Axelle Lot

Social & Cultural Diversity

The representation of Gypsies on reality

shows
By Axelle Lot
Abstract
A number of Gypsy-related reality TV programs have recorded the experience of
those individuals in our society. Even though they are highly popular, its being
said that they misrepresent the community in a distorted way and have negative
psychological consequences. This study attempted to investigate whether the
Gypsy community has been portrayed in a stereotypical manner on reality shows.
The framework uses stereotyping and Marxist view to examine the content. Next
is step is a systematic, quantitative content analysis on season 1 from My Big Fat
Gypsy Wedding UK and MBFGW US. This is conducted with the help of Box of
Broadcasts to determine the (lack of) accurate image on TV and the following
negative consequences. Questions to support the study are: Do the main
characters in the show have Gypsy inheritance? Are the reality shows using
stereotypes of the Gypsy community? Does the representation of Gypsies on
reality shows foster a particular image towards the integration of ethnic minorities
in our every day life?
The outcome of the research is that the voice-overs have been exaggerated to
fuel the other stereotypes. Women were portrayed as sexualized objects and men
as bar fighting criminals. Their words were put out of context, which proves the
Marxist view theory.

Introduction
It is estimated that there are 300,000 gypsies residing in Britain, with onethird living in mobile home accommodation. According to an official
definition from the National Association of Teachers of Travellers , gypsies
are described as unlike any other group of people, physically different
and dressed in strange clothes. They lived on the borders of society and
did not conform to the ways and employment of the settled community
nor did they stay in one place long enough to build relationships with the
local people. Despite the fact they are not very visible, they are
considered to be one of the largest minority ethnic groups in Europe,
according to the British charity Equality. Whilst they have tried to be
invisible, developments in technology and immigration have made them
aware to the public eye. For society they are radicalized or a pariah group
(gypsies and travelers, Joanna Richardson and Andrew Ryder). This is the
same for America that has a population of 1 million Gypsies.
Unfortunately, their representation in the media is not equally as large and
the portrayal is often presented in a negative and distorted way.
Especially reality shows have been under attack for misrepresenting the
Gypsy minority. This study aims to discover if reality shows are being used
to stereotype the gypsy community and the negative outcome of that
assumption.
Literature review
In 2012 Channel 4 (commercial TV channel in the UK) was being criticized
for the way they represented the Gypsies on TV. According to education
expert Brian Foster it was clear that the minority was portrayed in a
stereotypical way and the consequences were very negative.
Stereotyping is dangerous because the start of a simple categorization of
people becomes a power struggle over the representation of non-whites
through the means of stereotyping. Pickering (2001). This article will
mainly be based on literature reviews and broadcasts about the
stereotypes of minorities and the negative consequences. But Ill also be

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Social & Cultural Diversity
looking at the two realities TV shows to make a conclusion. It is the first
time a research essay is made about stereotyping of minorities on reality
shows.
Theoretical Framework:
Walter Lipmann discovered the first awareness of stereotyping in 1922. It
is a broader term commonly used to refer to negative or positive
judgements about individuals based on any observable or believed group
membership (Jandt 1998, p.70). Stereotyping, reducing people or groups
to abstractions or clichs, is lazy, bad journalism (Sanders, 2003, p.154).
With racial stereotypes one group can be seen as the center of everything
and all other groups are rated in reference to it. Prejudicial judgments are
used to assign negative qualities to other groups. Repeated exposure to
negative stereotypes causes those who are being stereotyped to believe
the stereotypes. This internalization damages character by causing low
self-esteem, low expectations, low motivation, self-doubt, etc. And in turn
this damage contributes to a host of bad outcomes, such as high
unemployment, poor marriage success, low educational achievement, and
criminality.
So what are the stereotypes that play a powerful role in propagating
prejudice against Gypsies?
The coding scheme
1 = Good/bad =0
1 = Civilized/primitive =0
1= excessively/ugly=0
1= Attractive/repelling=0
1= compelling/different=0
1=exotic/strange= 0
Traditional/modern
For the analytical part of this study, Marxist view argues that this
stereotyping is possible because of those in control (in this case the
producers of the reality shows) shape how audiences/readers view race.
This view maintains that the media makes and remakes a dominant
ideology as a way of enabling the ruling class to maintain control over less
powerful groups in order to establish a common consensus within society.
(oxfordreference.com)
Methodology
The study uses quantitative content analysis performed on two reality
shows from different countries (America and UK). The sample included one
British reality show (My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding) and one American
(MBFGW US). Both shows were aired during the same time period (2012)
on two different TV Channels (TLC and Channel 4). From the 2 channels, I
randomly sampled ten minutes in the middle of the program. The reason
therefore is that in the beginning producers are still cautious on what to
air, something that changes the further you watch the program. For the
coding Ill be using binary extremes so that my opinion isnt bias and not
just emphasizing on the negative. Ill be cross-referencing each ten
minutes with a different sample to check for reliability, something that is
not possible with a group of persons because of my lack of knowledge.

