Does reality TV harm young people, especially their body image?

Some people could argue that with programs featuring young, beautiful, good-looking, muscular and/or surgically altered men and women continually appearing on our screens such as Love Island, The Only Way Is Essex, Geordie Shore, Made in Chelsea, Ex on the Beach etc., that younger generations feel pressured to live up to those standards in their body images.

I, myself, have watched many of the shows named above and I admittedly have seen a trend of people starring in those shows, having specific envious characteristics. Despite this, I have not felt a lowering of my body image when watching these programs (being a young person myself), but then again, I cannot speak for the entirety of my generation, nor others who could have been affected by such TV shows.

 Some arguments can suggest that the definition of 'reality TV' needs to be clarified here. Other reality TV shows that fall into the same category as those named above are programmes such as The Great British Bake Off, Come Dine With Me, Traffic Cops and even Supernanny. Therefore, with the clear difference of genre and content, it is unfair to say that all reality TV harms young people's body images due the aesthetically pleasing people appearing on it.

Other arguments suggest that reality TV has nothing to do with influencing body images, people are in control of how they see themselves and any changes that they ultimately wish to make to their body image, is their decision and theirs alone. Reality TV does not have a sole purpose to affect the body image of those watching it. Reality TV has a fundamental objective of providing entertainment and an escape for the viewer's exceptionally ordinary lives.

Perhaps another viewpoint on the nature of reality TV is worth considering. Viewers could see the term 'reality' and mistake that for the reality that their lives should mirror. Viewers can often be encapsulated by a reality TV, in an addictive way, so much so that their existence begins to mimic the reality on the screen.

This phenomenon becomes more evident when considering 'How-to tutorials' on YouTube or following fashion/makeup advice from the cast of Made in Chelsea or The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE). And this could especially influence younger people as they are more impressionable as they have yet to establish the concept and nature of their own reality.

It is easy to forget that arguably much of how we learn about life and our reality is through witnessing what is around us, including shows such as Love Island and TOWIE.

So the answer to whether reality TV harms young people and their body image depends on the reality TV show in question, the viewer who is concerned and the possible psychology influencing the issue being discussed.