Jennifer Pozner, founder and executive director of Women in Media and News, spoke at MU last Wednesday to discuss the negative effects of reality television in her presentation “Project Brainwash.”
Pozner’s main concern was to get her audience to think critically about the media. By doing so, she strives to banish the phrase “mindless entertainment” and diminish passive viewership.
“Reality TV may be frivolous, but it is actually culturally toxic,” Pozner said.
Pozner said programs exist in order to please the public. In reality, it is 50 to 70 percent cheaper to produce reality TV shows than it is to produce scripted shows. She said the media, owned by six massive corporations, has one main goal: to make profits.
As Pozner pointed out, the root of profit is advertising. In 2009, $235 billion was spent in advertising alone.
However, due to our passive viewership, the audience in front of the screen does not recognize the product placement and stereotypes being presented to them by advertisers, Pozner said.
“The media both shapes and reflects our cultural perceptions,” Pozner said.
Women on television constantly struggle through un-winnable beauty contests. “The Bachelor” reinforces this idea by choosing women based on how beautiful they are.
As Simon Cowell, former American Idol judge, once said, “This is an image business.”
Yet, women aren’t the only culturally pressured gender, Pozner said. In shows such as “The Bachelor,” wealth is mandatory for men to find love.
“Fat wallet plus skinny chick equals ‘poof!’ love,” Pozner said. “Yeah, right.”
These fairytale couples never last for long, though. With a 91 percent relationship failure rate, “The Bachelor” might not be viewed as the most valid dating show.
While Caucasian women on shows such as “The Bachelor” received jewelry and private trips to Paris, black women in shows such as “Flavor of Love” went on dates to KFC, according to the presentation.
“’Flavor of Love’ changed reality TV,” Pozner said. “These types of shows brought out the worst stereotypes for women of color.”
One hour of reality TV consists of 100 or more takes, meaning the audience sees less than one percent of what was actually filmed.
“It’s not the format of reality TV that’s the problem, it’s what the producers do with it,” Pozner said.
In her Q&A session after the presentation, Pozner shared some ways to boycott advertising and negative stereotypes.
“We are conducting advocacy efforts with FCC (Federal Communications Commission) so product placement will be disclosed on television,” Pozner said. “Advertising disclosure would jolt us out of our passive viewership.”
Women’s Center Coordinator Suzy Day said she saw this event as an opportunity to combine the Women’s Center with a media-heavy campus.
“The goal is that people would use a critical eye, not just in media but life in general,” Day said. “Just because it is in our media doesn’t mean it’s right.”
Sophomore Gina Drapela attended the event to learn more about the media world and how it shapes our cultural views.
“I was hoping to gain more knowledge on how to further the progression of women’s rights,” Drapela said. “I didn’t realize that everything (in reality TV) is driven by advertising. I was surprised how easily stereotypes are subconsciously being promoted.”
After discussing advocacy opportunities in her Q&A, Pozner implored the audience to participate.
“Media literacy is the strongest weapon we have against propaganda,” Pozner said. “I urge you all to use it.”