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Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV

Jennifer L. Pozner

3.88 · Rating details · 1,087 ratings · 146 reviews

Nearly every night on every major network, “unscripted” (but carefully crafted) “reality” TV shows routinely glorify retrograde stereotypes that most people would assume got left behind 35 years ago. In Reality Bites Back, media critic Jennifer L. Pozner aims a critical, analytical lens at a trend most people dismiss as harmless fluff. She deconstructs reality TV’s twisted ...more

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Paperback, 392 pages

Published October 19th 2010 by Seal Press (first published November 30th 2009)

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Oct 22, 2010 Sarra rated it liked it

I've been going back and forth on my rating for this. 3 feels too low, 4 is too high. I guess it's really a 3.5, which is, of course, not an option here. When I started reading, I thought it would easily be a 4 or even a 5, because I'm a feminist & I'm studying media literacy, so I am already on the same side Ms. Pozner is. But a few things didn't sit well with me.

1) "The Poor": The author uses this phrase repeatedly. However, this is no more useful or acceptable - which is to say, not at all us I've been going back and forth on my rating for this. 3 feels too low, 4 is too high. I guess it's really a 3.5, which is, of course, not an option here. When I started reading, I thought it would easily be a 4 or even a 5, because I'm a feminist & I'm studying media literacy, so I am already on the same side Ms. Pozner is. But a few things didn't sit well with me.

1) "The Poor": The author uses this phrase repeatedly. However, this is no more useful or acceptable - which is to say, not at all useful or acceptable - than "the disabled" or "the mentally ill" or any other marginalized or oppressed group that is described thusly. "The Poor" condenses all people of lesser means into a dehumanized, faceless monolith.

2) "Underweight": "Underweight", just like "overweight", is based on the assumption that there is one proper, acceptable, correct weight. There isn't. Every body is different. Health at Every Size proponents, body acceptance activists, and fat positive agitators all reject the notion of "under" and "over" where weight is concerned. When you realize that health is rarely connected to weight and that you absolutely can not gauge a body's health or wellness from its weight/appearance, the uselessness and meaninglessness of "underweight" and "overweight" become immediately apparent. You can't tell how healthy someone is just by looking at her/him. This applies to the women on America's Next Top Model (not that I approve of or am defending that show) just as it applies to a fat person on the street. "Underweight" is useless at best, and problematic, stigmatizing, & judgmental at worst. Tied in with this issue: you can't know just from looking at someone how hungry they are, what they do/don't eat, how often they do/don't eat it, or how likely they are to have an eating disorder. Furthermore, the BMI is scientifically baseless & relying on it to support points made renders those points worthy of dismissal.

3) "Depressives": Really? "Depressives"?! Not even "depressed persons", much less "people with depression" or "people prone to depressive episodes"? "Depressives", as a label, completely erases humanity. The people being described are not even present in this label. They are not even people; they are simply their diagnoses.

4) "Happy pills": Yes, the author, in a footnote, really does refer to anti-depressants as "happy pills". This is wildly inaccurate, indefensibly ignorant, unfair, unkind, and woefully simplistic.

5) "Scherzinger was ... positioned as the lead stripp- er, lead singer- of the Pussycat Dolls." Oh, honestly. Implying that Scherzinger is a sex worker? It's catty, it's juvenile, it's reminiscent of high-school mean-girl behavior, and it's not feminist. It also has no place in a book like this. Furthermore, it stigmatizes sex workers, and said stigma puts sex workers (sex work is real work) at greater risk. And, again, it's deeply unfeminist.

Now, I don't want to give the impression that I didn't like this book. I did. It's smart and valuable. It's so smart and valuable that the missteps detailed above were shocking and disappointing. I would still encourage everyone - especially those interested in media literacy and those who love unscripted television - to read it. Just do so with the intersectional, truly feminist, comprehensively anti-oppression lens the author didn't see fit to employ. ...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Christine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: minority-and-women-writers, feminist, movie-and-tv-related

I'm not much of a reality tv fan. I watched Deadliest Catch for awhile, and somewhat lost interst this year. Other than that, I've watched various Gorden Ramsey things (I like the British ones much more), but even those I've cooled to - the overuse of the word bitch to describe women, the fact that every black women seems to take most of the hate from those in the group, the fact that you are suppose to undermine people to win a job where you need to lead and support people. The fact that the wo ...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Sheerley rated it it was ok

Reality tv= sexist, racist, classist, etc. I get it. 300 pages of snark doesn't cover up the fact that her point was made 299 pages ago. I didn't disagree with what she was saying. I just felt that the cultural impact of reality tv encompasses more than sexism, racism and the like. ...more

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May 22, 2011 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

I've never been a particular fan of "reality" TV (Project Runway excepted), but I wasn't a particular detractor either. Mostly I just had an "It's not really my thing." attitude. I knew that it wasn't entirely "reality" as in a lot of cases people were chosed by producers for specific reasons (because they're "characters" to begin with, for example) and the the programs were heavily edited in order to create narratives, and hightlight themes that really may not have been particularly important t I've never been a particular fan of "reality" TV (Project Runway excepted), but I wasn't a particular detractor either. Mostly I just had an "It's not really my thing." attitude. I knew that it wasn't entirely "reality" as in a lot of cases people were chosed by producers for specific reasons (because they're "characters" to begin with, for example) and the the programs were heavily edited in order to create narratives, and hightlight themes that really may not have been particularly important to the participants. But, I figured it was mostly harmless and "mindless fun" for those who enjoyed it.

