'How to Mother': Televisual Reimaginings of Black Matriarchy in the Real Housewives of Potomac

Since the initial launch of The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006, Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise has soared to previously unimaginable heights. With 11 American installments, 30 international adaptations, and 25 current spin-offs, it is clear that even viewers who are relatively unfamiliar with The Real Housewives franchise may find themselves inadvertently swept up in their world due to the popularization of their catchphrases and gifs on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. In addition to carefully shaping popular culture, members of this franchise have even altered the conditions of the entertainment industry’s practices for the foreseeable future. Although The Real Housewives of Atlanta was the first Housewives show to feature a predominantly Black cast, The Real Housewives of Potomac found a new way to make their mark on Housewives history. In this thesis, I argue that a textual analysis of the sociocultural events found within The Real Housewives of Potomac reflect American society’s dissonant relationship with motherhood and by extension, the fragmented understanding of the Black female body. Through this connection, I challenge the synonymous bond between isolation and housewifery, positing that the community formed by castmates’ interpersonal connections is not only imperative to their success in the series but also as Black women.