Full Description
Reality television remains a pervasive form of television programming within our culture. The new mantra is go big or go home, be weird or be invisible. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty, for example, are arguably two of the most compelling reality television programs currently airing because of their uniqueness and ability to transcend traditional boundaries in this genre. Reality Television: Oddities of Culture seeks to explore not the mundane reality programs, but rather those programs that illustrate the odd, unique or peculiar aspects of our society. This anthology will explore such programs across the categories of culture, gender, and celebrity.
Contents
Introduction: Reality Television in Popular Culture
Alison F. Slade
1. Portrayals of Masculinity in The Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch"
Burton P. Buchanan
2. "I Was Born This Way": The Performance and Production of Southern Masculinity in A&E's Duck Dynasty
Leandra H. Hernandez
3. You Better 'Redneckognize'!: Deploying the Discourses of Realness, Social Defiance, and Happiness to Defend Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on Facebook
Andre Cavalcante
4. Are you ready for your 15 minutes of shame? Louisiana Lockdown and Narrative in Prison Reality Television
Elizabeth Barfoot Christian
5. Bravo's "The Real Housewives": Living the (Capitalist) American Dream?
Nicole B. Cox
6. Frugal Reality TV During the Great Recession: A Qualitative Content Analysis of TLC's Extreme Couponing
Rebecca M. Curnalia
7. Bigger, Fatter, Gypsier: Gender Spectacles and Cultural Frontlines in My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding
Gordon Alley-Young
8. Odd or Ordinary: Social Comparisons Between Real and Reality TV Families
Pamela L. Morris and Charissa K. Niedzwiecki
9. The Lolita Spectacle & the Aberrant Mother: Exploring the Production and Performance of Manufactured Femininity in Toddlers & Tiaras
Leandra H. Hernandez
10. Manifest Masculinity: Frontier, Fraternity and Family in Discovery Channel's Gold Rush
William C. Trapani and Laura L. Winn
11. Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew: A Wicked Brew of Fame, Addiction, and Cultural Narcissism
Christopher Mapp
12. 'Born' Survivors and their Trickster Cousins:Masculine Primitive Ideals and Manly (Re)Creation on Reality Television
Matthew P. Ferrari
13. Catfished: Exploring Viewer Perceptions of Online Relationships
Leslie Rasmussen
14. "'I See Swamp People:' Swamp People, Southern Horrors and Reality Television"
Julie Haynes
Conclusion
Amber J. Narro
About the Contributors
