Published: Mar 21, 2005
Last Updated: Dec 3, 2017

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? ;)

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About the Author

Scott Baradell
Scott Baradell
Trust expert Scott Baradell is CEO and founder of Idea Grove. Idea Grove helps its clients secure trust at scale through its unique Grow With TRUST approach. Scott is an established authority on trust and editor of the online publication Trust Signals, as well as author of the upcoming book Trust Signals: Brand Building in a Post-Truth World. Idea Grove celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2020, earning honors including the 2020 Pegasus Award for Small Agency of the Year, being named a Top 200 B2B service provider by Clutch, and ranking in the top 25 tech agencies in the U.S. by O'Dwyer's. Scott has an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America and speaks on PR and marketing topics at industry events nationwide.

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