Have you ever thought about how reality television is made? Or why we find it so entertaining? And who exactly defines what “reality” means? On July 17th Ali Alkhalifa hosted a workshop at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) called Is Reality TV Real?: Watching Reality Television from a Feminist Film Studies Perspective, which unpacked how "reality" is constructed in popular shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, America's Next Top Model, and The Bachelor.
Alkhalifa, who holds degrees in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies from OSU and currently works for the department, spoke with an audience of over 40 people about how tropes, editing techniques, and industry standards in reality TV both perpetuate and challenge normative ideas about gender, sexuality, and race. The workshop was a huge hit and attendees shared their positive feedback:
“The Reality TV event was incredibly informative and a lot of fun! It was great to see so many people here interested in and receptive to the feminist views on Reality TV shows. It was also very powerful to see people begin to understand how the narratives get skewed to elevate one person over another. I would love it if we did another event similar to this one!” – Sydney
“On July 17, 2026 I had the pleasure of attending an OPEEP sponsored event hosted by OSU alumni Ali Alkhalifa on Reality TV here at ORW. During the event we learned to view popular Reality TV shows such as “Ru Paul’s Drag Race”, “America’s Top Model” and the Atlanta Housewives, just to name a few, from a feminist film studies perspective. And, through open and real conversations and dialogue we considered how themes, editing, and industry standards surrounding Reality TV perpetuate and challenge ideas about gender, sexuality and race. The event was both entertaining and informative and we all walked away from the event with a better understanding of Reality TV through the lens of feminist film theory.” – Melody