The representation of single women on Lebanese television : case study : Take Me Out Naqāshit

Abstract

This research aims to assess how single women are represented on Take Me Out Naqāshit, the first television dating show aired in Lebanon. The objective is to analyse the performance and behavior of the women as they are represented in the show. This research intends to show where power resides in television entertainment and how it shapes the representation of a certain strata; how power controls the body, the behavior and performance of women. This paper follows an exploratory approach using Mayrings qualitative content analysis with a deductive category system, where each category has a coding rule to facilitate the placement of the dialogue. The results of content and discourse analysis show that the women are represented stereotypically as sexually driven (not liberated), superfluous and shallow.