behavioral competition

The Girls of Hedsor Hall isn’t that different from other behavioral competitions in reality TV land. It features good-looking people with impulse control issues trying to behave, but mostly acting crazy. And yes, they are competing for a cash prize. We’ve seen it before: 12 so-called bad girls enter, one reformed good girl leaves (with $100,000). The difference lies in the setting.The difference lies in the setting. Rather than being instructed by celebrity psychologists or plain-old celebrities, these girls are attending one of the most famous finishing schools in England.

The girls are supposed to learn to be "ladies," a role that’s very clearly defined in traditional English etiquette. It’s weirdly fascinating to see a feminine ideal so unabashedly embraced as something for young women to aspire to. And at the same time, Hedsor Hall’s definition of "lady-like" behavior is much more inclusive than one might expect.

[Also posted at Love in the Living Room]