Can I Catch a Break?

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The sister with so much to gain and so much to lose is always trying to catch a break in the industry. Traci Braxton the runt of the bunch is known for her disproval with her career she felt due to her taking on motherhood at such a young age it hindered her from going after her dreams.

 

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Though the rest of the sisters have their own issues, the issues seem to be continuous with Traci as she reminences on what could have been, constantly. Things have started to pick up for most of the sisters, while Traci is still sitting around dreaming.

 

Tamar has gotten her own show and is in a great relationship with music mogul Vince. He is able to buy her whatever she wants and provide her with anything she asks for.

 

Trina has begun working towards her music career and she and her husband are doing better in their relationship.

 

Toni is clearing herself out of her debt issues and has moved to Los Angeles, California to live in her dream home.

 

Towanda, who had issues with her husband is growing to be more independent by getting out of his shadow and most importantly getting out of Toni’s shadow by not being her assistant anymore.

 

Traci on the other hand is willing to drop any and everything to see that she gets one last chance to perform on stage, travel the world and be a professional, famous and sought out actress.

 

She is willing to move from her hometown to Georgia, away from her husband and children just to see that these dreams come true.

 

Seeing a women willing to leave all she has worked hard to build just to have a few moments on stage makes her look desperate, careless and selfish.

While reading Reality Bites Back by Jennifer Pozner I focused in on chapter eight which is entitled “I would be a servant to him.” Even though she is not succumbing to a man she is succumbing to the perks of being famous. She is willing to be his servant rather than being the best mother and wife she can be to the ones around her.

 

Citations

“TOWANDA DOESN’T BELIEVE TRACI IS READY FOR THE STAGE.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.

Pozner, Jennifer L. Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2010. Print.

 

“WE Tv Wetv.com.” WE Tv. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.

To GPS or not to GPS

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Trina Braxton has been married to her husband Gabe for 7 years. Through their trials and tribulations cheating has become a big factor in their disagreements. With Gabe turning over a new leaf and working towards being a faithful man his jealousy and own insecurities have come in the way.

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Gabe believes that Traci has been cheating on her, so he puts a GPS application on her cell phone. Thus giving him the option to know her whereabouts when she is not at home with him.

Once her phone begins to act up, Gabe comes clean to Trina that he installed the application on her phone. She gets upset saying she should be the one who doesn’t trust the spouse, instead of him. She buys a new phone and he promises not to touch it.

Gabe gets even more worried and believes that Trina got a new phone to hide secrets from him and also cheat on him.

When comparing this situation to Jennifer Pozner’s Reality Bites Back: the Troubling Truth and Guilty Pleasure TV, book I realized that the comparisons were very similar. In chapter three of the book it focused on “What Reality TV teaches us about Women, she split the chapter up into 3 different tropes. Traci Braxton fit perfectly in all three categories. The first category highlighted that women should not be trusted, the second saying women are stupid and the third saying women are incompetent at work and at home.

Trina husband showed throughout the show, that even though he has done things wrong he believed that Trina could not be trusted believing that she would cheat on him, just to get him back for cheating.

Gabe also proved the author of Reality Bites Back, right by showing how stupid or airheaded (for a lack of better words) Trina was. Trina seemed oblivious to the fact that Gabe had been tampering around with her phone and once he admitted it, she still did not seem as bothered as she should have that he went to such great heights to stalk her. Throughout the show Trina is continuously calling Gabe a stalker, for people who take those words seriously and know how crazy and demanding a stalker can be it is shocking that to Trina she finds it attractive.

Also in the last category; which focuses on women being incompetent at work and at home, it continues to prove Pozner right. Gabe describes Trina as a gullible, dishonest and experimental little girl. He describes her as someone who can’t think for her self and goes with the flow of things. In the scene before Gabe admits to putting the GPS in her phone he goes on a rant about the dishes not being done, how he doesn’t really believe she is working and so on. Also in another episode he comes to her job and gives her critiques on things he isn’t even skilled in doing such as choreography and vocals.

Citations

We TV. “Tracking Trina on ‘Braxton Family Values’: Season 2.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.

“Trina-and-gabe-So-So-Def-20th-Anniversary-VIP-Party.” By Mystique. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.

 

Pozner, Jennifer L. Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2010. Print.

First impressions: Tamar Braxton

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During my first day of watching: I realized that the show shouldn’t be called “Braxtons Family Value” it should be called, “Tamar Braxton and sisters.” When pitching the story for the Braxtons’ to have a show I know Tamar is the character that directors and producers knew would make the show “pop!” She is so full of life. Even though she is opinionated, harsh, sarcastic and spoiled she always squeezes in a few words of wisdom that we all should pay attention to. And plus, sometimes she says everything that we were thinking but didn’t have the courage to say out loud. I love me some her…dot com.

First impressions: Trina Braxton

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During my first day of watching: I could not stop laughing at Trina, she is a bundle of fun and laughter and she is clearly the curious and mysterious one out of the crew. I do fear that her alcohol may be the destruction of something important to her in a later episode. I could care less about her husband, who to me seems like he still isn’t done cheating. After staying with a man after he cheated for 5 years with numerous women… I kind of didn’t like that. But to each its own.

First impressions: Towanda Braxton

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During my first day of watching: I tried to have sympathy for Towanda, but I couldn’t’. She is working as Toni’s assistant, juggling having a job, being a parent and dealing with a marital issues with her lazy, rude husband. Towanda needs to grow a backbone, become more independent and kick her cheating husband out her house! He has no excuses to act the way he does, his only reasonable excuse is that she allows him to do the things he does. I hope to see some maturity, growth and independency from her family in future episodes.

First impressions: Traci Braxton

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During my first day of watching: I truly gathered a soft spot for this lady. She seems like she tries so hard to smile even though when you look into her eyes she seems unhappy. I really want something good to happen to her, in the later episodes, everyone else has had their moment to travel the world, have the finer things and have their moment at stardom except her. I commend her for choosing to keep her child when she was a teenager, and it hurts to know she had to put her career on hold to be a mother.

First impressions: Toni Braxton

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During my first day of watching: “Braxtons Family Values” I picked up on Toni’s sickness. I felt like she was dealing with way bigger issues than her sisters thought and the constant arguing was making her look sick! It was sad to learn she is suffering from lupus, hopefully now her family will cut her some slack. In reference to her being separated for a year and her sisters encouraging her to go on a date…. I disagree, I think she should focus on herself, and her children before jumping in another relationship.