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61
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
The media has included the portrayal of the public relations professional in film
and literature long before the profession’s recent boom in the late 1990s. Miller’s (1999)
original study on the perception of public relations contains movies and books that date
back to the 1930s, noting that the overall perception of the PR professional was quite
negative despite the fact that the job was given a very glamorous image. In a follow-up
study, Ames (2010) found that many of the negative stereotypes were dwindling, but that
these shows still exuded the same glamour as their previous counterparts.
While these earlier portrayals were for the most part male roles, women began to
make their way into these representations as the industry saw an increase in female
practitioners. Morris and Goldsworthy (2008) state that one of the most notable female
figures in public relations is Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, who has been a more
effective ambassador as a fictional character than any real organization or company,
influencing men and women alike to enter into public relations (p. 4). Jones portrayed
many of the same characteristics of the public relations professional listed by Miller and
Ames, but brought a new meaning to the term “glamorous.” She was seen rubbing elbows
with celebrities, getting into the latest parties, and knew the latest trends in food and
fashion, all while reaching 10.6 million viewers in the time the show aired between 1998
and 2004 (“Fast Track,” 2004). Jones is considered an influential image in public
relations, and one of the first mainstream representations of the female publicist.
However, while some of her characteristics aligned with previous male characters in PR
(money-minded, obsequious, manipulative, and sometimes cynical) Jones portrayed
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 61 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 61 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION The media has included the portrayal of the public relations professional in film and literature long before the profession’s recent boom in the late 1990s. Miller’s (1999) original study on the perception of public relations contains movies and books that date back to the 1930s, noting that the overall perception of the PR professional was quite negative despite the fact that the job was given a very glamorous image. In a follow-up study, Ames (2010) found that many of the negative stereotypes were dwindling, but that these shows still exuded the same glamour as their previous counterparts. While these earlier portrayals were for the most part male roles, women began to make their way into these representations as the industry saw an increase in female practitioners. Morris and Goldsworthy (2008) state that one of the most notable female figures in public relations is Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, who has been a more effective ambassador as a fictional character than any real organization or company, influencing men and women alike to enter into public relations (p. 4). Jones portrayed many of the same characteristics of the public relations professional listed by Miller and Ames, but brought a new meaning to the term “glamorous.” She was seen rubbing elbows with celebrities, getting into the latest parties, and knew the latest trends in food and fashion, all while reaching 10.6 million viewers in the time the show aired between 1998 and 2004 (“Fast Track,” 2004). Jones is considered an influential image in public relations, and one of the first mainstream representations of the female publicist. However, while some of her characteristics aligned with previous male characters in PR (money-minded, obsequious, manipulative, and sometimes cynical) Jones portrayed |