I had no idea the extent to which "reality" television is unreal. For example, they use a tactic called "Frankenbiting" - editing two unrelated statements together - to make it so participants are actually saying things they never said! For example taking a woman on a dating show saying "I really love hot coffee first thing in the morning.", editing out the "hot coffee first thing in the morning" part and splicing in an instance where she said the name of the male bachelor on the shot so it makes it seem like she's head-over-heels for the guy when she may not be and has never said such a thing.

I also had never really thought critically about the kind of messages reality TV was putting out there about women in general, and worse about people of color (both men and women - although this book mostly concentrates on women).

Overall this was a fascinating read, and unlike a lot of books that leave you depressed by telling you all this crappy stuff, Pozner's last two chapters spend a lot of time telling you what you can do about it. She also doesn't get preachy and tell you: "YOU MUST STOP WATCHING THIS STUFF IMMEDIATELY!" Instead, she encourages you to learn to watch with a critical eye. She encourages enhancing media literacy - not just television, but all media - throughout our society. One other aspect is that she's very specific when it comes to blame. She doesn't suggest that this is some secret conspiracy in a backroom somewhere (in fact, she's quite clear to say that it isn't). She has a very good analysis that the driving force behind much of this is commercialism. That it isn't a bunch of old men in suits puffing on cigars thinking we're going to invade their precious golf course planning out all this stuff. Rather, it's just that in order to sell us more products (beauty and otherwise), it's more effective to have women scared and lacking in confidence and self-esteem. That way, one can present the lastest wonder (bra, face cream, make-up hair product, dress, home appliance) that will fix it for them. God forbid we should think we're great the way we are and didn't need to buy something to make us better. ...more

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May 25, 2016 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: at-npl, media

My before reading comments-

This is what I believe :

There is more stupidity than reality in reality TV and that reality TV is bringing more stupidity into our reality.

I wonder if this book will support my hypothesis.

This review will tell you more about me than the book. ................ Hey KIDS , Get off my Lawn! !!
____

> Spent a good part of 2000s & 2010s watching & fighting the watching of some Reality TV shows by my three teenage daughters -all now in their twenties. Yes, I was the dad you d ...more

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May 26, 2012 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

I should first point out that I am an avid reality television watchers. While I understand that the label "unscripted" doesn't necessarily apply to the full degree, I cannot help be suckered in even as I don't believe an ounce of the content. That being said, Pozner really brings the manipulation of reality television to light in a way that is eye opening. There is a lot of important material in this book that even that savviest television viewer might not be aware of.

The reason I did not give ...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Cinnamon rated it it was amazing

I have never been a reality television fan (Project Runway and a few episodes of cooking reality shows aside). I've never seen an episode of The Bachelor, have never seen anyone get voted off the island, etc. Partly because I knew how choreographed these shows were and how edited they must be to prove the producers point. I saw the drama created by producers during the first Real World and figured it only got worse from there. So I avoided them, which means I'm left out of a lot of conversations ...more

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Aug 09, 2018 Melody Newby rated it it was amazing

