They’re Not Mean Girls If They Are Adult Women: Reality Television’s Construction of Women’s Identity and Interpersonal Aggression

Abstract

Drawing on a first-hand account from co-author and participant in a recent season of a popular romance-based reality TV show, this study considers how such shows construct and reinforce stereotypes about women’s relational dynamics with men and other women. It is argued that through careful production and gender scripting, these typologies are situated within a hierarchy of women’s relational interaction that normalizes aggression and bullying among adult women, reframing the ‘mean girl’ from an undesirable role to one that is portrayed as a normal and empowering role for adult women, especially in service of the pursuit of a male partner. The implications of this transformation extend to other women who are portrayed as ‘the other’ and as a result often subordinately positioned in the relational hierarchy reflected on the show. Implications for future research on gender scripts in popular media, the social construction of women’s relational dynamics, and manifestations of covert and overt bullying in these dynamics are discussed.