"When I talk about Housewives, I generally like to explore the broadly feminine-coded social dynamics the cast employs. It's no secret the pressure cooker of the Housewives platform ends up feeling like a case study of a bunch of Regina Georges all battling it out via thinly veiled bullying and passive-aggressive smear campaigns to see who will reign supreme. But while seasoned watchers are intimately familiar with the underhanded tactics women use to jockey for security"
"Angel has had a rough go of it so far this season. At any given moment, she wildly vacillates between being held hostage by a river of tears or scrambling to keep her story straight, and her inability to think on her feet without much support always has her trying to fight for respect within the group. I don't think anyone is shocked that she has struggled to make inroads to date,"
The Housewives platform amplifies feminine-coded social dynamics into a status-driven contest marked by thinly veiled bullying and passive-aggressive smear campaigns. Cast members often behave like Regina George archetypes as they jockey for security and status through underhanded tactics. Angel Massie's arc this season centers on emotional volatility, difficulty defending her narrative, and a struggle to earn group respect. Producers and franchise norms escalate her vulnerabilities by foregrounding alleged financial precarity, eviction risk, and marital tensions as reasons for critique. The Potomac cast's power dynamics, especially under Gizelle Bryant's influence, prioritize spectacle over empathy, making personal hardship fodder for conflict.
Read at Vulture
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