This book is a bit dated but the analyses on reality tv, integrated marketing, and the plethora of gendered, racial and class stereotypes found embedded in this medium, are still very relevant.
Do not be fooled by reality television. We all realize that reality television is partially scripted, but for me, the realization that these shows are just very long infomercials, is new. This is noteworthy since a significant percentage of every major network’s primetime line up dedicates hours to unscrip This book is a bit dated but the analyses on reality tv, integrated marketing, and the plethora of gendered, racial and class stereotypes found embedded in this medium, are still very relevant.
Do not be fooled by reality television. We all realize that reality television is partially scripted, but for me, the realization that these shows are just very long infomercials, is new. This is noteworthy since a significant percentage of every major network’s primetime line up dedicates hours to unscripted programs.
Robert Riesenberg (TV producer and ad agency exec) has stated, “We’re trying to create a marketing platform through television for our clients…It’s not at all about making better television. We don’t profess to be able to do it better. It’s really about finding that right fit, and then integrating them (brands) into that fit.”
Reality television is a medium that seeks to channel every human desire into consumer behavior. This completely ignores the fact that in Western society, we are drowning in credit card debt, we are working our way into our twilight years because we’re too poor to retire and more of us choose a ‘staycation’ instead of a vacation because we simply can’t afford to travel. We are indoctrinated by such shows as (examples in the book, some of which have been canceled for years) The Real Housewives, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, Top Chef, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and What Not to Wear that life is mostly about leisure and we must model ourselves after ‘how the rich shop’. Why buy several seasons worth of affordable clothes when you can buy a few pieces of high end outfits that are supposed to last for years (when in reality, most consumers would feel pressured to buy new clothing the following season).
“This little corner of the reality TV universe is designed to maximize our desire for …stuff. Stuff of all kinds, the more expensive, the better. These shows encourage us to lust after things we might have never thought we wanted or needed…”
It is not quality television viewers embrace but consumption (specifically, conspicuous consumption). It is problematic that expensive brands are integrated into every minute of reality tv programs due to the highly persuasive nature of advertising.
Advertising depends on the idea that we believe we are not affected by the images we see in ads and now, so does the product-placement-generated reality tv genre, and therefore, we are less likely to bring a critical lens when we are watching these shows.
To further this point, the editor-in-chief of Advertising Age once said, “Only 8% of an ad’s message is received by the conscious mind: the rest is worked and reworked deep within the recesses of the brain, where a product’s positioning and repositioning takes shape.”
We often sit back and allow these messages, images and product placements to passively enter our minds and consume our personal ideas of how we should spend our money as well as endorsing deeply embedded cultural stereotypes surrounding gender, race, class and romance. All of this is packaged as fluffy, light entertainment when in fact, Pozner argues, that under a reality tv theme, this seemingly innocent form of entertainment presents these deeply problematic stereotypes as being just the way it is in ‘the real world’.
According to Pozner and her research, women are portrayed as bitches, stupid, incompetent at work, failures at home and gold diggers on most reality shows. In the reality tv universe (and across all other forms of media), a woman’s worth conflates with her outward appearance as well as her ability to snag a man. Women must lower their standards in shows like The Bachelor. The Bachelor is clearly a himbo who has had his tongue down the throats of 24 other available women and who may or may not have domestic abuse charges under his belt (read the book to discover how producers failed to perform effective and thorough background checks in reality tv dating show participants).
On reality tv shows, gendered stereotypes abound. Men are the providers (in which none of the possessions they offer are actually theirs but carefully placed products to entice viewers to buy) and women are only the sum of their pretty, pandering, emotionally charged parts. Single women are shown as nothing without a husband and so the humiliation of single women (and women in general) in this genre becomes paramount.
“The money shot in porn flicks usually involves male ejaculation. In reality TV dating shows, it comes when cameras zoom in on the tear-soaked face of some woman shattered by romantic rejection.”
A woman in pain is another focal point as demonstrated on the now canceled show, America’s Next Top Model” ie. The ‘dead girl photo shoot’ episode or Tyra Banks telling hopeful models that the biggest modeling secret is to pose as though you are in pain. “…think pain, but beauty…” Images of battered or murdered women and images of women in pain contribute to a culture that promotes violence against women and desensitizes viewers to the hard cold facts: a woman is battered every 15 seconds, 3 women are murdered by their husbands/boyfriends each day on average, and women are sexually assaulted every 2 minutes, 3/4ths of these attacks perpetrated by intimate partners.
The gold digger trope is repeated ad nauseam across a number of reality shows. For example, in shows such as the canceled ‘Joe Millionaire’ participants must compete for the love of a liar- a man who claims to have a lot of money but in reality, he does not. If a woman does not feel pure love for a man she just met who acts like an offensive jerk while making out with a number of other woman, she is labeled an evil gold digger for pursuing this so-called millionaire in the first place. This is a way to deflect certain economic realities such as the feminization of poverty and its connection to prostitution. Women are statistically the poorest gender and yet, the sex trade is always hiring….
“…the more we watch, the more we learn that only the most gorgeous, least independent women with the lowest-carb diets and the highest thresholds for humiliation will be rewarded with love, financial security and the ultimate prize- being selected by some guy – any guy – because nothing is as important as male validation.”
What better way to reinforce the message that a woman is worthless until she has a man to validate her worth while also cashing in on the ‘wedding-industrial complex’ then shows such as ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ and ‘Platinum Weddings’? This genre of reality tv show attempts to convince women that starring as the princess of a huge, ostentatious wedding is the most important thing they will ever accomplish. Visit the websites of these shows to buy the very dresses or other wedding products and services as seen on the show! (barf…)
Women are shown as incompetent, not only at home (Super Nanny anyone?) but also at work (The Apprentice) which carry damaging implications.
“Damning portrayals of women’s incompetence at home and at work can send messages that are truly toxic to women’s rights. If women are generally flakier, less talented and less capable then men, why hire them, support their art work, elect them as politicians, pay attention to their concerns as citizens or respect them as equal life partners.”
Pozner unpacks gendered racial implications in portrayals of black women and men in reality shows. She views reality shows as the new minstrel show. Black women are depicted as tainted ghetto-Jezebel’s from the wrong side of the tracks (needless to say black women have a long history since the time of slavery where they are labeled as wanton, hyper sexualized animals and not human beings with their own rights and desires) or Mammy’s who would rather support and not lead (Aunt Jemima anyone?). Black women as well as men are reduced to caricatures or animals . America’s Next Top Model convinced a young model that she has ape-like features. Tyra Banks tries to offer positivity by cheering, “Go Curious George, work it out!” An interesting aside, Curious George has been interpreted by literary and cultural scholars as a slave narrative. “In the original story, The Man with the Big Yellow Hat kidnaps George from the African jungle and brings him to America, where he gets thrown in jail, escapes and ends up behind bars in a zoo.”
Reality shows like ‘Survivor’ and the ‘Amazing Race’ offer a colonialist’s vision of Westerners in foreign lands. Locals are used as props or as ‘backdrops’ to the scene and viewers can purchase travel packages to the various locations if they check out the shows’ websites. Appropriate culture and empty your privileged wallets at the same time!
This book review would not be complete without mentioning Pozner’s vote for the most exploitative reality show of the decade: ‘Toddlers and Tiaras.’
Pozner says it best, “Girls as young as five and six years old are hypersexualized before they can possibly understand or consent to its implications… …these shows play like Intro to Misogyny for the preschool set: bodies always on display, normal to be graded on pretty eyes, smile, hair , be more beautiful than the other girls.”
Despite some of the outdated references, I highly recommend this book. The last chapter offers ways to fight back and have your voice heard about the media that surrounds you as well as party games to critique reality tv shows.
We must remember that the driving factor for all corporate media production is to turn tidy profits for the handful of mega merged corporations. They control the bulk of what we are given to watch, see and hear in the media. Reality TV shows are just hour long, low budget commercials, not to mention the embedded cultural stereotypes spoon fed to viewers that passively ingest into their psyches. Don’t leave your critical lens on the dresser. Take them with you when you engage in reality tv or any kind of media.
...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Alex Templeton rated it it was amazing

