Always “Keeping Up with the
Joneses”
Lauren Tinley
Dinner parties,
weekend trips to Paris, shopping on Rodeo Drive, what sounds like a dream for
many girls (or a short clip from Pretty
Woman), are all common activities for those featured on Bravo’s hit
television show, The Real Housewives of
Beverly Hills. Jealousy seeps through my pores when the panoramic views of
their multi-million dollar mansions pop up on my screen. The luxurious handbags
the women tote around have as much value as one semester of my college tuition.
Put simply, they live a fantasy life, a life that many people in America strive
for, day in and day out. Some researchers say that the portrayal of upper class
lifestyles has fueled our society’s “Keep up with the Joneses” mentality, and I
completely agree.
For instance,
take the introduction of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Each
of the women get about 5 seconds to introduce themselves. What comes out of their mouths is both
sickening and intriguing.
“It may look like
I have it all, but I want more” is the first line heard to viewers. As these words are spoken, clips of
Taylor Armstrong at her four-year-old daughter’s extravagant birthday party,
dancing at a hip nightclub, and drinking wine with a girlfriend are shown. It’s hard to agree with Taylor wanting
more when it appears she has more than most people even dream of. This is a specific example of how
“Keeping up with the Joneses” applies to America’s culture and the role media
plays as reinforcement. The upper
class is the ruling class in today’s culture, and as stated in the definition
of hegemony, society adopts the dominant views of the ruling class because they
“manipulate” culture. People want
what they can’t have. Cast members
of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,
and its other sister shows (Real
Housewives of Atlanta, New York City, Miami), manipulate viewers on the
false idea that you must be a certain stature and own a certain level of
material items to be socially accepted.
Diving further
into the aesthetics of the introduction itself, there are numerous times that materialistic
items are hinted at. As each woman
is introduced, lines of white balls shimmer across the screen, resembling
diamonds. Diamonds are a symbol of
wealth and in the introduction alone; they are constantly being referenced to. As
each woman’s name is shown, they are also shown, all in full hair and make-up,
dressed in floor length ball gowns.
The women are all in their mid to late forties, attractive and fit. The women speak with poise and grace,
and it is clear that they are well educated.
The show also
incorporates an establishing shot, in both the introduction and in each episode
before the women are filmed. The
women’s mansions are shown first so the viewers can gauge which cast member’s
lives are about to be delved into. Each home is bigger than the next. There are panoramic views of their
hilltop homes, overlooking Beverly Hills, homes that only a small percentage of
people today would have the means to purchase. It’s as if their home is what solidifies their place on the
show. Viewers look at these homes in envy and find themselves unhappy with
their own, and naturally so.
These women’s
lives revolve around attending various dinner parties and weekend
getaways. Drama ensues no matter
where they go, or whom they are with.
It seems to be their main focus as well as the show’s only storyline. The
fights they find themselves in are never over substantial issues in society
that most people prioritize. Money
is never an issue therefore it is at times hard to relate, given that financial
hardship is a major problem for families worldwide. It’s ironic that we idolize
a lifestyle that is unachievable for most. Watching and idolizing these women’s
fantasy lives causes many people to be discontent with their own lives, and can
many times lead to deeper issues, such as debt, depression and divorce. These issues tie back to the idea of
“Keeping up with the Joneses”, and that in order to be happy you must live as
the top one percent lives. The
media will continue to feed these ideas into the public’s mind because viewers
will continue to watch these shows.
Ratings show that we demand these shows.
In the Newman
Study about mass media and images of social class, it has been found that mass
media controls how society thinks of one another. Upper class living is constantly glorified through media,
creating even bigger gaps between social classes. Importance of upper class worries
and interests overshadow those of working class individuals. While most of society wants to see a
change in this mentality, it is hard to believe that is achievable due to the
demand of viewers wanting to see how “the other half lives”. The idea of “Keeping up with the
Joneses” has been around for decades, and I believe that it will stay around
for many more. If we continue to
indulge ourselves in shows that praise women going to extravagant dinner parties
and fabulous weekend trips to Europe, society will continue to divide itself by
class standing. I for one enjoy
living vicariously through Kim, Kyle, Lisa and Yolanda as I watch them every
Thursday night. The aesthetics of
the show place them on a pedestal, along with the rest of society. If people would like to see a change,
then society will have to stop praising the fantasy lifestyle and take them off
the social pedestal.
Fox,
Elizabeth, and Robert White. "Communication, Culture and Hegemony: From
the Media to Mediations ." Canadian Journal of Communication . n.
page. Print.
<http://cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/837/743>.
Newman,
David . "Mass Media and Images of Social Class." Exploring the
Architecture of Everyday Life. (January ): 2006. Print.
<http://www.sagepub.com/newman6study/resources/massmedia.htm>.
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