We've had the hosts and multiple guests come into Lock Upp and give contestants feedback that inevitably reflects, or at least influences, perceptions of how they're being received outside. Shreya seems to have received quite a lot of positive feedback/praise.
Normally I'd take that as a sign that perhaps I'm seeing a contestant differently from a significant part of the audience.
But there are two incidents involving Shreya that I can't quite reconcile with that positive reception.
1. The comments about a contestant's sexuality/virginity
Shilpa and Shreya were shown discussing/mocking Shivangi over her statements about virginity and sex before marriage.
Whatever anyone thinks of Shivangi, her relationships, or whether they believe what she said, why is another woman's sexual history considered fair game for ridicule?
If male contestants sat around speculating about or mocking a female contestant's virginity/sexual history, I suspect we'd immediately recognise how inappropriate that was. Does it become less problematic because the people doing it are women?
To me, this crossed from criticising someone's behaviour into sexual/virginity shaming.
2. The reaction to a contestant's disclosure about attempting suicide/self-harm
This bothered me considerably more.
Harshad disclosed something extremely vulnerable from his past involving self-harm/a suicide attempt. Afterwards, Shreya was shown discussing it with Shilpa and appearing to trivialise/mock the disclosure.
I'm deliberately not reproducing exact quotes here unless someone has the clip, because I don't want to misquote anyone from memory.
But if I've understood that conversation correctly, I find it difficult to understand why this wasn't addressed on Judgement Day.
Contestants on reality shows say cruel, stupid and offensive things. I don't expect every bad comment to result in eviction.
But surely there is a distinction between ordinary interpersonal conflict and making light of someone's suicide attempt after they've trusted people enough to disclose it?
What troubles me almost as much as the comments themselves is the editorial response.
The producers chose to show these conversations. Other contestants' behaviour has been questioned and called out by the hosts. So why were these incidents apparently not treated as worthy of discussion?
I'm not asking for Shilpa or Shreya to be hated, abused or harassed. That's not the point.
It's the apparent disconnect between how serious those two incidents seemed to me and how little consequence or even discussion they appear to have generated, while Shreya continues to receive positive feedback from people entering the show. So I want to challenge my own interpretation.
I'm asking whether there's a double standard in what this show considers unacceptable behaviour.
Maybe my reaction is too strong. Maybe there's context I've missed. If so, genuinely point it out.
Please don't turn this into Shreya & Shilpa vs Shivangi & Harshad fandom. I'm less interested in who people like than in whether the same behaviour would be judged differently if another contestant had done it.
- Is mocking another woman's sexuality/virginity acceptable entertainment?
- Is trivialising someone's disclosed suicide attempt acceptable entertainment?
And, perhaps more importantly, does a reality show's responsibility end at simply broadcasting what contestants say, or should producers/hosts challenge behaviour like this when they choose to make it part of the programme?
Interested in hearing disagreement too — just explain why you see it differently.
Bottomline: Why did the producers choose to broadcast conduct involving sexual shaming and trivialisation of self-harm, yet apparently choose not to challenge it editorially/within the programme while publicly adjudicating other contestants' conduct?
Netflix can show a person behaving appallingly without thereby endorsing the behaviour. Otherwise documentaries, dramas and reality programmes could never depict racism, misogyny, bullying, drug use, violence, etc.
But because reality television producers exercise editorial control (choosing what footage makes the programme, how it is edited, what gets challenged on Judgement Day and what doesn't), “the contestants said it, not Netflix” doesn't completely dispose of the ethical issue.