Actually, first off I'll address a likely concern. Because this is a reality show, and they are largely scripted, I realize we have to take everything with a grain of salt. I might come back to the scripted element of the show, because I could definitely comment on that as well. Okay, now I'll get started:
- ANTM is pitting the American girls against the British girls. Although, in the end, this is an individual competition (because there will only be one winner), the television show seems bent on creating as much drama as possible, and of course they will exploit the cultural differences to the maximum. By doing this, however, the television show is creating an unfair comparison between the two cultures. It's never productive to ask "which is better?" when it comes to culture, so even though there will only be one winner, they are going to make a big deal out of whether or not it's an American or a Brit. By pitting the two teams against each other, they are unconsciously showing fans that one must be better than the other. It's not a celebration of two cultures coming together; it's a commentary on which one is better.
- The cultures are represented unfairly. One episode there was a challenge where each team had to eat traditional foods from the other country. Problem is, they picked some of the most disgusting, weird, and off-the-wall food items (okay, there were some normal things), and the girls themselves commented on how disgusting "American" food or "British" food was. This is a perfect example of stereotyping based on the least amount of information possible. The girls, sadly enough, don't seem smart enough to figure out that the show was selecting perhaps the least appetizing foods. Oh, and that reminds me of something else. Often, the American girls are stereotyped as stupid and the British girls are stereotyped as snobby. This is a classic example of two cultures coming together and not understanding social cues. In all reality, most of the girls on the show act pretty stupid, but ANTM seems to highlight this more in the Americans. The Brits seem to be constantly judging and looking down at the Americans for being loud, obnoxious, stupid, and inexperienced. A lot of these differences could be explained by cultural differences, but I think most of it is explained by what the show chooses to broadcast (or not broadcast). They seem to want to represent both cultures negatively in some way, and they are definitely successful in that.
- The judges seem to view the competition as a "celebration of two cultures coming together," but it's actually just a bloodbath. The rooms they sleep in are conveniently sectioned off into the "UK room" and the "Yankee room." 90% of the interactions between the two cultures are cat fights, so something is clear: the show is pretending to sell it as a celebration of culture, but are really selling it as drama, drama, drama.
Okay, so what in the world does this have to do with my project besides the fact that I'm American and I'm going to the UK? Let me 'splain. I think if either culture looks to television and media (especially reality television) as a sole indicator of culture, both are in for a big shock. Television shows like ANTM are doing nothing to help people appreciate differences--they are merely exploiting them for drama and money. While they could have an opportunity to bring the two cultures in a way that they could learn from each other, they are focused on the negative differences and the ways cultures collide. Even when American television depicts Americans and British television depicts British people, they are still using stereotypes and caricatures which are unfairly representative of either culture. There are so many different aspects of culture that we can't rely on media to give us an accurate representation of culture. If I were to go to England with the expectation that they are all like the ANTM British models, I am setting myself up for a disaster. Why? Well, I think that as is true with most situations, you find what you are looking for. If I'm expecting Brits to be snobby and I focus on that as I interact with them, I will probably find enough examples to support my claim, and I will have missed out on great interactions with the people. I think the best way to enter a different culture is to expect there to be differences, but try not to make judgments on the people before you begin your actual interaction. That way your actions aren't tainted by previous judgment.
In short, no one should use ANTM as an accurate representation of either British OR American cultures. I don't know who would, but I'm sure there is a whole slew of teenyboppers who are susceptible to believing such crap is actually all true. In fact, I wouldn't recommend watching the show at all! I am definitely going to keep watching this season, though, because I'm looking forward to who they crown the winner (will it be a Brit, telling us that they are better than us? or will they crown an American to reinforce ideals of American exceptionalism? I have to know!)
In other words, do as I say and not as I do. The end.
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