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Reality tv shows
Reality TV shows have become very popular on the small screen nowadays. There are many realities TV shows out there that can relate to anybody watching them. There are a lot of topics about how reality TV shows gives out different characteristics to the viewers. For example in the article “The Distorting Mirror of Reality TV” Sarah Coleman focuses on all the different characteristics that many reality TV shows provide for the people watching. In this paper I am going to talk about two characteristics that the reality show Hoarders provides to the viewers. The first characteristic is that it can promote stereotypes. The second is that it is informative. Finally I will decide whether or not Hoarders provides these characteristics or not.

The first characteristic that I noticed on Reality TV is stereotypes. For example on “The Distorting Mirror of Reality TV” by Sarah Coleman, she states that reality TV perpetuates stereotypes. Her article also explains why stereotypes are constantly being used in many reality shows. “To make shows more dramatic” this is one of Coleman strongest reason why many reality TV perpetuates stereotypes. Another subject that Coleman mentions in the article is that Reality TV shows want to make real people interesting, so they give people characters to play. Reality TV shows are now more scripture than just showing people how "real" people actually act. In the Reality TV show Hoarders stereotypes is the first characteristic I noticed that was shown. This reality show, shows to the viewer how a hoarder lives and how their home looks like. The stereotype given towards the hoarder will always be someone that is depressed, sad, or hopeless. For example on Lisa’s episode, her hoarding problem started when she first lost her husband. Losing her marriage made Lisa depressed and hopeless. After her daughter left Lisa because of her hoarding problems, Lisa became worst. Lisa felt incomplete without anybody, but herself. She continued hoarding things because it made her feel like she had something and made her feel complete. The stereotype show that hoarders are always people that might has had a really bad lost in the family or has had a hard time in their lives. Showing this type of stereotypes to the viewers can show them that hoarding can be a problem that can happen to anybody in the world. Hoarders clearly want to show to the viewers some of the problems real people face in the real world and what type to people are the ones facing this problems.

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