Project Brainwash Why Reality Tv Is Bad For Women Summary

On January 24 2011 I attended the Presentation given by Jennifer Pozner. This presentation was called “Project Brainwash: Why reality TV is bad for women”. Project Brainwash focuses on how reality TV shows are maintaining stereotypes that society has created for women. Although many of us believe reality TV is just mindless fun, Pozner points out that many of the shows are portraying women badly and making them conform to society’s beliefs of what a woman should be like.
Pozner began the topic by explaining the rise in reality TV shows over the past years. The rise is caused by the fact that reality shows are cheaper to produce. These shows are supported by advertisements, which are paid to the producers before the shows even air. Shows such
as “American Idol” play clips of the contestants driving around in Ford cars, and placing glasses at the judges table with the words coke plastered on the front. Coca cola paid about 60 million in advertising to American Idol. I can only imagine the amount that was paid from the Ford Company. Advertising has always been a big part of TV, but seems to be exploding now that reality TV has become bigger than before.
As I listened to Pozner, one of the things that hit me the hardest was reality TV show such as America’s next top model.
Tyra Banks, a former supermodel and current talk show host created this show to find the most beautiful women and turn them in to fabulous super models. America’s next top model recruits girls who are tall, skinny with long legs. Most of these girls are around six feet tall and one hundred pounds. Most of the girls who are in the range of one hundred and fifteen or more are considered to be “plus sized” models. This show picks out girls flaws and tries to make them conform to society’s belief of what a beautiful woman is considered to be. This is concerning to me because as young girls are growing up to become teens and young adults these types of shows are putting the idea in there head that they too should be, skinny, blonde, tall and conform to the look that American society has declared acceptable. When young girls become to believe they have to conform to this look that society has placed on them can cause serious effects emotionally and physically. These effects can range from depression, anxiety, bulimia and, anorexia. Sometimes feeling as if you don’t fit into society’s standards can cause severe depression and may lead to
suicide.
During Project Brainwash I was in awe. I could believe that I had been watching these reality shows for so long and had never realized the significance of the effects it could have on my self-esteem as a women. It frightens me to think of the young girls I have in my family and how it has already influenced one of them. Until this speech I didn’t recognize how unhealthy a comment from my ten year old niece was. She had said “i don’t want to be fat, fat people are gross”. For a week she continued to run laps around the yard every day after school. I definitely do not want my nieces to think they have to conform to the rules society, advertising and reality shows place on them. Jennifer Pozner has opened my eyes to how these shows affect us unknowingly, yet if we are aware of what these shows are telling us we can keep from thinking we have to conform to their standards.

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