with Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Kay Hagan
(D-NC) to introduce the Healthy Media for Youth Act (H.R. 2513/S. 1354) in
July 2011. This bill supports media literacy programs and youth empowerment
groups, facilitates research on how images of women and girls impact youth,
and establishes a National Taskforce on Women and Girls in the Media to
help promote healthy, balanced, and positive images of girls and women.
Girl Scouts is now seeking Congressional cosponsors for the bill.
Join the Girl
Scout Advocacy Network today to send
a letter to your member of Congress asking them to sign on to the bill and
be a Voice for Girls!
There is also a national program component to complement the girls
and media research; the Girl Scout Leadership Journey MEdia helps girls
think critically about the media that they consume. This Journey is
designed for middle-school girls and encourages participants to take a
closer look at all media (television, movies, songs, video games) and to
remake what they see, putting their “real me” in media.
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Updates
& Events
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Pictured
above: Anna Maria Chávez, Girl Scouts of the USA CEO
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Partnership for a Healthier America
Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna
Maria Chávez was invited to join First Lady Michelle Obama
in Washington to speak at the inaugural summit of the Partnership for a
Healthier America, part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign. Anna joined key
organizations and leaders from the government, nonprofit, and private
sectors to commit to reverse the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.
Click here for more!
Healthy MEdia Commission Outreach
Anna Maria Chávez also joined Healthy MEdia Commission Co-Chair
Deborah Taylor Tate, former FCC commissioner, to meet with leading editors
from Meredith Publishing Group and the Time Warner Cable Women’s Collective
to discuss opportunities to support and promote healthy, balanced images of
women and girls. For more on the Healthy MEdia Commission, click here.
Girls & Women in Sport and Physical Activity
Kamla Modi, Ph.D., Research and Outreach Analyst, GSRI, attended the Girls & Women in Sport and
Physical Activity Conference 2011: Creating Change at the
Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport at the University of
Minnesota. She presented a poster entitled: Positive Developmental Experiences through Sports
Participation for Adolescent Girls referencing The
New Normal (GSRI: 2006),
and integrating athlete
legacy badges in the
National program portfolio. Kamla was also featured in an article on how to keep girls in sports
during the middle school years.
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Reality
TV shows feature ordinary people in unordinary environments, such as
competing in a contest for a prize or living life in a new place or with
new people. Viewers appear to relate well to reality TV characters and
content, accounting for the popularity of these shows. Reality TV gets
mixed reviews by critics and fans; critics believe that certain reality TV
shows portray immoral or outlandish behavior as normal, even conniving or
self-seeking behaviors in order to get ahead; all of which can have
negative consequences for younger viewers. However, reality shows also
feature inspirational story lines and can generate awareness of certain
health issues.
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 The Parents Television Council analyzed
rates of violence, foul language, and sexual references in more than 100
hours of reality TV shows during a three-month period in 2002. They
observed a total of 1,657 instances of “objectionable content,” at an
average rate of 14.5 instances per hour.
 A study in Psychology Today found that
reality TV viewers were most intrigued by ethical slips in behavior, the
spirit of competition, and a desire for status and/or attention.
 A
guest commentary in TelevisionWeek draws a
connection between participants in reality TV and social psychological
research of the ‘70s: when people are placed in intense emotional
conditions, they can lose their psychological perspective.
 A
new study in Cyberpsychology assessed
the values of characters in two popular television shows in each decade
from 1967–2007, finding that on a list of 16 values, fame jumped from the
15th spot in 1987 and 1997 to first in 2007. The study also found that from
1997 to 2007 benevolence fell from 2nd to 13th and tradition dropped from
4th to 15th.
 A Huffington Post article
comments on how popular reality TV shows portray negative stereotypes about
women, raising concern about how this impacts girls who watch these shows.
 In an inspiring episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the home
makeover team surprised Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia employee Earnie
Graham by rebuilding her home and constructing a new log cabin at a nearby
Girl Scout camp.
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The Girl
Scout Research Institute, formed in 2000, is a vital extension of Girl
Scouts of the USA.
The GSRI
conducts original research, evaluation, and outcomes measurement studies,
releases critical facts and findings, and provides resources essential for
the advancement of the well-being and safety of girls living in today’s
world.
The GSRI
also informs public policy and advocacy for Girl Scouting.
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Girl Scout Research Institute or Girl Scouts of the USA of the linked Web
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of the USA exercise any control whatsoever over the information, ideas,
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