Initially, I wasn't all that interested in reading this book, as I felt as if it would be a retread of many concepts I had read before. I am glad I changed my mind, as this book has entered the category of library books I will eventually go out and buy my own copies of because I have found them so good. This was an excellent and deeply horrifying look at how reality TV is working to reinforce harmful messages about women, minorities, and the poor. Pozner gives example after example after example ...more

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Nov 03, 2010 Kristina Klausser rated it really liked it

As a regular reality tv viewer I figured this might be a good read. While I was aware of many of the things (product placement, the contradictory treatment of the women on ANTM, the issues with SAG and reality tv, etc) but I learned a lot from this book. I stopped watching some reality shows (America's Next Top Model, the Bachelor, American Idol, basically any dating show, etc) because of some of the things discussed in the book.

Overall, a great guide on things to keep in mind when watching real ...more

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Mar 24, 2011 RD Morgan rated it it was ok

Shelves: too-meh-to-finish

I wanted to like this book. I really, really wanted to like this book. But alas! I did not. I could not. I couldn't finish it.

I wasn't a fan of Pozner's sense of humor -- it was a tad too snarky for me, and this, in turn, caused me to distrust her narrative. ...more

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Jun 10, 2013 Danielle rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fic, 2013

Finally! I will be doing a review on this.

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Aug 27, 2011 cat rated it really liked it

Shelves: 100-in-2011

2011 Book 106/100

After seeing the new documentary MissRepresentation, which featured author Jennifer Pozner discussing the ways that reality television contributes to and cements the sexism, racism, and classism of our culture, I put her new book on hold at the library. I waited as they processed the first copy, and then got to read a shiny new copy of Reality Bites Back : The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV over the last few weeks. This book took me much longer to read as each chapter 2011 Book 106/100

After seeing the new documentary MissRepresentation, which featured author Jennifer Pozner discussing the ways that reality television contributes to and cements the sexism, racism, and classism of our culture, I put her new book on hold at the library. I waited as they processed the first copy, and then got to read a shiny new copy of Reality Bites Back : The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV over the last few weeks. This book took me much longer to read as each chapter is so full of current and important media critique that is directly relevant to my life AND to the work that I do.

From the outset, when Pozner tells us "..nothing- not creative quality, not social impact, and certainly not accountability to the public - matters to corporate media companies other than the financial bottom line", she positions all of the other critiques, of sexism, racism, classism, firmly within the context of capitalistic greed.

Her chapters on Unraveling Reality TV’s Twisted Fairytales , Get Comfortable with My Flaw Finder (Women’s Bodies as Women’s Worth), Bitches and Morons and Skanks, Oh My! (What Reality TV Teaches Us about Women), Erasing Ethnicity, Encoding Bigotry, and Beautiful Corpses, Abusive Princes (Violence against Women as Glamorous, Romantic Reality) each show us the ways that "mass media is our prime purveyor of cultural hegemony... in other words, media shape what we think of as "the truth" about "the way things are".

