Construction of adolescent girls' identity in the age of reality television

This study explores the impact of reality television programming on the sexual socialization of adolescent girls. At a time when girls need information and role modeling, the decrease in adult interaction, television's ubiquitous presence, and the availability of relationship-based programming offers adolescents a ready reference to use toward the construction of a sexual identity. This research focuses on how adolescent girls interpret these social messages as they turn to reality television programs to learn sexual scripts about dating, intimacy, sex, and relationships.;Three top rated relationship-based reality programs were critically analyzed to determine how they create representations of sexual relationships and social expectations. A feminist perspective, reviewing the unique experience of adolescent girls was gathered through focus groups and personal interviews. The narratives of thirty-four adolescent girls ages, 17 through 19, were used to determine how meaning was negotiated through engagement with the programs.;Ultimately, the paper argues for the possibility of a broader public discourse to counterbalance hegemonic media images. Concentrating on schools as a primary source of socialization, issues of educational reform and public critique are discussed.