Dr. Phil & The Mommy Wars

Last August I went to a taping of the Dr. Phil show.  The show aired yesterday.  Many of you emailed me to let me know you saw me on TV.  A few of you sent me emails with opinions on the somewhat controversial show.

I intentionally didn't tell you ahead of time I would be on TV yesterday.  I was secretly hoping they would cut me out of the episode.

Why?

I am basically a very shy person.  The idea of all of you watching me on TV freaked me the hell out.  Also, I was very nervous when all the cameras came out of the ceiling and walls to film me.  My voice wavered and I may have stammered a lot and I pretty much looked like a loser.

Plus ... omigod ... have any of you ever seen yourself on a 50 inch flat screen?  Holy hell!  Where's Dr. Nichter when you need a shitload of immediate on-the-air plastic surgery?

Some people knew they were going to be filmed when they went there.  They got their hair and make-up professionally done.  I was just there.  Dr. Phil talked to me during a commercial break and then asked me talk on camera for a few brief moments.

The episode was on the mommy wars.

They wouldn't let us take cameras into the studio so these photos are all pictures I took of my own TV screen yesterday as the show aired.  

No bitching about photo quality, okay?

Dr. Phil wanted a controversial show to improve ratings so he intentionally pitted working and stay at home moms against each other.

I didn't like the whole concept of mom against mom.  Here's a very crappy photo of me looking serious while talking to Dr. Phil.  All those lines across my chin and neck are from the TV.  I swear.

I didn't know what the show was about when I went to the taping.  I thought it was going to be about bloggers.  The most successful mommy blogger in the country world was a guest on the show.  Some of you know Heather Armstrong as Dooce.  I sat in the row behind her during the taping.  After the filming concluded, I met Heather and her husband, Jon, and their new baby, Marlo.  Heather was very nice.  

The primary spokesperson for the stay at home moms was Jessica Gottlieb.  Jessica voiced strong opinions when she had opportunities to speak on the show.  Dr. Phil called Jessica "sanctimonious" and "judgmental."  I don't think Jessica agreed with him on either of those descriptions.

So what did I have to say while on the Dr. Phil show?

Really, I didn't have much to say.

"Can't we all just get along?" or something along those lines.

And yet?

I'm practically a celebrity now, don't ya think?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Comments

[Charming Bitch]

As you said, it was obviously a show intended to cause controversy without the slightest hint of resolution. I thought you presented your thoughts concisely and I would not have guessed your appearance wasn't scheduled. Good job.

[Deidre]

I didn't see the show (God only knows when it will air in Australia. In 5 years? Tomorrow?). But I think you look quite lovely, despite not having professional make up, hair...You look fab, doll.

[Alan]

I didn't see the show but I imagine you did a great job! Gotta wonder why Phil chose to have so many bloggers on a show with the topic being about Moms vs Moms. Seems like he missed an opportunity for a really cool blogger show. Oh well. Anyway...welcome to the world of television Suz. Now you've seen what I do (or did) for a living. Not as glamorous as everyone thinks, huh? :-)

[nic @mybottlesup]

i posted this comment on @deb on the rocks blog as well... but i'm really pissed i missed this. i remember hearing about the taping back in august via twitter, but i don't watch dr. douche normally, so i completely forgot about it.

looks like you did a fantastic job... you should've told us you would be on cuz... you iz a big dealz on the internetz.

(aren't we all??? ha!)

[di]

Having met you in person I can vouch for the fact that you DO NOT have those lines across your neck. Really, folks.... she DOESN'T. Would have loved to have seen the show even though I am not a fan of Dr. Phil.

Di

[[email protected]]

I'm so sorry I missed this. I just finished a future post where I mention I don't really know these vindictive women they keep pitting against one another in the "mommy wars."
But I think you look great in your photos; my, now you're a TV celeb as well. Soon you'll have a house in Money Town (oh, you already do...).
Congrats and hope the boy is feeling better. You too!

[stephen]

You look great, however, I don't get Dr. Phil. He makes me want to puke. Instead of listening to Phil pontificate I prefer friends. In the wise words of Crocodile Dundee, "Doesn't she have any mates?" Just Sayin,,,,,,, steve

[LPC]

Yeah but you are way better looking than the Doctor.

[Kristan]

Ooo, fun! And hey, you look lovely! Must be naturally good skin or something, because I would have thought you DID have your makeup professionally done. :)

Also, I agree: Why can't we all just get along? (Isn't the women's movement about choices, not judgment?)

[Chris]

I saw the show last night and wondered if that was you! I thought your point was well made and you looked very pretty. I thought the show was exploitive, a bit trite and silly. I think the majority of mothers these days are easier on each other and accepting of personal choices and parenting styles than the show would have liked us to believe.