While each of the chapters had moments of insight for me as she laid out the ways that reality TV creates harmful depictions of women, normalizes violence against women, and perpetuates racism, one of my major a-ha! moments came in the discussion of women being pitted against other women in dating and other competition-based series. She states " This isn't just about depriving women of female friendships to foster desperation for male affection. All social, academic, professional, and political gains women have made in this country - suffrage, legality and availability of contraceptives,..criminalization of sexual harrassment and acquaintance rape, protections against gender and race-based employment discrimination, among others - have been won through hard-fought collective struggle with other women. If women are conditioned to consider other women lying bachstabbers, we are less likely to organize for better working conditions or pay equity". Which sums up so much of my fear about media and the ways that women are depicted - we do not see ourselves as having agency, intelligence, or inherent worth outside of our looks and our relationships with men. Both this book and the documentary MissRepresentation have given me new ways to talk about this issue -- as a social justice issues, but also as an economic issue. ALL of the messages that we are being fed ultimately are controlled by corporations trying to sell us a commercial and political agenda that I am not interested in buying!

Please - read this book. And if you don't have time to read the whole book, then at least go and check out Pozner's Reality TV Deconstruction Guide at http://www.realitybitesbackbook.com/f... . But really? The book is worth the time.
...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Bradley Bowen rated it it was amazing

I have to say, Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV by Jennifer L. Pozner is one of my favorite new books! If you are a fan of reality television, a student of social sciences, or a person concerned about the toxic effects that the media has on our society, you definitely need to read it right away.

In Reality Bites Back, Pozner exposes the often racist and sexist messages being sold by the media and advertising conglomerates who control so much of what we see, hear, p I have to say, Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV by Jennifer L. Pozner is one of my favorite new books! If you are a fan of reality television, a student of social sciences, or a person concerned about the toxic effects that the media has on our society, you definitely need to read it right away.

In Reality Bites Back, Pozner exposes the often racist and sexist messages being sold by the media and advertising conglomerates who control so much of what we see, hear, purchase and consume. From disturbing portrayals of people of color on dating shows like “Flavor of Love” to the wildly unhealthy images sold to women on “The Bachelor” and “America’s Next Top Model”, Pozner explains how cheap reality television has helped to promote a backlash against the progressive movement in the United States.

While we often tell ourselves that we know the difference between fact and fiction on the screen, the reality genre has helped to blur the line in our collective conscience. Directors deliberately cast stereotypes or people with insecurities and present them as substitutes for an entire group. Plot lines are largely decided by producers and even advertisers. While we know that much of what we see is exaggerated for dramatic effect, we can’t help but absorb the idea that on some level, this is the way things are. (For instance, we are constantly bombarded with messages that women are weak and cannot be successful or happy or fulfilled without a man. Soon, after only one kind of woman is shown and this trope is repeated time and again, people, especially young people who grew up watching reality television, will begin to believe on a certain level that this is the way women are. What’s really happening is this: women are taught to be insecure by advertisers, and then instructed to treat their insecurities with products sold by the very same advertisers.)

One of the more troublesome aspects of reality TV, as outlined by Pozner, is the way it has affected scripted television. Inexpensive reality programs that serve as little more than marketing vehicles for advertisers can stay on the air with embarrassing ratings, while thoughtful programming (such as “Commander in Chief“, which earned Geena Davis a Golden Globe award for playing the first female president) goes by the wayside. Consumers are being deprived of art that could actually entertain and inform us for “mindless” entertainment that is actually working to move society backwards.

As a hyper-consumer of media with an academic background in sociology, I devoured this book and was left wanting more. The information provided is well-researched, accurate and alarming. Pozner’s voice is relatable and snarky; she also crafts her message in a way that anyone can understand. You don’t have to be an ivory tower resident to read and enjoy this book. Just be prepared to finish as a media justice activist! ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Rosa rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Budding teenage feminists, reality TV enthusiasts

Shelves: thrown-at-a-wall

I tried more than once to finish this book but I couldn't get further than the first 10%. It's clearly not aimed at me (a film studies minor and avowed feminist) so I tried to ignore the glib, flippant tone, which I assume is the author's attempt to engage people who watch reality TV uncritically and avoid charges of taking it all too seriously, but it shaded into patronizing once too often for my tolerance. The efforts to address intersectionality, while appreciated, also rubbed me the wrong wa I tried more than once to finish this book but I couldn't get further than the first 10%. It's clearly not aimed at me (a film studies minor and avowed feminist) so I tried to ignore the glib, flippant tone, which I assume is the author's attempt to engage people who watch reality TV uncritically and avoid charges of taking it all too seriously, but it shaded into patronizing once too often for my tolerance. The efforts to address intersectionality, while appreciated, also rubbed me the wrong way. They felt token-y and tacked on, like someone reminded the author at the last minute that it's what all the cool feminists are doing nowadays and she'd be yelled at if she didn't. The last straw was when the the author repeatedly refers to 'transgender' as a sexual orientation (as in the phrase "sought love among a pool of straight, gay, bisexual, and transgender men"). That was when the book went from my "abandoned" shelf to the one called "thrown at a wall."

