The University of Utah's Tanner Humanities Center announced an upcoming public humanities symposium examining "How We Watch 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC)'" as a rich text for understanding contemporary American culture.
Bringing together scholars, therapists, critics and fans, the program explores how reality television reflects-and reshapes-questions of gender, faith, power, fashion and communication in modern life.
"At the Tanner Humanities Center, we're committed to the humanities in the broadest sense," said Scott Black, director of Tanner Humanities Center. "As there's no more defining and iconic cultural force in our community than 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' we're excited to bring together fans, scholars, and curious community members to talk about the show and the phenomenon, think about how it reflects our home, and celebrate the rumors and the nastiness."
The day-long symposium, emceed by Fox 13 reporter Ben Winslow, will take place on Friday, April 10, 2026 at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House at the University of Utah. Registration is now open.
Anchored by the keynote session "Snowflakes, Scandal, and Sisterhood: The Impact of RHOSLC on Modern American Popular Culture," the event reframes the franchise as a lens through which to consider identity formation, celebrity and community in the 21st century.
The program features two signature panels alongside talks, interactive activities and a featured watch party devoted to "The Ethics of Shade: Probity, Gossip, and Connection in Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Fan Communities."
Panel presentations will address Housewives U - Core Curriculum:
- "I'm Disengaging": A Couples Therapist's Guide to Communication on RHOSLC featuring a therapeutic analysis of conflict, repair, and emotional labor on reality TV.
- From Saints to Sinners: Tales of Dating and Marriage from Within the Hive is an exploration of intimacy, morality, and partnership amid public scrutiny.
Housewives U - Electives includes:
- Talking Back at "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City"
Audience, authorship, and resistance in reality TV reception.
- Rented Revelations: Housewives, Crickets, and Empty Walls
Place, performance, and the aesthetics of authenticity.
- Surviving the Dreaded Edit
Media construction, narrative control and the ethics of editing.
- The Function of Fashion in "The Real Housewives of SLC"
Style as language, status and self-making.
Designed for scholars, students, fans and the general public, the symposium underscores the Tanner Humanities Center's commitment to examining popular culture with intellectual rigor and cultural curiosity.
