Who said Double Occupation (OD) was just entertainment? The flagship reality TV show feeds chronicles and podcasts more than ever. Through a sociological, feminist or racialized perspective, their authors analyze the behavior of the candidates, which unleash passions on social networks and generate social debates.
Did Alexander’s behavior make you uncomfortable in the first few episodes? Did Sabrina’s comment, that 31-year-old Audrey think about reproducing rather than frenzy, made you jump to the ceiling? Don’t you understand why Amélie was waiting for Luca to kiss her instead of taking the lead?
This is not new: each edition of OD gives rise to its share of lively debates regarding the actions of the participants, and the 15e edition broadcast since September on Noovo is no exception. And this year again, as it has been doing for four years, the feminist podcast Les Ficelles pushes the reflection further without limiting itself to the limited space of Twitter or Facebook.
From slut-shaming to toxic masculinity, victimization and internalized misogyny, the podcast covers a lot. “OD is the reflection of our society. We therefore put words on screen behaviors that we also find in our daily lives, ”explains psychosocial worker Amélie Faubert, co-host alongside director Solène Paré. “It’s important that OD isn’t just launched into space like that. “
Their podcast produced by Pivot (formerly Ricochet) attracts nearly 5,000 listeners each episode. They are also more likely this year to write to them to share their opinion on the program or to salute their popularization work.
“We feel that we are useful. […] We democratize feminism at the same time, ”underlines Solène Paré, saddened to see that this movement is still too associated with academia. “Just because you’re a feminist doesn’t mean you can’t entertain yourself and reflect on your feminism on a daily basis with simple reality shows. Everything can be analyzed from a feminist point of view, ”she insists, delighted to be able to share her experience in the field.
Dynamics
It is also to pass on his knowledge that Francis Boilard, professor of sociology at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, has taken up writing in Urbania to analyze OD since the fall of 2020. “I think that my analyzes make it possible to educate, to a certain extent. way, says the professor. The impact is more concrete in my classroom with a hundred students, but I cast a much wider net when talking about OD in Urbania. “
Through sociological concepts, he dissects the dynamics in homes, friendships, feelings of love or even betrayal that spice up the show. Above all, he tries to explain to readers that candidates’ behavior is largely influenced by the social context in which they find themselves. Or that of a reality TV filmed 24 hours a day, in which the competitors are locked up with complete strangers, waiting for the production to choose them for an outing or a trip. And this, always with the pressure of ultimately having to find love to form a couple and win a chalet.
“Orchestrating two OD adventures with four guys for eight girls and vice versa can precipitate romantic choices. Going on a trip to the other side of the country with a coveted mustache can give Sab butterflies. Being introduced to a flirty week 6 model makes Fred stutter, ”he gave as an example in his last text.
The prism of racism
For their part, the initiators of the ODTea podcast, launched four years ago, mainly seek to bring a different point of view on the show: that of racialized people. “Between OD + live at the time on MusiquePlus and the other reviews on the show since, it’s still the same heteronormative white point of view. We, as women of color, see things differently, ”says Sarah Myriam Louis.
With her cousins Melissa Castor and Ashley André, they therefore discuss the place of diversity in this reality show, taking offense to note that candidates of color are often the first excluded. As for those who remain, they are ignored by the production, according to them. “Stevens and Ines had zero activity compared to the others, apart from the house of love which lasted 15 minutes on the balcony. And again, it is Alexandra the double agent who chose to send them there, not the production ”, laments Sarah Myriam Louis.
Reality TV, a revealer of social norms
“A televisual phenomenon is never outside social reality,” recalls Stéfany Boisvert, professor at UQAM’s Media School. “If in society there are more movements to raise awareness of systemic racism, or gender inequalities for example, we will feel it in the comments of viewers.”
To see initiatives multiplying to analyze OD from all angles, passing messages about our own society, does not surprise him. “Reality TV acts as a revealer of social norms with which we have already been confronted”, she underlines.
The growing role of OD analyzes in the public space is also partly linked to the spreading pandemic, believes the professor. “Reality TV has always been a topic of discussion around coffee machines. The problem is that with the transformation of our lifestyles, particularly teleworking, people have less opportunity to be able to discuss these programs at length. These podcasts, these columns, these social media chats are kind of becoming the new way to have coffee machine chats. “