Real Housewives of Racist TV Tropes: Black Feminist Reading of Reality TV

CLASS DESCRIPTION

Spilling the tea on reality TV…

This lecture will critically examine contemporary representations of Black women on Reality TV, positioning and understanding these portrayals as an evolution of the broader construction of race in media and consequently the audiences' "hungry white gaze". Through a Black feminist and critical race theory lens, this session challenges the perception of reality TV as “low culture” and unworthy of academic inquiry, instead highlighting its deep-rooted connections to colonial histories, racial stereotyping, and desirability politics. 

We will explore the tension between hypervisibility and invisibility for Black women on and off the screen, conceptualising how mainstream media perpetuates both erasure and excessive scrutiny. The session will introduce a new framework for racist TV tropes in a contemporary / reality world, examining how these tropes shape public perceptions and reinforce systemic inequalities. It will also explore a conceptualisation of the “memeification” and “ghettoisation” of Black women, analysing the audience dissemination of 'snapshots' of these women as a form of digital Blackface and viral currency. 

It will end on a meditation for future pathways that allow a real, multidimensional and empowering representation of Black women in reality TV, such as Black representation behind the camera, more productions outside of the Global North, and critical audience participation.

ABOUT OUR LECTURER

Erin James (she/they) is a Black-mixed, neurodivergent, disabled, queer artist, poet, zine-maker, photographer, actor, and facilitator. With a deep commitment to using art as a tool for social change, decolonial healing, and QTIBPOC joy, Erin’s work is rooted in engaging communities to spark political awareness and action. They are currently pursuing a Masters in Media for Development and Social Change at Sussex University, following their role as a Stuart Hall Research Fellow. They are particularly interested in alternative, accessible and creative forms of research such as music, poetry and storytelling. They are currently researching Black and Indigenous peoples' use of oracy, sound and voice as a tool for utopian imagination. Erin is also the founder of Tough Cookie Mag, a socially engaged zine that amplifies marginalised voices and stories. Ultimately, their work aims to create spaces for reflection, healing, and collective action through the process of creation and art-making.

INSTAGRAM: @erinjamess__

WEBSITE: https://erinjames246.wixsite.com/erinjamesmedia/blank-mpvle

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AUTUMN/WINTER TERM 2025

Monday 15th September

Luisa-Maria MacCormack (she/her)

Female Sexuality and the Male Gaze

Monday 22nd September

Dr. Kate Pickering (she/her)

Ritual, Myth and Mysticism: Inclusive Religious Practices in Contemporary Art

Monday 29th September

Julia Kotziamani (she/her)

Misogynist Bureaucracies: Administrative Erasure and the Feminist Body

Monday 6th October

Noelle Perdue (she/her)

Post-AI Pornography

Monday 13th October

Erin James (she/they)

The Real Housewives of Racist TV Tropes: a Black Feminist Reading of Reality TV

Monday 20th October

tbc.

tbc.

Monday 27th October

tbc.

tbc.

Check back for the second half of term…

RECORDING

A recording of the lecture will be sent out by The Feminist Lecture Program after the event finishes, within 2 hours of the end of the class. This email will also contain any resources/reading list the lecturer shares.

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Please note that the recording will expire 7 days after sending.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN

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