B is for Bravo

Today's post is brought to you by Bravo. Okay, well, I guess that's illegal for me to say as Bravo is not really sponsoring this post...

What can I say about Bravo? Why would I post about it? Oh so much. Bravo is home to some of the biggest fashion shows on cable. I first became hooked on Bravo when I ran across the show "Project Runway" hosted by Heidi Klum. My son and I jokingly call it "Project Oneway" because host Heidi has a bit of lisp when she pronounces the title.

The thing I like about Bravo is that it seems to embrace the ideal of mindless television. Even as I scan the channels and select shows to DVR, I am stricken by the fact that Bravo really offers nothing of substance and yet I crave watching it. In fact, one might start to wonder at the future of our country when shows like "Project Runway" and "Make Me a Supermodel" (a new addition) make such high ratings on Bravo that they are shown marathon style on a weekly basis. And yet, I feed this craze.

I vacilate between being disgusted with myself and being intrigued by the phenomenon. Oh, well.

The only other thing I wanted to note about Bravo, though, is the stereotypes it might be proliferating. Though I enjoy Tim Gunn's antics and sashaying from episode to episode, it is more than somewhat disturbing that he embodies the gay stereotype so completely, that some people may begin to believe in it.

This, is what I'm beginning to see as a real problem. I've even heard some people refer to Bravo as the "gay" channel. Is this true? Is this a stereotype? I started to investigate and was disturbed by what I saw. The first evidence or inkling I got of Bravo's label was with a simple Levi's commercial. Here I am, sitting on my couch, frustrated with waiting for Heidi to tell us, "who will be out" when the Levi's commercial with the building being pulled up with a phone booth by a man putting on his pants came on. Suddenly, instead of seeing the woman in the phone booth and the guy making her return so they can walk off into the sunset together, I see a man in the phone booth. I was taken aback. I want to be clear here, I was not upset, I was just tremendously surprised. I mentioned this surprise to a colleague and their response was, "well, it IS Bravo." Suddenly, I became awakened to Bravo's repuation and I wondered at it.

Now in the weeks that have passed, I've noticed an alarming trend, the Bravo shows have gone from embracing their gay audience, to completely stereotyping it. Think about it: on any given Wednesday or Thursday the only shows you get to see are fashion and modeling shows. Is this to suggest that the only shows a gay audience will like are those in fashion or modeling? Furthermore, on the shows themselves, though one might celebrate Bravo for their diversity, one could also gasp at their propensity for finding the "gayest" characters they could. Indeed, it almost feels like we are stuck back in the 1920s watching performers do routines "black-faced." I'm starting to find it a little insulting. Sure, I still love the shows, but are they doing more harm than good? How many people watch the shows and unintentionally form a view of the gay community that is completely based in stereotype? But what is one to do about this fact? Do we let it go and shrug, "well, that's just Bravo." Or must something be done? Is one straight woman's opinion an overeaction or a true glipse at something terrible happening? Am I culpable simply because I continue to watch and love the drama of the shows?

I'm not sure about the answer to any of these questions, but I do know that I may have to start considering giving up my favorite shows if I really want to put my opinion where my mouth is.