The
episode that I was able to watch of Sweet Home Alabama was of Season 2. Former
Clemson Tiger quarterback Tribble Reese is the bachelor in Season 2. He is from
Birmingham, Al (the south.) This really reminds me of The Bachelor but with the
added north/south stereotypes. Nonetheless, it goes farther by stereotyping the
different classes of southern people. In this case it is southern women. In the
beginning of the show two southern women, Ashley and Mandy, were yelling at
each other. Ashley felt like Mandy is the “hillbilly” or “white trash” and
Mandy felt like Ashley is “fake.” This represents the two different types of
southern people. The show already has the division of the north and south but
this added Southern stereotyping blew my mind. However, is this just how people
act? Do southerners classify people within the south and tear itself apart? Or
is this all premeditated, as in the show producers tell the people on the show
to spice things up for ratings? I
noticed that when someone speaks on the show and they put their names up that
all of the southern girls had their job title plus what type of southern
element they have. The northern women were only introduced with their job
title. The categorizing of north/south women in the show is unmistakable. It is
almost thrown into your face, as if the accents aren’t enough. This makes me
think that the producers have some kind of hand in what they want the viewers
to see of the south and of the north. The dress of the women is questionable as
well. The southern women dress VERY southern. Is this intentional, or really
how these girl’s dress? That was just another thing that caught my eye and made
me wonder how much did the producers manipulate in this reality show. Furthermore,
Tribble goes on a date with a northern woman, then a southern woman. The
differences in the two personalities are humongous. However, Tribble seems to
like both women equally. Tribble gives this long speech about how he was raised
in a Southern family. He hits almost every Southern stereotype there is. He is
a football player, he says he was raised to go to church on Sunday’s, and to
sit around the table with the family for every meal. Nevertheless, these
Southern qualities were subtly placed in between kisses and the girl telling
the camera how she lets the guy know that she really likes him.
The next part
of the show is a group date where he takes them to his alma mater, Clemson. This
part of the show is very stereotypical of the South. Also, they have the
Northern girls commenting on the moonshine and tailgating. This show really
points out the differences of the south and north. Furthermore, this show
pretty much sets up the preconceived notion of how southerners are, which is
not actually true for all southerners. - Autumn
McMunn
I do not know what it is about this show but it's as if it's so awful I have to keep watching. I really enjoyed Autumn's analysis especially when comparing the second season of this show to the brief trailer we watched of the first season. In the first season, it was men who were seeking the love of a Southern woman, so it was like the Southern men were competing to preserve the the pride of the South - the Southern belle. They were "protecting" her honor in their own minds. This season, it seems, is much different. Now, the question is will the man break the "Southern Commandments" and turn his back on his own culture? The women seem to already be spicing things up with their own internal conflict: trailer trash, Mandy and "fake" Ashley. I guess in the South we live in either one extreme or the other. I feel like no matter how "Sweet Home Alabama" is set up, the women are always at the mercy of the men. Even in the first season's trailer, Southern men were given the ultimate power in keeping the girl in the South. How anti-feminist can you get? And just by looking at the picture above, I agree with Autumn - the attire screams stereotypes. But then again, I guess all the overloaded stereotyping is why I can't look away from this show.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that a lot of this show is all for show and manipulated, but I kind of think that the exchange of words between those two girls was real. When people are on a show and in a sense are "competing" for love, fights typically ensue and people get called all kinds of names. This isn't just the case with Southerners, though. Something about this show really bothers me. I guess it's just the whole idea of pitting Southerners against Northerners. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we already go through this?(I mean, it was just a little thing called the Civil War. No biggie, right?) Sure, there are fundamental differences between many people in the North and South, but this seems like it's trying too hard to remind us of these differences. There are multiple good qualities of both Northerners and Southerners, so why is this show pitting them against one another? I could see how it would be interesting to watch this show, but after a while I would probably get so sick of it I'd have to turn it off. About the picture, I think it's interesting that the Northern girls are all wearing heels while the Southern girls are pretty much all wearing boots. This definitely isn't a true representation of the South, or the North either I'm sure. It would be interesting if they experimented and took some of the Northern girls and kept some as stereotypically Northern and switched others to look and act stereotypically Southern. And the same for the Southern girls. This might not serve any real purpose, but I think it would be interesting to see who he picks and whether or not them acting a certain way makes a difference, or if he really does choose from the heart regardless of regionality.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen this show, and I have no desire to watch it. I cannot get behind the idea of presenting a metaphoric Civil War in the guise of a lame dating game show. I get it: The South and the North have a history of not liking each other. Also, producers should not meddle with the affairs of the contents, either by pitting them against each other or what have you. Then again, reality television is not real; it is exploitation television. I did not realize that love was predicated on your home region or regional qualities. This brings up the question of why the Midwestern and Western regions are not represented. I understand it is "Sweet Home Alabama," but the last time I checked, the North is not a region in Alabama (except for maybe Birmingham and Huntsville). The whole idea of dividing people based on their regions is just silly. The whole proposition is worsened by the fact that the show is a hack dating game.
ReplyDeleteReality television has always sickened me, and I do not understand how and why people watch it. No aspect of the show is real, but it is interesting how producers portray things, such as the conflicts Autumn mentioned. Based on the description of the show, it appears that the producers are reiterating conflicts from the past between the North and the South, such as the Civil War, except the women are "fighting" for a guy with their words and actions. Also, since this show is a reality show, the producers exaggerate the southern and northern stereotypes to give the audience something to enjoy by creating drama with the flashy stereotypes. I hate how the southern and northern women are portrayed in the show, especially by their appearance. The women chosen for the show appear very typical for their intended stereotypes; hence, this show does not create anything original or unheard of.
ReplyDeleteDo I watch the Bachelor? No. Why? Because I cannot stand the thought of multiple people competing for love over the same person. How do you even know that one of them is really THE one? This already makes me not like this show, but to top it off you have the screaming stereotypical regional contestants that probably both own a pair of cowboy boots and steletos. The interesting part about season two in comparison with season one is that in season one the whole concepion of protecting the white female's honor by keeping her southern is transferred to protecting to southernness of the white male in season two. This whole show makes me squirm a little, and I don't think I could stand watching it.
ReplyDeleteAkin to Lauren, I have never had much of an interest in the genre where love is found in a house crammed with sexually-driven individuals. I did however watch an entire season of "Flaava of Love" with Flaava Flaav. Anyone who literally wears time around their neck deserves a chance in my book. When it comes to this series, I wouldn't watch if he had seven clocks hanging from his neck. I feel like Southern Reality TV is much more offensive than fiction, mostly because I can often find a logical/reasonable for semiotic messaging in fictional productions. Shows which prey upon Southerness in the "reality" genre not only seem to highlight the glaring flaws in Southern behavior, these flaws are then broadcast as reality. I find myself growing frustrated simply thinking of the shows. Maybe I am too closed-minded, but I can guarantee I would turn the television off before I watched five minutes of an episode.
ReplyDelete