{"id":75008,"date":"2020-11-30T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T11:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=75008"},"modified":"2023-03-07T11:47:04","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T16:47:04","slug":"the-sociological-realities-of-dating-shows","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/the-sociological-realities-of-dating-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sociological Realities of Dating Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default-alt has-media has-media-focus-right-top has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Love is Blind, a Netflix show\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/love-is-blind-via-netflix-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Netflix<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Briefs<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Sociological Realities of Dating Shows\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\"><em>Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig shares reality TV shows that engage and entertain.<\/em><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">November 30, 2020<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/angela-onwuachi-willig\/\">Angela Onwuachi-Willig<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-outlined has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-secondary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>My days as dean have always been long, but they have become much longer since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I am not working, I often will veg out with my family, read interesting articles, write, play Scrabble (which I never really played before), and try to clear my mind.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>My television choices may come as a surprise to some, but I love reality TV. And, I am very old school. I do not really binge-watch television programs. I tend to watch them when they come on the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I watch reality TV, in particular, as a means of escape and a way to connect with my husband, my children, and my friends, and, even more so, as an intellectual exercise. Competition shows like <em>Survivor<\/em> and MTV\u2019s <em>The Challenge<\/em> are my favorites. The racial, gender, and other dynamics that shape the alliances that are formed on the shows, as well as the voting patterns among their contestants, over the years, are fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since we all have been spending more time at home these days, I thought I would recommend a few other programs that have been at the top of my list lately. I hope they engage and entertain you as they have me these past months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-quaternary-color\">Married at First Sight<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-bu-clicktotweet has-format-highlight\"><span class=\"wp-block-bu-clicktotweet-content\"><span class=\"wp-block-bu-clicktotweet-highlight\">Really, the least-compelling part of <em>Married at First Sight<\/em> is that these people are willing to marry perfect strangers.<\/span> Much more interesting is that the hosts not only engage in racial matching but also skin-tone matching in bringing couples together. Despite several years of programming, there has never been a Black-white interracial couple on the show, and the hosts have never matched a dark-skinned Black person with a light-skinned Black person. The couples tend to be either all white or all Black\u2014with very few Asian Americans and Latinx individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first time I watched the show, I was surprised to see the expert matchmakers put people with diametrically opposed personality types together. For instance, they would place someone who is clearly a dominant personality type with someone who is an empathetic personality type. The literature tells us such individuals would rarely form a good match; yet, these learned matchmakers would place them together as a perfect match. Such pairings make for great television\u2014lots of fights and disagreements\u2014but usually not a good marriage. Each season, the recipe seems the same: one couple that gets along easily, one that has a chance of making it, and all others that are simply doomed. It\u2019s a recipe that works. Even hopeless romantics find the perfect couple boring after a while; they are needed to inspire hope for true love, but no one tunes in to watch them. It\u2019s the drama of the other couples that brings viewers back for more episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-quaternary-color\">Love Is Blind<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One show that I have actually binge-watched is <em>Love Is Blind<\/em>\u2014incredibly fascinating for a critical race theorist who happens to love pop culture. The show illustrates how race is a social construction in so many ways. You can see how people understand and figure out race, even when they cannot \u201csee\u201d it. Watching the question, answer, and dialogue process between the contestants actually showed how one can \u201csee\u201d race, broadly defined, and still discriminate (or not) simply by voice or accent, by knowing where one lives, by learning what music or television they like (in some cases), through any other conceptions of race they may have, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote record-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-secondary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">I am fascinated by productions of race, gender, sexuality, class\u2014identity in general\u2014even when programs do not view themselves as performing that type of work.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Dean Onwuachi-Willig<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-quaternary-color\">Love Island<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I have also binge-watched parts of <em>Love Island<\/em> with my family. The racial and gender dynamics on that program are captivating. Who gets picked and pursued, and who does not\u2014it all falls in line with the research about cross-racial dating and racialized hierarchies of beauty in terms of who is considered beautiful or not across intersectional race and gender lines. And, of course, these shows presume heterosexuality. All the pairings are men and women. There also is an engaging cultural aspect, as I learn new slang words from across the pond, like \u201cfit,\u201d \u201cbev,\u201d \u201cdo bits,\u201d and \u201cinnit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-quaternary-background-color has-quaternary-color is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">I am fascinated by productions of race, gender, sexuality, class\u2014identity in general\u2014even when programs do not view themselves as performing that type of work. I also am mesmerized by popular conceptions of compatibility. It is a topic I have examined in depth in my book, According to Our Hearts, and one that continues to intrigue me. People often talk about reality TV as if it is mindless entertainment, but I disagree. Maybe next time you catch one of these shows, you will appreciate it not only for the escape it can provide, but also for what it can tell us about ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:23% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"791\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-791x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Record, fall 2020\" class=\"wp-image-74972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-791x1024.jpg 791w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-492x636.jpg 492w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-768x994.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-1187x1536.jpg 1187w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-638x826.jpg 638w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-527x682.jpg 527w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-798x1032.jpg 798w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-1021x1321.jpg 1021w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-266x344.jpg 266w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-409x529.jpg 409w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-532x688.jpg 532w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-818x1058.jpg 818w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-1054x1364.jpg 1054w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-1277x1652.jpg 1277w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-773x1000.jpg 773w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover-335x435.jpg 335w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/11\/LAW-RecordF20-cover.jpg 1487w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><br>FEATURED IN:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Record, <br>Fall 2020<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/news-stories\/issues\/fall-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">See all stories<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My days as dean have always been long, but they have become much longer since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I am not working, I often will veg out with my family, read interesting articles, write, play Scrabble (which I never really played before), and try to clear my mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18313,"featured_media":75187,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":75220,\"hed\":\"Building a more Diverse Legal Profession\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard record-block-editorial-billboard is-style-half-photo has-light-overlay has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"75279\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/law\\\/files\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/dean-onwuachi-willig-teal-background-landscape-970x456.jpg\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Briefs","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[3803,1352,3801],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3764,3751],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/75008"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18313"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75008"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/75008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75565,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/75008\/revisions\/75565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75008"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=75008"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=75008"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=75008"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=75008"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=75008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}