The mother of recently evicted Big Brother 15 cast member Aaryn Gries has told the press her daughter cannot possibly be a racist because she took a black guy to prom. Not only that, but Aaryn’s mom says she once dated a “Cuban American” and recently sponsored a Fillipino child through a charity. So, of course, she can’t be an actual racist, even if she has said some… regrettable things.
Looks like that pricey public relations expert hired by Aaryn Gries’ family has been working overtime to rehab her reputation before she leaves the Jury house and goes home.
During her time on Big Brother 15, Aaryn Gries became known as the face of racism and homophobia inside the house. Although many of the other HouseGuests made controversial, derogatory statements about race, sexual orientation and gender, Aaryn was perhaps the most frequent and vocal offender. Even worse, she kept on saying nasty things despite being warned by production and other HouseGuests that she should stop.
After Aaryn’s racist remarks on the Big Brother Live Feeds sparked massive outrage from fans and in the press, CBS finally decided to air a video montage of some of her unsavory commentary. Because of her statements on the Live Feeds and the subsequent airing of some of them on the CBS show, Aaryn lost her contract with her modeling agency and was fired as a spokesmodel for Belle Petite Magazine. This eventually led to Aaryn’s family securing a public relations rep to help them deal with the backlash.
Speaking out this week about her daughter’s plight, Aaryn’s mom Elizabeth Owens (no doubt coached by her PR rep), said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that the Big Brother 15 HouseGuest went to prom with an African American man, “one of her closest friends through high school.” She also stated that Aaryn’s “first true love was a Cuban American” and that she has “cousins of Japanese descent.” Aaryn’s mother also said that she would never discriminate “against anyone for their sexual orientation.”
In singling her out on prime time television, the show made Aaryn look like she was a lone gunman of racism inside the Big Brother 15 house. In truth, equally as offensive things have been said by quite a few other players, including GinaMarie Zimmerman, Spencer Clawson, and Amanda Zuckerman. (Just last night, GinaMarie was at it again, using racially derogatory remarks about Elissa’s son.) Aaryn’s mother slammed CBS for abusing her daughter’s image and making her the poster child of everything derogatory being said in the house to boost ratings. Even so, she does admit that Aaryn made mistakes and said things she should not have.
“While I love and continue to suport my daughter Aaryn, words cannot describe my disappointment in some of her comments made on Big Brother,” Elizabeth Owens told the Los Angeles Times. “These inappropriate comments certainly do not represent the value system under which her father and I have raised her.”
Although she may have only been one of many saying derogatory racist and homophobic things inside the house, that’s no excuse, of course. But blond-haired and blue-eyed Aaryn receiving the brunt of the media’s negativity has been inexcusable. In truth, Aaryn is probably less of a racist homophobe than she is just an ignorant 22-year-old girl who grew up in a very red state hearing crap like this from all around on a daily basis. And if you are going to call out one HouseGuest on national television for this kind of behavior, then you should be doing it for everyone else as well.
Let’s see host Julie Chen is confronting Amanda, Spencer or even GinaMarie over their racist and homophobic remarks this season. Then at least everyone can say they got equal treatment.
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