I've got as much of an appetite for junk reality TV as the next guy, which means that I am neither a reality glutton nor a reality anorexic. Like the next guy, I consume in moderation.
But I do occasionally consume those empty calories, even though, after the fact, I never feel all that hot, and regret that I didn't do something more healthful, like check out what's on the History Channel or watch something on Discovery about quarks.
One show that I've seen a couple of times is the Bad Girls Club on the Oxygen Network, a network aimed at women - which somewhat surprises me because Bad Girls has Spike written all over it. (Although, of course, women will be horrifically fascinated.)
The premise of the show is the gathering of a handful of young women under one roof - in a sexed up version of Barbie's Dream House (think glistening fake fur on the bannister). Add copious amounts of liquor - it appears to flow from all the water taps - and let the fake fur fly.
Naturally, no one would want to watch if the show featured purposeful, thoughtful young women debating whether to go to law or business school, helping each other with their résumés, and volunteering at a center for Alzheimer patients. That would be Good Girls, and it would get nada ratings traction.
No, people want to watch National Meretricious, not National Merit.
The show is, of course, "cleverly" edited to depict all trashy bitch-fest, all the time. And it succeeds. The two episodes I've seen mostly show the residents getting into each other's faces, getting trashed, over-reacting/over-acting, and doing what used to be called an alpha-male stomp: I'm the toughest bitch in this house, and I don't take nothin' from nobody...
Given the general tawdriness of this show, I have to ask myself why a local young woman, a senior at Boston College, would decide to participate. From what I gather, Kate Squillace decided to do this on a whim, and, in fact, turned down an internship at ESPN.
I read that she wants a career in PR.
Hmmmmm.
Yes, PR is about getting exposure for your clients. But it's also about "positioning," and helping clients avoid situations in which they will appear drunk, trashy, and flashy. Unless your clients are the types of celebrities who are prized precisely because they appear drunk, trashy, and flashy.
I will say that, in the episodes I've seen, Kate appears more intelligent and collected than the average denizen of the Bad Girls House. But this is faint praise, I assure you.
Maybe she wants to get into famous-people PR, not corporate. Maybe she wants to get the type of "PR" job that entails pushing Captain Morgan in bars. Maybe the connections she'll make on this show - and the exposure (both persona and skin) - will pay off.
Maybe this is what you need to do these days, when knowing how to go viral is more important than knowing how to actually do something concrete (and, arguably, more useful). Or knowing how to think critically, beyond the critical thinking skills required to garner a lot of publicity for yourself.
Maybe it's just me, but if I googled Kate Squillace and came up with this show at the top of the list, I think I'd take a pass on interviewing her.
This is not one of those spur of the moment, posted on Facebook fiascos. It was a career move.
And aren't there other reality shows that would have made a better option? How about shows like The Apprentice, The Amazing Race, or Survivor that, while obviously trumped up to maximize bad behavior and personal foibles, do give participants the opportunity to showcase plenty of practical and interpersonal skills.
Maybe those shows weren't hiring. Maybe they're just too hard.
But I'm so yesterday.
In some fields, appearing on a reality show is likely a point of entry. In others, it's likely a point of no return phone call.
Sure, there have always been situations in which self-promoters achieve success. And it's always been the case that you won't get ahead if you don't have a teensy bit of the self-promo gene.
But all I can say is, if this is what it takes to "differentiate" yourself these days, if this is what it takes to get a job, I'm happy I'm neither looking nor hiring.
No comments:
Post a Comment