The years I spent writing about and analyzing reality TV started almost with the genre itself. One of the early creators of the television recap, I began writing about ‘The Real Housewives…’ franchise in its first few seasons when Reality Tea was an upstart, homespun blog.

Initially just a fan, I snarked on the outlandish shows for fun. This quickly progressed into a career as the Reality Tea site was purchased by the Evolve Media Corporation and became the top grossing reality television site, growing from 10,000 readers per month to over 3 million unique views. In my role as content editor and contributor I was responsible for innovating unique content on a daily basis, and I established a signature voice and style for which the site became synonymous. This expanded to social media and media presence.

Alongside this progression I began observing how ‘The Real Housewives’ series on NBC’s Bravo network transmogrified from observing the kooky entitled antics of the wealthy (and wishfully wealthy), to a exculpation of our society on the heels of the 2008 financial collapse.

As Housewives went to prison, dealt with addiction, domestic abuse, divorce, bankruptcy, health problems, criminal behavior, racism, sexism, homophobia, and familial and friendship dramas, my chronicling of the series and others similar, morphed into a greater exploration of society’s values. My writings explored how Americans were coming to terms with shifting cultural norms around issues such as wealth, misogyny, racism, and sexism; and how women navigate their own feelings of worth amid struggles with identity, aging, and society’s perception of their roles.