A women's TV watchdog has condemned the portrayal of women in two TV3 reality shows - The GC and a proposed series starring socialite Sally Ridge and her daughter.
The GC, about a group of New Zealand Maori based on Australia's Gold Coast, began last Wednesday and featured scantily-clad women, a housewarming party and discussions on "publics" (pubic hair).
It was the most-watched show on TV3 that day with more than 300,000 viewers, and was discussed so much online it began trending on Twitter.
Only a pilot episode for a show starring Ridge and her daughter Jaime (18) has been shot, with TV3 yet to decide if it will commission a series.
But Women in Film and Television (Wift) executive director Susi Newborn said both shows exploited women and sent the wrong message to viewers.
"We should be appalled at how often the cameras and commentators focus on these celebrities, instead of the many other successful women who have actually contributed something to society," Newborn wrote on the organisation's website.
Newborn also hit out over the funding row surrounding The GC after NZ on Air granted nearly $420,000 toward the making of the show.
"When our top representatives in the screen industry state that they believe The GC ... is a 'modern form of documentary' or a 'programme that has engaged the nation' we should be really concerned about the future for our industry."
TV3 declined to respond, but Sally Ridge recently told New Idea she was doing the show because she no longer cared what people thought of her.
On its website, Wift says it "promotes and safeguard the interests of women in film and television".