[Southern Web Girl]

I wonder if we can watch on Hulu or somewhere online now that it has aired. I loathe to go to Dr. Phil's Website to find out, though.

I think you looked great! I hope I look as fab as you do when I turn 24! (c;

[Danielle-lee]

I totally missed the show! And yay, you ARE famous! :)

[BeautifulWreck]

I watched the show! I thought it was a horrible set up to make Jessica look like an ass. Also the show seemed very one sided. First, I thought the show was going to be about blogging because I remembered something someone tweeting they were going to a Dr. Phil show about that. Ahem. So I watched and was like OMG WTF... anyway, it was worth watching to see a few people I read or tweet with. Other than that I think Dr. Phil should be burned at the stake.

[Julie @ Angry Julie Monday]

cough cough....where's my picture!!!! I know, I know...I need to save my celebrity fame for my own post. Ironically, some of my friends watched it and said that I had really great hair? WTF?

[Amy @ Bitchin' Wives Club]

Good for you.... well, I didn't see it, but I bet you let Dr. Phil know that he was being an asshole who was obviously trying to just get everyone riled up for sweeps week. :)

HOW do you get yourself into all of these interesting scenarios?? You are my idol!

[Jan]

Girl, you look GORGEOUS. As usual. No makeup? Who could tell? If I didn't love you to death I'd be damn jealous.

If I'd known you were going to be on the show, I'd have watched it. Alas, the opportunity is gone now, for I'd never watch the piece o' shite under any other circumstance. I can't STAND Dr. Phil; he's one of those people, like Dubya, that you're ashamed to admit is a fellow Texan.

[Kelly]

LOL! Your so funny. I saw you! I thought you were great. The voice of reason in the midst of a lot of ridiculous statements. You are famous! You're a big deal on the internetz! : )

[Kari-Mel]

I saw you - you were fab! I've been a stay-at-home mom and now I am a working mom home on disability fighting lung cancer. I'd say there are pro's and con's to both! I was home early on for the kids, and went back to work when they were in school and I was divorcing their father - because I had to. When I did, I found myself and a purpose in my life that helped me be a better mom. Now, after being off work nearly this whole year - I both miss work and will miss being home once I'm back. I'm torn but right now the choice wasn't mine. If they viewed having one lung as a SS disability qualifier, I just might go that route and stay home even though the kids are all in high school now. I don't know that they would - everything I read says you have to have had a transplant in order to qualify. For now, I'm healing and counting down the days to when I go back in to work.

[Jamie Lentzner]

I was there too, one with hair and make up done (not by me, not by choice but by the Dr. Phil producers). They flew me out the day before and I too was a bit mislead on what the topic was. I was under the impression I was going to be interviewed about my business, my life, my choices and how I had best of both worlds (work when kids in school, make my own schedule, blah,blah). It is interesting the way it was edited - I think people forget that the show is edited to look a certain way. When we were getting seated it was really looking more like an attack on working moms...but boy things sure did change.

[Loralee]

Sometimes I watch Dr. Phil when I want to flog myself for being a shitty person, but somehow I missed the episode! I did hear a LOT about it, though and honestly loathe that once again, mothers are "pitted" against each other.

Mommy war? REALLY? Way to help mutual understanding, Dr. Phil.

Still...I think that you are awesome for doing it. You look hawt. Seriously, I would have put a bag over my face but you look gorgeous. :)

[topmomblog]

Interesting comments. Seems like nobody really watches Dr. Phil (I wouldn't have except for the Twitter alerts!) but consensus seems to be that you looked great 24! and I don't think that moms are as polarized as they made it out to be. We know that it's not for everyone and a lot of us have done a little of both.

[Sarah]

I haven't watched Dr. Phil (though he and Dr. Laura do make for some excellent comedy routines from time to time - such manipulative, black & white worldviews should only exist as jokes in my view) in so long, but I wish I'd known this was going on! I heard about the show, but I'd have only watched it for you, not for any other reason, and had no idea you were on! You look great! I hope you had some fun in the midst of it all. I don't get it - him having this "issue" on his show OR the "issue" even existing. Take your pick. We're all women, we all love our kids, and don't must of us just give each other the benefit of the doubt? Anyway. It's a shame you're not famous for bitchslapping Phil in the middle of an episode. ;) (THAT would've scored his dumbass some ratings!)

[Suz Broughton]

Oh, I really want to see this now! I bet you were great. You don't give yourself enough credit. I'm not a Dr. Phil fan, but I'm a fan of you, so I want to watch it.