The billion-dollar reality TV industry owes so much to Black women.
They have powered some of the most memorable moments in the genre, and spawned enduring internet fodder that transcends generations. Yet, pervasive stereotypes still seem to plague the group.
Dr’s. Contessa Metcalfe and Jackie Walters are looking to change that.
Co-stars on the hit Bravo reality series, Married To Medicine, both women are seen championing the narrative of balancing high-responsibility careers as Georgia-based physicians running their own practice alongside other professional endeavors. Walters, for example just launched Volition, a clean skincare brand that caters to those with hormonal irregularities. This is in addition to her penning a book, running multiple women’s reproductive medical practices, a surrogacy clinic, medispa and a podcast.
When Walters and Metcalfe signed up for the show, both knew they wanted to bring something new to the table that hadn’t been widely seen before.
“When Dr. Simone approached me about being on the reality show, I’m not going to lie, I was very hesitant at first because I’d had my own preconceived notions about the landscape,” Walters said, explaining that fellow cast mate and friend Dr. Simone Whitmore encouraged them to move forward with joining the show back in 2013. “I signed up to show people that women like us exist and we were so much more than what meets the eye.”
Similarly, Metcalfe, who is also a Navy veteran, said she joined the cast to shift the perception of Black women on reality television.
“I joined to breakdown stereotypes,” said Metcalfe. “People don’t traditionally think of a Black woman in the military, right? My dad was on drugs. My parents weren’t educated. My dad went to prison for a while. So it’s like I wanted to show little girls like me that the potential is there and you can change your circumstance if you have a vision of a different life for yourself.”
Metcalfe said she didn’t see enough women like her on TV growing up.
“It’s not an easy road always being so vulnerable in front of such a large audience every week because I was always very private before joining the show,” Metcalfe said, referring to her marital challenges being depicted on the show last year, and in this year’s season depicting a deep friendship rift between her and castmate Dr. Heavenly Kimes. “I stay on the show for the benefit of the majority of little Black girls in America who have my background and who weren’t born to parents who slid silver spoons in their mouths, struggling to make it. I want them to see that there are opportunities there to change your circumstance beyond their wildest imagination.
“Married to Medicine” airs Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.