The Effects of Watching Real Housewives of Atlanta on Attitudes about Sexuality and Relationships

The purpose of the study is to investigate the influence of watching reality television on attitudes about gender, sexuality, and relationships. We focus on Real Housewives of Atlanta series which features an all–African American cast of upper middle and upper class women. Based on surveys with a national sample, we find that although most viewers do not report being directly influenced by watching Real Housewives of Atlanta, many convey modeling and an indirect internalization of sexual scripts shown and that many viewers admired the sexual confidence portrayed by the women on the show.