The reason I tried it more than once is because I did find some aspects of the book interesting and enlightening. It's at its best when delving into the specific mechanics of making reality TV, including the financing, casting, and editing processes. The other part I liked is when it discusses how attitudes toward reality TV have changed over the past decade, especially among those who've grown up with it. I really wish the author had spent more time on those aspects rather than, for example, a lengthy deconstruction of the anti-feminism of The Bachelor. Her deconstruction wasn't wrong per se, but it was something I could do on my own and could aptly describe as shooting fish in a bucket. The fruits of her research, on the other hand, were unique and informative. Even though I only read 10%, there are definitely tidbits that will stick in my mind and be discussed over my dinner table. I suspect the book would've been better off had the author simply presented her research and allowed readers to draw their own conclusions rather than attempted to spoon-feed feminist critical analysis to them. That book I would've finished. ...more

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Jul 29, 2014 Julie G rated it really liked it

Writing
Very well done in terms of research and documentation. I'm a huge stickler for showing where your information comes from in non-fiction, and Pozner does a great job of this. You can tell that she has put a lot of time into her research and analysis of reality TV. Not only is the research done well, the analysis is spot on and done with humor and wit. It's dense at times, but very readable and the tone makes it fun.

Entertainment Value
I will confess that reality TV is one of my weaknesses. ...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Jess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feminism, media

This really is one of the most engaging books I have read on media literacy and deconstructing what we are watching. Pozner consistently makes great points, and is able to cite other research to strengthen her own findings. Her deconstruction of reality shows such as the bachelor, real housewives, America's next top model and more consistently has the reader questioning what they are watching and what they are being sold. For me - someone who was already hyper aware of the misogyny and pervasive ...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Jennie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, feminism

If reality television is a disaster, Jennifer Pozner (founder of Women In Media & News) is its forensic investigator: making sense out of seemingly harmless shows like American Idol, The Bachelor, America’s Next Top Model, Flavor of Love, and others. With stellar, absorbing insight, she teases apart the decade-long history of reality television, examining its impact on our culture, its toxic messages, and how and why it has come to dominate the airwaves. Startlingly progressive, Pozner leaves no ...more

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Nov 06, 2013 Laura Lee rated it it was ok

I have truly appalling taste when it comes to television - Give me Housewives, Top Models, and Bachelors, and I'm a happy girl. I am also a person with moderate intelligence who can easily pick out the manipulative editing, set-ups, and product placements on my own. It's cheap, mindless entertainment, and it's necessary to turn my mind off and just let silliness wash over it every now and then. I am not being slowly brainwashed, or turned into a mindless consumerist zombie, or buying into the Ba ...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Jesse rated it liked it

This book is a great intro to women's studies genre book. Well written and compelling from that perspective. Definitely reads academic and pretty beauty myth basic.

As I was reading it I kept thinking the book would be so much better if she explored more of how people watched and viewed reality tv instead of the basic facts about what was happening and why it was sexist, racist,classist. Most of my friends watching reality tv are well aware of these points and the fun is in the reading and dialog ...more

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Oct 31, 2014 Steven Evatt rated it did not like it

The antidotes about issues with different reality programs were generally good. However, the book seemed a bit scatter brained in organization. Pozner contradicted herself multiple times saying something was bad on one show, to only then claim it was also bad when on a different show they did the exact opposite. She was looking for reasons to interject liberal social angst everywhere she could. If every person on a show had to do the same act, if one or two of them were black, she would claim ra ...more

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Mar 12, 2014 Shannon rated it it was ok

Is this book a past selection from a freshman "Media Studies 101" survey course? Was the course taught by a militant feminist grad student at State U? It sure felt like it. The author wasted 300+ pages repeatedly positing the same argument, namely that reality television is sexist, classist and racist. (Most of us have already figured this out) I had higher hopes for this book. On a more positive note, I enjoyed some of the behind the scenes factoids that peppered the text. These little bits wer ...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Marissa rated it really liked it

everyone who watches reality tv, and even tv in general, should read this book!

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Jul 09, 2011 Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: feminism, pop-psychology, pop-sociology, five-stars, present-day, relationships, keepers, glbt, non-fiction, reference

This book was AWESOME. It made it's point without being over-judgmental of people who enjoy reality t.v. This was a refreshing read. ...more

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Jul 11, 2016 Danielle rated it it was ok

interesting topic....that was covered in the introduction. the book is completely repetitive. i just kept saying to myself 'didn't she already say this.' ...more

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Sep 03, 2017 lauren rated it it was ok

This book is very "media literacy/feminism 101". If you already think critically about the media you consume, skip this book. It might be an alright read for teens though. ...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Hannah rated it liked it

Recommends it for: People interested in media literacy

Shelves: library, media

Reality Bites Back is a very thick book. There are millions and millions of hours of reality TV and different types of reality TV, and so this book needs to be thick to accomplish its goal. In part, I think it does, but in other aspects, it doesn't.
If I had titled this book, it would've been Unscripted Women Bite Back: Age Old Views in Reality TV or something of the sort. Most of the book focuses on women, which is probably the author's strong point, but I think that made this book weak. Gender Reality Bites Back is a very thick book. There are millions and millions of hours of reality TV and different types of reality TV, and so this book needs to be thick to accomplish its goal. In part, I think it does, but in other aspects, it doesn't.
If I had titled this book, it would've been Unscripted Women Bite Back: Age Old Views in Reality TV or something of the sort. Most of the book focuses on women, which is probably the author's strong point, but I think that made this book weak. Gender does not exist in a vacuum, and we know that more than one gender exists. Degrading women doesn't just hurt women. It also hurts men, and reality TV shows men in a negative light. The book only contains a few paragraphs about men, but I feel like it would've been a stronger argument if a whole chapter or more was dedicated to how men are falsely represented on TV.

