ABSTRACT
Beginning in the United States in 2006, The Real Housewives of Orange County began what was to become an international, highly watched reality television franchise. By 2008 Bravo had expanded it to include The Real Housewives of New York City and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The show has also held locations in New Jersey, Washington D.C., Beverly Hills, Miami, Potomac and Dallas. Internationally, the first premiere abroad was the Real Housewives of Athens in 2011, followed by Vancouver in 2012 and Les Vraies Housewives in 2013 which featured French women living in the Los Angeles area. In 2014, The Real Housewives of Melbourne premiered in Australia and in 2015 The Real Housewives of Cheshire premiered in the United Kingdom. This chapter will examine a variety of scenes from The Real Housewives of D.C, The Real Housewives of Cheshire and The Real Housewives of Melbourne, to draw comparisons between the US, UK, and Australia, and to take a deeper look at some of the most striking examples of the new narcissus.
