The Girl Scouts of America, those delightful scamps, keep tirelessly working to promote not only delicious cookies, but also real social issues affecting girls today. The latest output from one of the last Feel Goodery outposts of American girldom addresses reality TV, and the results are in. Turns out, reality television is making being a girl even shittier than it was before.
According to the survey results released this week, as young female viewers attempt to emulate what they see on television, they’re becoming meaner, more focused on physical appearance, and more likely to bully each other.
The organization’s blog reports,
The study found that the vast majority of girls think reality shows “often pit girls against each other to make the shows more exciting” (86 percent). When comparing the propensity for relational aggression between viewers and non-viewers of reality TV, 78 percent vs. 54 percent state that “gossiping is a normal part of a relationship between girls.”
Regarding romantic relationships, reality TV viewers are more likely than non-viewers to say “girls often have to compete for a guy’s attention” (74 percent vs. 63 percent), and are happier when they are dating someone or have a boyfriend/significant other (49 percent vs. 28 percent).
Well, isn’t that a hot turd sundae of news?
It’s also making girls act, en masse, like they’re the first pretty person in the history of the world and for that, everyone owes them their respect and adoration. JWoww and company aren’t only nudging girls act like jerks, they’re also showing them how to be preoccupied with their physical appearance, which explains the popularity of Keri Hilson’s abhorrent “Pretty Girl Rock.”
And in keeping step with the people so un-self aware that their exploits need to be seen (on reality TV) to be believed, girls who watch reality TV report that they have much higher self-regard than those who don’t. So, even though they’re meaner and vainer than their non-reality TV watching counterparts, they think they’re just about the cat’s pajamas. They also aspire to leadership positions. Yippie! Just what we need! More ladyjerks running for office!
The news isn’t all bad, though. Survey respondents reported that reality TV offered them exposure to different lifestyles and the belief that they could achieve anything in life. And, really, if you think real grown up life consists of Kardashian- level non geniuses challenging each other in a series of pointless American Gladiator style events, how could you not conclude that the world is your oyster? These people are dummies! We should all be queen!
New Girl Scouts Research Exposes Impact of Reality TV on Girls [Girl Scouts]