Polygamous Playboys

Many of us are familiar with E! Network’s popular reality show The Girls Next Door which profiles and follows the lives of Hugh Hefner’s multiple girl friends. The show started out with 3, Holly, Bridget, and Kendra (Bridget and Kendra now have spin-off reality shows picked up by E!). For those of you not familiar with the show, you can find many youtube clips or catch a rerun on E!

The Girls Next Store undoubtedly glamorizes life at the Playboy mansion and arguably glamorizes non-monogamy. Here is a Today show interview from 2007 that interviews Hefner on his growing empire, his multiple girlfriends, and the show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVVFBgsiKho&has_verified=1

On the other hand, a new show is arriving to TLC this Sunday, Sept. 26 on TLC called Sister Wives, a reality show that profiles a plural family or a polygamous family. There is a husband and he has 3 wives with a 4^th on the way. They all live together under one roof and support each other. Together they have over 20 children. You can see clips for this show on TLC Network’s website. Watch these, get a feel for the premises and catch the first show on Sunday @ 10 if you can.

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/sister-wives/

Now I want you to think about these 2 shows in relation to each other. How do these two shows compare?? How do you feel about each of them? What is the message for each show? Each purpose? Entertainment? Awareness?

Are they intended for different audiences? How do you know? How does this affect their delivery?

Do these shows glamorize non-monogamous relationships? Does one make it seem glamorous and the other out of the ordinary or “weird”? Is the message here ok? Socially acceptable?

Sister Wives has already received a lot of social scrutiny. Why do you think this is? Why would this show be seemingly more offensive than Hefner’s Girls Next Door?

How are women portrayed on each show?

Analyze!!!