Erika Girardi/Erika Jayne Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
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Erika Girardi/Erika Jayne Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Sofia Nilsson & Natalie Soyege KK429A Final Exam Project 2021 Media- and Communication studies Examiner: Ulrika Sjöberg Supervisor: Tindra Thor School of Arts and Communication (K3) Malmö University Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills MKV Final Exam Project 2021 Table of content 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………3 1.1 Disposition and Thesis Distribution…………………………………………………….4 1.2 Aim……………………………………………………………………………………..5 1.3 Question Statement……………………………………………………………………..5 2. Contextualization & Background 2.1 The Real Housewives…………………………………………………………………...6 2.2 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills…………………………………………………..6 2.3 Erika Girardi vs Erika Jayne…………………………………………………………….6 3. Previous Research 3.1 Research on Reality TV…………………………………………………………………8 3.2 Commercialization of Wifedom…………………………………………………………9 3.3 Popular Culture & Post-Feminism……………………………………………………..10 3.4 Ordinary People on Television………………………………………………………...11 4. Theoretical Perspective 4.1 Constructing Gender…………………………………………………………………..12 4.2 Class, Respectability & Subject Positions ………………………………………………13 5. Method & Material 5.1 Discourse Analysis……………………………………………………………………..16 5.2 Discourse and Power…………………………………………………………………..16 5.3 Subject Positions, Chain of Equivalence and Nodal Points……………………………..17 5.4 The Material…………………………………………………………………………...18 5.4.1 Season Six…………………………………………………………………....19 5.4.2 Season Ten…………………………………………………………………..20 5.5 Ethical Discussion……………………………………………………………………..21 5.6 Validity………………………………………………………………………………...22 6. Analysis & Result 6.1 Subject Positions……………………………………………………………………..23 6.1.1 Housewife…………………………………………………………………...23 6.1.2 Showgirl……………………………………………………………………..24 6.1.3 Gold Digger…………………………………………………………………28 6.1.4 Southern Mother…………………………………………………………….29 6.1.5 Bad Bitch……………………………………………………………………30 6.1.6 Daughter…………………………………………………………………….31 6.1.7 Empowered Woman………………………………………………………...32 6.1.8 Good Friend………………………………………………………………...34 7. Conclusion & Final Discussion 7.1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….37 7.2 Discussion - Sofia Nilsson……………………………………………………………..38 7.3 Discussion - Natalie Soyege……………………………………………………………41 8. References……………………………………………………………………………….44 Sofia Nilsson & Natalie Soyege 1 Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills MKV Final Exam Project 2021 Abstract This study is a discursive analysis of the representation of the person Erika Girardi within the Reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. With a theoretical perspective anchored within Judith Butler’s (1999) theory of performativity and Beverley Skeggs (2000) research of class within feminism. The aim is to find how Erika Girardi is discursively portrayed within the series as well as finding and analyzing the various subject positions found within the material. The results are presented as eight different subject positions; Housewife, Showgirl, Gold Digger, Southern Mother, Bad Bitch, Daughter, Empowered Woman and Good Friend. These positions are then decoded into the various signs which build these up as well as the nodal points which are further found within the discourse of the selected episodes. Keywords: Gender Roles, Reality, Feminism, Femininity, Representation, Television Representation of gender roles, femininity, and subject positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Sofia Nilsson & Natalie Soyege Final Exam Project in Media and Communication Studies School of Arts and Communication (K3) Faculty of Culture and Society Malmö University Supervisor: Tindra Thor Examiner: Ulrika Sjöberg Spring of 2021 Sofia Nilsson & Natalie Soyege 2 Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills MKV Final Exam Project 2021 1. Introduction The idea of what a woman is has been a subject of heated discussion throughout the ages. Entering the second decade of the 21st century, the buildup of expectation versus representation within the media has been of great focus. To look at representation of women first women are made a subject, as the qualifications for being a subject need to be met before representation can be extended (Butler, 1999). Through the media, representation is both created and recreated as reality influences what is represented through the media as well as reality being influenced by what is shown in the media. The concept of Reality TV is interesting as this form of television aims to show reality through its platform. The Real Housewives (RHW) was inspired by scripted soap operas Desperate Housewives and Peyton Place. It aimed to document the lives of upper-class women who lead glamorous lives in a picturesque southern California gated community called Orange County. A location which had been made famous by the teen scripted series called The OC. The show had brought attention to the seemingly unattainable lifestyle of these protected upper-class communities of southern California (Reality World, 2006). After the series’ first version, The Real Housewives of Orange County, which premiered March 2006, more locations were added to the franchise which included The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH), premiering in 2010 (Bravo, 2021). After loyally watching the show since its inception it sparked an interest to take a closer look at the representation of femininity with the persona Erika Girardi/Erika Jayne as our research subject. Erika Girardi/Erika Jayne joined RHOBH for its sixth season which started airing in 2015. What sets this member of the cast apart from the rest is the fact that she comes with two very distinct characters in one, the housewife Erika Girardi, and the showgirl and performer Erika Jayne (Bravo, 2021). Further, she does not only portray these characters, but she challenges the original definitions of them. Through Judith Butler’s performative acts and gender constitution theory (1999) as well as Beverely Skeggs explanation of class, respectability and gender, this research will decode Reality TV’s portrayal of femininity and the building blocks used to create the subject of woman and her roles. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was announced the most watched reality show in 2020. Its premiere episode was watched by 1.696 million viewers on the night of its release and the reach beyond Bravo’s first airing is hard to pinpoint (Reality Tea, 2020). However, with this level of reach it is apparent that it has a certain level of impact in how reality and housewives in the upper-class is portrayed. This portrayal through such an ingrained female gender role has legitimate reach to the public and thus is of interest for feminist studies. It has also created a space for women in gender roles traditionally seen as an extension of the man to be the main focus. Through the series the housewives become the main characters and the husbands the extension. This switch, and the portrayals within this shift in focus, is the basis of this study. Sofia Nilsson & Natalie Soyege 3 Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills MKV Final Exam Project 2021 1.1 Disposition and Thesis Distribution In this study some of the work has been completed by both researchers and some individually. Though the different elements of the study originally had a specific researcher focusing on that particular theme, both researchers have worked together throughout. To clarify, the study is divided in six different parts: The first part containing; abstract, introduction, aim and question statement was completed by both researchers as we collected and compiled the information. The second part, contextualization and background, were mainly finalized by Natalie while Sofia focused on previous research. The third part, theoretical perspective and method and material, Natalie focused on theory as Sofia focused on method and material. The fourth part, validity and ethical decision, was completed together. The fifth part, analysis and result, was completed together. Natalie and Sofia watched two seasons of RHOBH, picked out three episodes that were most relevant to the study and transcribed the different dialogs and voice overs from interviews in all of the chosen episodes. Natalie observed and documented season six while Sofia did the same for season ten. After individually collecting the material the analysis was completed together. In the sixth part we worked together as we wrote the conclusion and final discussion prior to finalizing our individual discussions. Sofia Nilsson & Natalie Soyege 4 Representation of Gender Roles, Femininity and Subject Positions in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills MKV Final Exam Project 2021 1.2 Aim As a reality show claimed to have redefined the term housewife, the aim of this study is to analyze RHOBH’s discursive constructions of femininity and gender roles (Leonard, 2020). Through the theoretic lens of Judith Butler’s (1999) performative acts and gender constitution the study critically analyzes these performative constructions of gender. Anchored in feminist class perspective through Beverley Skeggs’ (2000) research, the study aims to bring clarity to how the dimension of class becomes intertwined with gender performance. Erika Girardi has inhabited various socio-economic classes throughout her life, all told within