Reality TV as High Art: An Argument for the Genre's Emotional Complexity

In a Vogue article, the author argues that reality television, often dismissed as lowbrow, offers profound insights into the human condition. Using examples from Bravo's The Real Housewives franchise, Vanderpump Rules, and other shows, she contends that reality TV provides emotionally complex, Shakespearean story arcs and serves as an anthropological study of real people over time. The piece highlights specific moments: Countess Luann De Lesseps' 2017 arrest in Palm Beach for battery, disorderly intoxication, and trespassing, which she later turned into a cabaret show; Lisa Barlow's emotional scene on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City; and Tiffany Pollard's poem on Big Brother. The author links disdain for the genre to misogyny and homophobia, noting that it is predominantly consumed by women and gay men. She points to Vanderpump Rules' Emmy nominations and Reddit discussions of gaslighting on dating shows as evidence of the genre's cultural value. The article concludes that reality TV captures weird, tender, absurd moments that constitute high art.