PoweR Girls Gives Party Girls a Bad Name
Are party girls — and parties, for that matter — really this dull? If so, kill me now…there’s no point in going on with life.
PoweR Girls, a new MTV series that highlights Lizzie Grubman’s New York PR agency, has been hotly criticized by the industry for its depiction of publicists as vapid babes more focused on dressing up for parties and meeting Paris Hilton than providing counsel to their clients. It plays to stereotypes that the industry has fought against for years, and as such has touched more than a few nerves.
Personally, I was OK with that part of the show. Guess what — they call them stereotypes because people fit them. And PoweR Girls is extremely positive in its portrayal of the relationship between celebrity publicists and gossip columnists compared to, say, the dark classic Sweet Smell of Success.
So really, my only complaint is that the show is dull. Not much happens. In particular, the so-called exclusive celebrity parties these girls throw will make you want to stay home on Saturday night. And the show mostly depicts the girls as whiny rather than fun.
For those who are interested in watching a program with a more real-world (as opposed to “Real World”) take on PR, Taking Care of Business on TLC is (or was) a nice show. It’s on hiatus.
In any case, the PR industry needn’t worry about PoweR Girls. The plug will be pulled soon enough. And if it’s not…girls, could you hand me that velvet rope so I can sling it over the nearest tree branch? 
I tuned into PoweR Girls with the anticipation of gaining an insider’s perspective of the PR world in New York and perhaps, learning a thing or two about the celebrity-fueled publicity machine.
I am an account executive with six years of experience at a large PR firm in Houston. I’ve put in some challenging, often long hours, writing press releases, developing media lists, conducting research and surveys, meeting with difficult clients, stuffing press kits and begging the media to take an interest in events or news that are often not newsworthy at all.
I live in the real PR world. The world of celebrities, glamorous parties and designer clothes is only one, very small slice of the public relations experience. Boozing it up with Paris Hilton and P. Diddy at the all white 4th of July Hamptons party and finding the perfect outfit for the latest nightclub opening, are not activities of a true PR professional (nor would I want them to be).
I was hoping for more than bimbos who can’t even alphabetize a guest list and are consistently late to events, but what can you expect from a PR firm owner who ran over guests at a Hamptons party and got her own TV show as a result?
It was doomed from the beginning and I am left unimpressed. This is truly sad and boring television.
Has anyone seen the new John Stamos sitcom, where he plays a celebrity publicist? The entertainment world seems enchanted with this idea of PR types as star handlers, fawning over demanding clients. The idea of corporate PR is MIA.
Woops — previous comment by “Jo” should have been by “Joy Jennings”