Love is just a game in a mediated world: The representation of gender in The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

Abstract

Reality Television has taken the world by storm and its popularity has garnered a large devoted audience. This study focuses specifically on the reality dating shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. These two shows are the focus of an analysis whereby two main areas and research questions are discussed. Firstly, this research will illustrate the various contradictions and ambiguities and stereotypical characteristics and themes displayed through the representation of both masculinity and femininity within these two reality shows. The second aim of this study is to highlight the way in which producers use post-production, editing and casting techniques in order to provide the audience with a familiar format and characters that society has come to accept and understand and to garner a large audience and advertising profits. This study will use theories of representation, gender, social construction and post-feminist in order to analyse and discuss the questions mentioned above. This study will also use aspects of both the qualitative and quantitative research design methods. Qualitative methods such as case study, open coding, purposive sampling and the analysis and review of secondary sources are used. The quantitative methods used in this study include tables of various units and variables from the two shows. This data is analysed using three methods namely a content analysis which includes the tables and charts mentioned above and internet interviews with various cast members and reality show producers. Secondly, a multi-modal analysis whereby the various elements which make up a text such as image, sound and dress are analysed and lastly an institutional analysis is also used which refers to the hierarchy of the media and the way in which ownership, finance and control are linked to the decisions made by television production companies and producers specifically in relation to the two reality shows under study. Thus, all the above elements are outlined, discussed and analysed in relation to these two reality shows in order to understand the way in which the representation of gender and stereotypes are enhanced by the post-production, editing and casting techniques in order to provide the audience with a familiar and easily identifiable format and cast and in turn increase the viewership and advertising profits.