Bravo and TV Host Andy Cohen are catching heat over The Real Housewives of Dubai, which was set to debut this week. Dubai has some bad takes on marriage, orientation, and gender roles for those who don’t know. The thought is that by showcasing these people’s lives as normal, we undermine those who struggle there daily. It is a valid argument that sparks an interesting discussion. At what point is reality TV celebrating things that shouldn’t be celebrated?
In the wake of The Real Housewives of Dubai announcement, the fallout was almost immediate. Twelve organizations reached out to Bravo airing their displeasure openly.
From RealityBlurb:
Celebrating Misogyny
It is an incredibly lofty accusation, but one that clearly has some merit. By allowing those injustices to be either ignored or celebrated, you are compounding the problem. A problem that, if anything, needs to be ceased altogether. So what do these organizations want Bravo and Andy Cohen to do, exactly?
Agencies involved want the network to be transparent about who is funding the show and who benefits from it. They also wish for Bravo to air a disclaimer before the show about some of those issues. Finally, asking that Bravo donate its profits from the show to the Human Rights Movement.
The agencies who reached out to Bravo are Freedom Forward, Action Corps, Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues, CODEPINK, European Centre For Democracy and Human Rights FairSquare, Health Advocacy International, Human Rights Sentinel, Just Foreign Policy, Last Mile4D, Peace Action, and ReThinking Foreign Policy.
So while Bravo and Andy Cohen are catching heat, maybe this will mark a change for the better. For now, Bravo has yet to respond.
