What came first:TheReal Housewivesor our ever-growing obsession with perfection?
To answer that, we need to travel back to 2006.
The franchise grew up alongside these newfangled social apps, and so did the Housewives themselves.
We are pop culture, and we are informed by pop culture.
Facebook and Twitter were no longer novelties; they had helped to popularize the shows and to normalize oversharing.
It never occurred to me, or my editor, to have my makeup professionally done.
That was for movie stars, models, and the occasional brides.
Not writers, working girls, or your average housewife.
I was once filmed getting aBrazilian bikini wax legs up!
It seemed nothing was off-limits.
Glam-gate provided lots of drama, though none of it ever aired.
It is reality, after all.
Fourteen years into theHousewivesphenomenon, we’ve seen haircuts get weaponized and fake lashes get normalized.
And, trust me, nothing irritates another Housewife more than their frenemy showing up in a better outfit.
Let’s face it, the culture of glam isn’t always so pretty.
More reality journalism:
Why the Hell Don’t theLove IslandContestants Ever Wear Sunscreen?