The themes go in between women, minorities, and LGBTQ (I'm sorry if I missed a group). It's great that the author has lots of material, but all of it gets mashed into a big jumble and it's hard to dissect apart. I think the author had good intentions of separating topics by chapters, but then topics blended into each, and women issues ended up in chapters about LGBTQ. Those issues are probably connected, but it would've been nice if she created a few borders between them so that the topics were more understandable. I thought that maybe the author could've divided it by TV shows, but then lots of TV shows share similar themes, so that wouldn't have worked either. Honestly, there are just too many themes and topics to discuss about reality TV, and not all of them can fit into a book. It might've been better if she wrote multiple books on reality TV, each focusing on a different theme or different type of reality TV.

The chapter at the end of the book is fun and thought provoking. She encourages you to keep watching your favorite reality TV shows, but to speak up, make fun of, or analyze what's going on as you watch the show. I wanted to try her ideas and attempted to watch The Kardashian Show...but I failed miserable. That show really bored me, so maybe I'll try another one later.

I feel like this book just scraps the top of reality TV, like taking the sugar off the top of homemade jelly. If you really want to experience the jelly, you have to take some of the sugar with the jelly underneath, bit by bit at a time. That's not something this book does. The book's argument just goes on and on, which can leave you mentally exhausted. While reading this, I wanted to take a step back and just think about a point Pozner made and digest it. I also wanted to find out more information and read more sources about the topic before moving on.

Basically, if you're interested in TV and cultural views, then I'd recommend this book, but I'd also recommend you read something else. It's a good book to have in your repertoire to get an idea of reality TV, but I don't think it should be the one-all and be-all book that you read. Another way to put it is if you were writing an essay on Reality TV, I'd suggest you read this book to get an idea of what to write about and basic knowledge, but don't quote it as a source when you get into the deeper details of your paper (unless you're actually using it to make your point, of course).

As a side note, I don't watch reality TV unless my mom is watching. Every time she watches it, I don't see what's so great or attractive about watching other people's lives. That's just weird to me and makes me feel like an awkward peeper... ...more

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Dec 04, 2018 Kitty Jay rated it liked it

Shelves: checked-out-from-library, non-fiction, feminism

Jennifer Pozner in Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV builds a case against the "mindless" entertainment of reality TV and points out how dangerous it can be, as it promotes sexism, racism, and advertises directly to its viewers while bypassing the normal restrictions placed on advertising.

While the book was comprehensive and Pozner did an excellent job building her case, there didn't seem to be anything new in this. Even Pozner admitted that most people are conscio Jennifer Pozner in Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV builds a case against the "mindless" entertainment of reality TV and points out how dangerous it can be, as it promotes sexism, racism, and advertises directly to its viewers while bypassing the normal restrictions placed on advertising.

While the book was comprehensive and Pozner did an excellent job building her case, there didn't seem to be anything new in this. Even Pozner admitted that most people are consciously aware of these pitfalls in reality television, but points out that subconsciously, we tend to accept these messages and incorporate them into our worldview. While I have no doubts that this is the case, it does make for a read that can best be summed up as, "Well, yeah."

In some respects, I am not the ideal reader for this book; I do not watch reality TV, nor do I follow it even a little bit. Pozner clearly didn't expect this, because she rarely gives even a brief summary of what a show is, which led me to have to google several shows to find out what on earth Pozner was talking about. While I realize I am not the target audience, it was still a tad annoying to have to pause the book in order to look things up, especially when other times she defines things that most people should know: if you're reading a book of this critical thought and this long, I would assume that you know what Stockholm syndrome or schadenfreude is.

Still, Pozner redeems herself with a genuinely interesting chapter about advertising in reality TV. While most people are aware of the conspicuous drinks of Coke by the American Idol judges or the apparently absolutely appallingly obvious shills for Cover Girl in America's Next Top Model, few are aware that several of these shows have almost complete creative control over the actual show itself, or have even completely sponsored a show to the point that it is little more than a vehicle for advertisements, which allow them to skirt FCC regulations and restrictions on advertising. In one worrisome prediction, Pozner posits that antidepressants or other medications could be next to be shilled on these shows, which is a troubling vision of the future.