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Social & Cultural Diversity
Quantitative data analysis
RQ1: Do the main characters in the show have Gypsy inheritance?
This question is an important to answer because if the characters are
actors, it might suggest the whole program is already staged before airing,
to deliberately put up a false image of the Gypsy community. After looking
at the cast, it is clear both the UK and American version have approached
real Gypsies instead of actors.
RQ2 Are the reality shows using stereotypes of the Gypsy
community?
To answer this research question, the following variables will be
coded:
1 = Good/bad =0
1 = Civilized/primitive =0
1= Ugly/excessively=0
1= Attractive/repelling=0
1=Different/compelling=0
1=Strange/exotic= 0
1=Traditional/Modern
For the UK version we look at the sample from S1E1- 31:10-41:10
Voice-over
Stereotypical words/phrases
The majority is very religious
Its the biggest honor you can
achieve, seeing your child getting
married in the house of God
Dating is virtually non-existent in
Id like to be a girls first boyfriend
Gypsy community, so at weddings
young men stake a wife
The younger generation are
Maybe, but highly doubt it I would
expected to marry within the
marry a country girl
community

The table shows that al lot of the voice-over phrases is exaggerated

with what the main characters say.
This episode consisted a lot of coding for primitive uses like the men
sitting away from their wife when attending a woman (32:19, MBFGW
episode 1). But also quotes like a man is not a real man if he sits with his
woman ((32:32, MBFGW, episode 1) and weddings are the perfect
opportunity to claim a potential wife. (31:55). The women are depicted
often in a sexualized way quoting man, shes wearing a white dress, shes
not looking bad (32:23) (coding attractive). Very young girls wear shorts
dresses in order to stand out and attract a future husband. There is a
contradiction when it comes to the more modern Gypsies who live in
houses they prefer there girls traditional (primitive coding) and say that
dont play God with your body. (35:40). The most important thing is to
have a good husband (36:11). The Appleby race is shown, not for its
historical value but because its the biggest Gypsy dating event of the
year. Young people come here to find wives and husbands (38:13). (all
primitive coding).

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Social & Cultural Diversity
For the US Version we look at a sample from S1E2 - 31:10-41:10
Voice-over
Stereotypical words/phrases
His entire family boycotted his
Petes mom has shown up at his
wedding
wedding
Theres an important ritual to
Its kind of a tradition on the
perform: the knocking
morning to the wedding to go the
family in law and banging on the
door for his bride
A sticky situation drives the bride
It made a big mess
over the limit
The table shows that al lot of the voice-over phrases is exaggerated
with what the main characters say.
This episode consisted a lot of coding of violence Im going to smack him
like a fucking bitch, Fuck your family, screaming and fighting was
depicted. Negative coding about family feuds, police turning up a dress
that is falling apart (31:30). Traditional coding: knocking on the brides
door and spinning the bride around three times by her mother in law. The
American version was more explicit on violence and bad things that
happened, while the UK version was more about finding the ultimate
traditional wife/husband and marrying them.
Reliability
For the reliability well be cross-referring all the ten minutes with each
other to see producers have generalized their shows and use the same
technique to create a pattern of false stereotypes. Both shows have aired
a piece about the importance of horse and carriage/ limousines at gypsy
weddings during the 35th minute of the episode of the show.
RQ3 Does the representation of Gypsies on reality shows foster a
particular image towards the integration of ethnic minorities in
our every day life?
Even though theres no scientific evidence the images of Gypsies can be
harmful, its sure that people will have a certain image in their head and
that those images can contribute to psychological damage. According to a
statement in The Guardian, a Gypsy recalls her daughter being bullied
over the TV show. During the screening of the last series I heard of many
Gypsy and Traveller children getting bullied at school as a direct result. My
daughter was called a prostitute and eventually left school because of the
way girls were portrayed in the series (the guardian). Other Gypsies have
been to court because one 17-year-old girl complained that she had been
manipulated and portrayed as a freak, violent, tarty and stupid, while
another edition of the series had portrayed children as wild,
uncontrollable, foul-mouthed, illiterate, uneducated, violent and
dangerous. The broadcasting of the show does indeed foster a certain
(negative image) from on screen to our everyday life with a lot of negative
consequences.

Conclusion

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Social & Cultural Diversity
Reality shows feed on stereotypes and these examples are no exception.
Instead of portraying an accurate image of the Gypsy minorities and its
traditions, TLC and Channel 4 show a sensational and one-sided view of a
group that has been marginalized in the past and keeps on lingering.
Producers can do this because with the help of Marxist view which
maintains this image. In this article the Gypsy weddings have been made
extraordinary through use of visual images and the over the top situations.
Whilst some viewers may realize this is not the everyday life, the majority
will believe the stereotypes. The result is that other Gypsies can suffer
psychology and be harassed because of an inaccurate television image.
Biography
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Social & Cultural Diversity
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