{"product_id":"real-sister-stereotypes-respectability-and-black-women-in-reality-tv-9780813575063","title":"Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV","description":"From \u003ci\u003eThe Real Housewives of Atlanta \u003c\/i\u003eto \u003ci\u003eFlavor of Love\u003c\/i\u003e, reality shows with predominantly black casts have often been criticized for their negative representation of African American women as loud, angry, and violent. Yet even as these programs appear to be rehashing old stereotypes of black women, the critiques of them are arguably problematic in their own way, as the notion of \"respectability\" has historically been used to police black women's behaviors. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The first book of scholarship devoted to the issue of how black women are depicted on reality television, \u003ci\u003eReal Sister \u003c\/i\u003eoffers an even-handed consideration of the genre. The book's ten contributors--black female scholars from a variety of disciplines--provide a wide range of perspectives, while considering everything from \u003ci\u003eBasketball Wives \u003c\/i\u003eto \u003ci\u003eSay Yes to the Dress\u003c\/i\u003e. As regular viewers of reality television, these scholars are able to note ways in which the genre presents positive images of black womanhood, even as they catalog a litany of stereotypes about race, class, and gender that it tends to reinforce. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Rather than simply dismissing reality television as \"trash,\" this collection takes the genre seriously, as an important touchstone in ongoing cultural debates about what constitutes \"trashiness\" and \"respectability.\" Written in an accessible style that will appeal to reality TV fans both inside and outside of academia, \u003ci\u003eReal Sister \u003c\/i\u003ethus seeks to inspire a more nuanced, thoughtful conversation about the genre's representations and their effects on the black community. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJERVETTE R. WARD is an assistant professor of English at the University of Alaska Anchorage.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Rutgers University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50328753504530,"sku":"9780813575063","price":40.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b0654c82-713d-4962-9ab9-10a02c515da5.jpg?v=1727750392","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/real-sister-stereotypes-respectability-and-black-women-in-reality-tv-9780813575063","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}