Bravo has struck gold with their Real Housewives franchise. There’s a show in Atlanta, DC, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Beverly Hills, and most recently Miami. The premise behind the shows is pretty much the same: camras follow rich women that hate each other. If that weren’t enough, VH1 has gotten in on the action and has Basketball Wives, Football Wives, and now Mob Wives. Go figure.

Chris Harnick hits the nail on the head when he describes the Bravo Shows as “soapy reality show[s] featuring absurd real women.” The folks over at the Good Men Project listed Reality TV as one of the 10 Worst Things to Happen to Women This Millenium.

I think it’s fair to say that all men hate that their women love these shows. Here’s why.

• Men don’t like golddiggers. We don’t mind spending money on women, but what we really want is a woman that we know will be there for richer or for poorer. By watching these shows, women seem to think that that’s how they should be living and if they are not living that lavish lifestyle, they are settling or missing out. And it’s somewhat of a slap in the face to the man that is doing his best to provide for his family. We’re doing the best we can.
• All the women do is argue. Bravo and VH1 don’t just cast anyone for these shows. They cast people that are crazy because they want viewers. EVERYONE acts crazy when a camera is in front of them, so you know what happens when you put a camera in front of a crazy woman.
• (At least in the case of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Basketball Wives) These women aren’t even married. The title of these shows is quite the misnomer.
• By watching a person live their life (that’s it), you’re making a person that’s already well off even richer. At least professional athletes have a talent. What do these women do other than eat at fancy restaurants, shop, throw charity events, and try to start a clothing line? Why is that worth watching?
• The shows are mind-numbing. I understand that people want to unwind after a stressful day at work, but what you watch shouldn’t be too removed from who you are. After watching a show with a bunch of idiots, esp. Jersey Shore, it’s only a matter of time before people question your competency.
• Many women don’t realize that these women don’t actually live as depicted in the shows. This is closely-related to my first point, but many women don’t realize that these shows aren’t reality at all. Jezebel has reported a couple of times on how these women are actually broke. They even created a convenient bankruptcy index of women on these Real Housewives shows.

The takeaway is that instead of worrying about how other people live, viewers of these “Wives” shows should make the best of the life they have. I promise you, you’ll be much happier once you realize how awesome your life is.

Related articles

• The ‘Wives’ Are Taking Over! Which Spouses Should TV Document Next? (tvsquad.com)