Why is it that when six women go to live with a tribe for a TV programme, they call the show "Tribal Wives?" It's not like they are having sex with the tribe's men (as far as I know - but hey they go for a month, perhaps some get lucky when the cameras are off). They're not producing children or staying for more than a month. They just happen to live with the women to show what their lives are like.
When a man goes to live with a tribe, it's called "Tribe." Not "Tribal Husband." Because that would be silly, right? When a man goes off into the jungle, it's an adventure. He will hunt, fight and laugh with the men. The women will be around but they are more of an accessory. The man might stay with a family, but in no way will he then be a temporary "husband" to the woman whose house he is staying in. He will not share the wife of his host - because that would be madness, right? To even suggest such a thing in the show's title would just be ridiculous.
... but when women go to stay in a tribal community, and they go to live with the women, there is the automatic assumption that she will be somehow in the care of the man of the house. If she lives with a man's wife and helps to take care of this man's children, this makes her, even if it's just symbolic and temporary, some kind of co-wife. "Tribal wives." I ask you! I don't know who comes up with these things. And how did various BBC committees who no doubt had their say on the preparations of this programme not see the problem in the title?
Maybe it's a cunning marketing ploy to get men to watch the show. Maybe the title "Tribal Wives" was designed specifically to make them believe that they would be watching women being submissive to men. Now there's a fun hour's entertainment. Perhaps there would even be some breasts on show. Surely it's implied.
Why couldn't they just have called it "Tribal Women?" Does that sound too strong? Would the male part of the audience be alienated? Who wants to see women go anywhere anyway? Shouldn't they be at home looking after their families like good little girls? What are they doing swanning off to faraway places? Better keep them in their place by defining them only in relation to men. "Wives" will do the trick quite nicely.
Fucking hell, that kind of thing pisses me off like not much else will.
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Yet, a little bit a calm should do the trick!
ReplyDeleteUnless they're already someone else's wives, and it's like Tribal Wife Swap.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jo. They should send the real tribal wives to live with the families of the wives who go live with the tribe. Was that too confusing?
ReplyDelete@Imola - I take it you disagree?
ReplyDelete@Jo - Yes! That would be funny. But then the tribal wife should be sent to the British husband.
@Ms. Moon - No, not too confusing.
ReplyDeleteLove what this last stretch of pregnancy is doing to your temper and your writing!
ReplyDeleteYes, sounds like they were trying to trick viewers into thinking it would be Desperate Housewives in the jungle (or something). Well done you for pointing out.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we should send jungle people to the suburbs, no. That seems too cruel.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm a celebrity get me out of here seems to work wonders for people :)
Hehehehehehe, you are so funny, love your blog, have spent more time than I should reading quite a few posts, even made a cup of coffee so I could enjoy both at the same time.
ReplyDeleteCan relate to third preg back issues along with cronic heartburn, oh the joys, she is 19 now.
Tribal women would be a bit tough for the boys ego's me thinks.
Sandi
Bloody male chauvinistic show name creators.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any man can handle an independent woman. So they probably wanted to reassure the tribal men these women would be as submissive as a tribal wife is supposed to be.
Well said. And nobody should be calm about this! Great post. x
ReplyDeletehm..i (first time ever) disagree with ms moon and jo..because sending them real "tribal wifes" to the "civilisated" households would be..horribel for them...in many ways...
ReplyDeleteand for the name of the show..yes tribal women would be way too strong..would worie and scare the men...a tribal woman sounds all strong..smart...confident..indipendent..a tribal woman wouldnt need a man to survive...damn..those male egos are so..fragile...
Interesting post!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not really convinced to watch the show though... What is the goal of the show? Is it exciting, as in 'eliminating' people or winning a huge prize? or is it just like a documentary, 'national geographic-style'?
I must admit I do wonder what sex would be like with a tribal man...
K.C.
I might have to check this out!
ReplyDelete@Pueblo girl - Thank you for that. I liked this one, too.
ReplyDelete@nappy valley girl - I spit on the title!
@Jo - Perhaps not, no.
@Sandi - Welcome! 19 years and you still remember the heartburn - I was hoping the memory would fade.
@nmaha - Well, maybe. But the title used for the British public doesn't have to be the same as what they tell the tribesmen.
@An - xxx (Makes my day when you comment.)
@Danielle - I haven't quite stopped the discussion in my head on this, but I think I agree with you.
And those male egos... ah well. At least some men are strong enough to take it.
@K.C. - Is this THE K.C.? Yay!!!
The point of the show is just to follow the lives of the women in the tribe, and how the British women react to this life. It's a series of six documentaries, each with a different tribe and a different woman.
And now you have me thinking of the tribal sex, too... Mmm.
@Kate - It's not actually a bad programme.
We have a similar show here called Wife Swap.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of that. I thoroughly enjoyed that programme. But wasn't it reflective of the tribal perception of the woman's role, rather than ours?
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with Angie Muresan. "Wife swap"? As far as i know the husbands get swapped too.
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