A few thoughts on Beauty and the Geek

I love watching Beauty and the Geek for a few reasons:

1. The beauties make me feel smart.
2. I can relate to the geeks.
3. The editors are always making jokes (this past week's show when they played soft-core porn music over two of the guys hosing each other off after a challenge was awesome).
4. And, of course, the reason I love most reality shows...I want to be on it.

That last reason is problematic though because I am not dumb (so I couldn't be a "beauty") and I'm not a guy (so I couldn't be a geek). After three seasons, I think this show needs a change. I think they should do an all-girl version for a few reasons, and while this arrangement would benefit me in the long run, I think it would be a good idea even if it disqualified me again.

First of all, there is always one beauty and one geek who hook up. I always feel bad for the geeks because those relationships aren't going past the time they spend in the house. That's because these girls, the beauties, are so used to using their bodies as currency that it seems unnatural to not do so. At least one of them will hone in on one of the guys who is the richest, the most smooth, the most attractive, etc. in order to validate that their form of currency hasn't lost value in the presence of their new intelligence/self-awareness/whatever this show gives them.

Now the question is: why don't all the girls do this? I think there are a few reasons.

1. Not all the guys meet their high standards in looks or money (Megan and Cecille said, last night on the most recent episode, that money is their top priority...because that is so, they don't want to mess up their chances with a sugar daddy by hooking up with anyone in sight on a reality show)
2. Many girls don't make it far enough in the show to do this -- the makeover episode and a couple episodes after is when the initial attraction begins.
   
3. The geeks are shy. This reason is directly related to the one above because the geeks have to wait for the girls to make a move because they're in disbelief that such a cute girl would want them (and this is the reason that their relationships fail).
4. The final reason is related to the one above also: the geeks have no sense of entitlement to the girls, they aren't jackasses, and they generally treat the girls with respect. It is no secret that almost all girls, not just this type of girl, like some degree of jackassery in their boyfriends. The pretty and rich guys typically have more jackassery in them, and the pretty and rich guys are who these girls tend to date. You get used to a certain level of meanness from someone who puportedly cares about you and you expect it from everyone who says they care about you.
   

Basically, this arrangement ends up creating a huge amount of heartbreak for the geek at the end of the day. Last night, Jennylee and Nate were saying goodbye and you could clearly read a disinterest in Jennylee...she didn't have the heart to tell Nate she wasn't going to see him again, even in the interview. I just feel bad for the geek in this situation because he doesn't know he's being used (even the beauty doesn't know she's using him...which is entirely possible because this strategy of using her body has become so second nature to her).

The second reason is that this current arrangement promotes negative stereotypes of girls in relation to men: that we're all dumb, needy, and men are smarter in general. Even though the show targets one specific TYPE of men and one of women, I can't see any negative stereotypes of men that are promoted because:

1. Men are a majority group. One member of the majority group never represents that whole group, he only represents himself. A member of a minority group is generally thought to represent that whole group. Stereotypes occur when a few members of a minority group exhibit a quality and that quality is attributed to the whole group (in this sense, white male jocks or frat boys or etc. can all be considered "minority groups").
   
2. The types that are represented are starkly different in context. In the Western world, at least, women are all supposed to be beautiful. Geeks are a subgroup of masculinity and NOT what all men are supposed to be (of course, the same can be said for girls, but if there were girl geeks, the dumbness of the beauties would be counteracted and they would be seen more as people and less as women needing to be helped by men).
3. The women all need to be helped by men to succeed.

These stereotypes would be counteracted by having women beauties and women geeks compete with each other. No more women being weak...it's about girls helping girls. The relationship factor would be replaced by more drama -- because girls can be mean. We even saw that this season with the brunettes versus the blondes when not everyone was a beauty.

A couple female "ringers" -- pretty girls with brains who can play dumb -- might make things interesting because it would counteract the dumb stereotype the show capitalizes on, throw people off, and make the competition interesting (of course, the ringers would be gone after a few episodes to make it fair for the remaining people).

The point of both of these changes is for the "beauties" to see positive female role models -- girls who can thrive without their bodies always being amazing. I don't feel that the girls this season really understand that fact, and I think throwing all girls into the house together would help both types learn from each other in a way they can't when it's both men and women together. The beauties will have to learn how to deal without men and the geeks will have to learn how to get along with women (many geeky girls I know find it easier to hang out with guys than girls), stand up for themselves, and not compete for men (everyone wants someone).

Why not male beauties and girl geeks? That would be disasterous because you have the pretty boys helping the ugly girls become beautiful. Plus, boys tend to stay away from the plain girls and insult them and start up "boys' clubs" (just their own little universe to stay away from the girls). Also, the makeover section would cause the inevitable hookup. Basically all the problems would happen again, and the problem of over-confidence in the male beauties would make the more timid girls question their intelligence (I've seen it happen in real life), regardless of who is smarter. It would be a no-win situation for either party.