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57
More specifically, Respondent D made a reference to Samantha Jones from Sex and the
City, stating that the show made her out to be a glorified party planner with the title of PR
executive. In addition to this she also stated:
I think many people see these shows and see public relations and they assume that
it is all fun and games – going to premieres, walking the red carpet, being the go-to
person for parties, but in reality being in entertainment public relations is very
stressful.
All respondents stated some sort of opinion regarding the portrayal of public relations as
a glamorous career. While there are certain aspects that do make PR glamorous,
respondents pointed out that there are many more daily job functions that are not
glamorous.
Media’s Portrayal of Negative Images of the Female Entertainment Publicist
In addition to the stereotype that entertainment PR is highly glamorous, there are
also negative images that were brought up in the interviews when regarding the image of
the entertainment publicist on screen.
Respondent D referenced Samantha Jones again as one of the catalysts
responsible for the negative image of public relations. She stated:
One of the first people that come to mind is Samantha Jones from Sex and the
City. She owned her own PR firm but she was never really "doing" anything. She
was always just having sex with people.
Respondents C and D also confirmed a presence of opposing images used to portray the
female entertainment publicist. Respondent D stated:
Entertainment publicists are above all things, bitchy. They are mean, aggressive,
snooty, they look down their nose at people and they don't have time for stupid
Object Description
| Title | Power party girls, good looking crowds and one hellish boss: The portrayal of the female entertainment publicist on reality television |
| Author | Hashem, Camille Renée |
| Author email | chashem@usc.edu; chashem87@gmail.com |
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Public Relations |
| School | Annenberg School for Communication |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-04-01 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-05-03 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Thorson, Kjerstin |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Floto, Jennifer Saltzman, Joseph |
| Abstract | This thesis is an examination of the portrayal of the female entertainment publicist shown in reality television. With the large success rate of Samantha Jones from Sex and the City in the 1990s, female interest in public relations has increased, and good or bad, Jones has served as one of the predominate images of the publicist in the entertainment industry. Those who have performed critical analysis of the image of the public relations practitioner have deemed these representations as showing negative characteristics of those in the profession. While there has been previous research on the image of public relations in media, analysis of the female entertainment publicist in reality television has been left untapped.; The project consisted of a content analysis as well as interviews with various women in entertainment public relations. Three reality television shows featuring female entertainment publicists were watched: MTV's PoweR Girls (2005), Bravo's Kell on Earth (2010) and E! Network's The Spin Crowd. After conducting this analysis, the author found that the female publicist is put in one of two gender categories, the masculine bitch or the overtly sexy "PR Bunny." Other findings inferred that the dominant images within each series suggested that public relations is overall an easy field to enter, with little or no experience or professionalism needed. Finally, although the three series had some subtle differences, public relations is still shown as a glamorous job.; Interviewee responses showed that the negative representations of entertainment publicists on reality television are not indicative of the real life job itself, but that media's representation of it has led others to believe false or skewed images of the profession. Since these three shows' target demographics include young women about make a career decision, the impact they may have on this demographic, and how it may affect the future of public relations and the expectations of those about the enter the industry, is also discussed. |
| Keyword | communication; entertainment; media; public relations; reality television |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Coverage date | 1990/2010 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3875 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Hashem, Camille Renée |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Hashem-4503 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Hashem-4503.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 57 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 57 More specifically, Respondent D made a reference to Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, stating that the show made her out to be a glorified party planner with the title of PR executive. In addition to this she also stated: I think many people see these shows and see public relations and they assume that it is all fun and games – going to premieres, walking the red carpet, being the go-to person for parties, but in reality being in entertainment public relations is very stressful. All respondents stated some sort of opinion regarding the portrayal of public relations as a glamorous career. While there are certain aspects that do make PR glamorous, respondents pointed out that there are many more daily job functions that are not glamorous. Media’s Portrayal of Negative Images of the Female Entertainment Publicist In addition to the stereotype that entertainment PR is highly glamorous, there are also negative images that were brought up in the interviews when regarding the image of the entertainment publicist on screen. Respondent D referenced Samantha Jones again as one of the catalysts responsible for the negative image of public relations. She stated: One of the first people that come to mind is Samantha Jones from Sex and the City. She owned her own PR firm but she was never really "doing" anything. She was always just having sex with people. Respondents C and D also confirmed a presence of opposing images used to portray the female entertainment publicist. Respondent D stated: Entertainment publicists are above all things, bitchy. They are mean, aggressive, snooty, they look down their nose at people and they don't have time for stupid |
