“Teen Mom,” “The Bachelorette,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Jersey Shore.” These are just a few of the many reality TV shows that have become popular among the younger generation.

On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Jennifer Pozner, a director, media critic and founding director of Women in Media & News, discussed the problems of reality TV in Watson Theater.

WIMN is “a media analysis, education, advocacy and reform group.” In 2010, Pozner published her book, “Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV,” according to a Sept. 25 SU News release.

In her discussion, Pozner brought in key examples of why reality shows present some of the most pressing issues in America today.

“My goal here is to not get you to stop watching reality TV,” Pozner said. “Instead I want you to think critically while engaging with any and every form of media that you consume.”

The women’s and gender studies department sponsored the event. The cultural foundations of education and the communications and rhetorical studies department were co-sponsors.

Pozner’s presentation primarily focused on the issue of how reality TV negatively affects the lives of women.

“What does reality TV look like?” Pozner asked. “For women, it looks like an unwillingly unrelenting beauty contest.”

Reality TV does not focus on the issues that viewers want addressed, Pozner said. The genre was created to meet the needs of advertisers and not viewers.

Reality shows and their producers are able to do this, she said, through the manipulation of stereotypes.

One example of how the shows influence the stereotypes in negative ways, Pozner said, is through casting.

She showed an interview with one of the producers of “The Bachelor” who was outlining the application process women go through to be on the show. The producer said the women go through blood tests and psychological tests. Additionally, the producer said the women must look good in a hot tub.

She also discussed stereotypes reality TV has created for men. Pozner said men who stray away from the hyper masculinity idea that reality TV tends to promote are often scrutinized for being too nice or too “girly.”

Pozner said she wanted students to feel empowered to make changes and stop reality TV from spreading harmful messages.

Said Pozner: “My goal though is to get individuals to be more critical of what they engage with and to understand media messages more thoroughly, and to be empowered to make choices that are healthier for them in their media diet.”

Published on October 11, 2012 at 1:38 am

Contact David: dlauterb@syr.edu