Unfortunately, that chapter was the only one that contained something truly new. There was nothing particularly new or enlightening about the book, nor even things we already knew told in a way that made it seem new ala Neil Postman; all in all, a solid book, but not one likely to impart anything you didn't already know before. ...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Kim rated it really liked it

As someone who sometimes watches "Reality" TV, this book really made me pause and think about what it really is & why I watch it, and what messages it's sending. One of the most important things about the book is that it explains that every reality show is based around some already ingrained social concept - i.e. women are desperate and will do anything to get married. The author examines reality TV in regards to gender and race and the results aren't pretty. She is particularly hard on VH1 and As someone who sometimes watches "Reality" TV, this book really made me pause and think about what it really is & why I watch it, and what messages it's sending. One of the most important things about the book is that it explains that every reality show is based around some already ingrained social concept - i.e. women are desperate and will do anything to get married. The author examines reality TV in regards to gender and race and the results aren't pretty. She is particularly hard on VH1 and the Flavor of Love series as well as all the spin offs for portraying black women as dumb, crazy, and especially promiscuous. She also talk about the lack of women of color in the prime time shows (i.e. Bachelor) and why these are seen as "classy and sophisticated" as opposed to the VH1 shows.

Another show she is hard on is America's Next Top Model (ANTM) for the way it portrays the girls in shots that often glorify violence against women and perpetuates the idea that "pain is sexy" or "sexy torture" as the author calls it. The author criticizes and praises the well known Tyra Banks (mostly criticizes though) for her mixed messages about beauty and self esteem. Tyra both tells women that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and shames them by constantly pointing out that anything outside the "modeling norm" must be changed or corrected (dialect, weight, hair if it's "ethnic", etc.)

Another important thing to note is that this isn't just about reality TV being "bad". She encourages viewers to support shows that emphasize creativity and intelligence (Project Runway, Amazing Race) over drama and sexism. One interesting thing I didn't realize is that because reality shows cost so much less to produce over traditional sitcoms and dramas, a show can do terribly in the ratings but still be renewed for a second season whereas that would never happen with an expensive to shoot drama.

In the end of the book, there's a section on media literacy with excerpts by people of various grassroots organizations explaining what consumers can do to "fight back" against sexist and racist programming as well as additional resources (books, independent magazines, websites & media advocacy organizations) Overall, very good book. I can't say I will never watch reality TV after reading it, but there are some shows I've watched in the past that I would think twice before watching now. ...more

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May 14, 2018 mica rated it really liked it

Shelves: guilty-pleasure, late-stage-capitalism, toxic-masculinity, art-culture, feminism, harrassment, social-justice, read-in-2018, pop-culture-fiction

I waited way too long to read this book, and honest, ten years later, yeah, it does feel a little out of date. While I remember most of the reality shows Ponzer is critiquing, our media landscape really does seem to have partially moved on, at least in terms of reality shows no longer dominating the airwaves as much as they once did. While a good number of these shows are still on the air, they don't seem to get the coverage or the mass interest that they once did - although I should note that m I waited way too long to read this book, and honest, ten years later, yeah, it does feel a little out of date. While I remember most of the reality shows Ponzer is critiquing, our media landscape really does seem to have partially moved on, at least in terms of reality shows no longer dominating the airwaves as much as they once did. While a good number of these shows are still on the air, they don't seem to get the coverage or the mass interest that they once did - although I should note that my perspective is flawed here, in that I essentially stopped watching television in the intervening years. It should be noted that many of Ponzer's critiques of mass media still stand, even with "scripted" television.

I did, however, learn about the depth of issues regarding a number of different reality shows, particularly the domestic abuse issues on the dating shows, and the issue of rape on the set of MTV's Real World. Additionally, I think it's always important to talk about how product placement can affect our susceptibility to advertisement.

Ponzer's book is extensively researched and cited, which, honestly <3<3<3. That said, in the ten years since she's published this book, intersectional feminist discourse has changed, and there are moments in the text where I wish I could pull out some ableist language. While Ponzer seems to at least be trying to be sex work positive, her tone about it is often pretty derisive. To be absolutely fair, she did seem to be trying to direct that derisiveness towards men engaged in pimping rather than the sex workers themselves, but it didn't always seem to be hitting that mark.

Further to "ways in which this book is out of date":
- Ponzer briefly discusses how absolutely necessary net neutrality is in terms of democratic media. It's funny because that battle was just lost in the United States last year.
- Donald Trump is no longer the relatively harmless "boss" of The Apprentice with his delusions of grandeur and selective memories of his business prowess (remember how he's driven multiple businesses into the ground? That was already the case in 2008) and, well, sob, although I do feel vaguely vindicated at how much I hated him and his show back in the day too. ...more

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“Real love involves a foundation of respect, honesty, and trust, concepts wholly missing from the pale imitations hawked to us by the folks who script 'unscripted' entertainment.” — 10 likes

“Advertising is profoundly manipulative at its core. Its imagery strives to deprive us of realistic ideas about love, sex, beauty, health, money, work, and life itself, in an attempt to convince us that only products can bring us true joy. Its practitioners are trained in psychology, sociology, argumentation, poetry, and design. These are powerful tools in the art of persuasion, more so when deployed by a multibillion-dollar industry.” — 3 likes

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