by Lisa Bennett-Haigney, NOW Publications Manager

Women on Parade

As NOW kicks off its Watch Out Listen Up media activism campaign, it couldn't come at a better time. While our media monitors are watching and assessing primetime programming, the FOX network debuted its special "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire." A collective groan sounded across the country and we heard from lots of disgusted people. The show proved so successful and controversial that FOX scheduled a rerun the following Tuesday, then canceled after new information about the groom surfaced--including copies of a 1991 restraining order filed against him by an ex-girlfriend.
 

"Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire" was essentially a beauty pageant and the hosts did what they could to highlight that connection. Except that Miss America, for example, wins scholarship money and the opportunity to travel the country promoting her issues for a guaranteed year. The prospective Mrs. Multi-Millionaire, however, would win the right to marry a man she had never met or seen and, presumably, spend some of his considerable dough--although she was required to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. This unseen man sat in a booth where he watched the women on a screen; sometimes he was seen pumping his arms in glee at the spectacle that was all for him. The contestants answered questions, walked across the stage in bathing suits and in the most bizarre of moments, the final five all appeared in wedding gowns. The future groom had five women there just ready to marry him and he could have whichever one he chose. Once he chose his bride, the other four were quickly ushered away.
 

The whole production was like a trip back in time. Men, it tells us, are valued for their money, the sense of security they provide, while women bring to the union their looks and charms. Honestly, how did he narrow the original 50 contestants down to 10? He had seen each one of them for about three seconds each. He had their looks, their hometown and their occupations to go on. When the field was cut, Mr. Multi-Millionaire's family and friends were allowed to score the women in a sort of arranged marriage circus. The host, Jay Thomas, made sleazy cracks throughout the contest, inviting the losers back to his suite and alluding to the quickly approaching honeymoon. Yes, this woman would be going on her honeymoon with a man she just met on stage in front of millions of viewers!
 

This kind of portrayal of women is what NOW's Watch Out campaign is all about. Television wields a lot of power in the U.S. It is downright irresponsible to promote women as prizes and men as the lords of destiny. When the network executives tell us to turn off our TVs or change the channel if we don't like what we see, maybe we should. And we should let them know that we're doing so. Write to FOX and tell them what you think about a program that encourages women to compete to be a rich man's trophy. And any time you see something that outrages you, contact the network that aired the show. We are the viewers and our voices count.

This week's feminist media picks:

(Note: Nothing is perfect, particularly in our society's media. These picks represent those works of entertainment or information that are for the most part woman-positive and socially responsible.)
 

Video Rental: Run Lola Run (German with subtitles). A young woman must rescue her boyfriend from harm and she has 20 minutes to do so. Three different versions are shown, each with its own outcome altered by a matter of seconds. The sight of Lola running through the streets is exhilarating and feels remarkably new--perhaps because we so rarely see women running toward something instead of away from someone. The film is basically an action movie, but with little violence, no sex, and no exploitation of its hero. And all that action cuts down on the amount of subtitles you have to read.
 

Book: This Body by Laurel Doud (Fiction). A 39 year-old suburban mom dies and wakes up a year later in the body of a 22 year-old drug addicted L.A. woman. Katherine has to try to make things right in this lost soul's life, while figuring out what her real family has been doing for the past 12 months. It's the story of a mother aching for her two teen-age children and her re-married husband. And it's the story of a young woman who almost gave up on her dreams. In a plot so unreal, the characters and their feelings are quite real and moving.
 

TV Program: Once and Again (ABC, Monday 10-11pm ET). This very intimate program details the ongoing story of a separated woman and a divorced man who fall in love. They both have two kids, exes, and very complicated lives. Their lives are complicated not with the usual TV conventions, but with real life. Last week's show focused on Lily and her soon-to-be ex-husband's finances. How unusual it was to watch a scene with a woman at her dining room table tapping on her calculator, desperately trying to figure out how she could afford to pay her bills and send her teen-age daughter to writing camp. By the end of the episode, Lily realized that she finally had to take control of her own life and no longer depend on her husband and her father. Tune in for more glimpses into these imperfect, but fully-drawn characters.