(Photo: Illustration:Rebecca Zisser/HuffPost; Photo: Getty, Love Productions, CBS)

You don’t have to look hard to see how far the influence of reality television has stretched into the culture at large. Plenty of reality TV contestants and participants have become famous (or infamous) cultural figures. And intentionally or not, reality shows hold a mirror up to society, untangling big social and political issues. While politics and culture have always been intertwined, a reality television host becoming president of the United States brought that dynamic to a new level.