As a part of our final media project, Nikki and I showed a trailer for the documentary Miss Representative that was recently presented at the Sundance Film Festival. Although I have yet to see the entire documentary, I think the message of this documentary encompasses a lot of what we have talked about in class relating to women in the media. It not only focuses on the current image of woman in the media, but it also concentrates on the long-term effects this message sends to young people, especially young girls. The consequences are dire and are directly correlated to common psychological and physical problems of this generation of young individuals, which can range from poor self-esteem to more serious conditions such as bulimia and anorexia.
It is important for young women to see positive role models. By incorporating advice from powerful women we frequently see in the media in this documentary, it leaves the viewer with a sense of hope and gives young women a group of individuals to look up to. I think one of the most important parts of this documentary is that it not only brings to light a serious problem, but also concentrates on the steps needed for change to occur. This documentary is a step in the right direction. It presents a group of women that want to defy the media and the belief that, “You can’t be, what you can’t see.”
I’m really interested in this subject as well and I think it’s important to realize the pressures that the media puts young girls to be like women in advertisements and celebrities in the media. These images that portray unrealistically thin and unnaturally beautiful women do affect the way young girls think about their own self-image. The women in the media that these young girls look at as role models can lead these girls to have many unhealthy self esteem issues. The unrealistic expectations that are put on young girls to try and become like the women they see in the media could lead to harmful illnesses such as anorexia and bulimia as well.
ReplyDeleteI think this video by Dove is an inspiring campaign focused towards helping women become more aware of the unnatural images of women in the media.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U&feature=related
I have always loved the message of that Dove video. It really is crazy how flipping through a magazine you can start to believe that everyone in the world has perfect skin, hair, teeth, everything..... we are older now and know better, but I do remember being a very awkward 12 year old looking at those magazines and thinking to myself, what is wrong with me?
ReplyDeleteThrough reading through the contents of this the missrepresentation website, I gathered a great deal of insight. One of the most telling pieces of information I came across was this:
ReplyDeleteWomen hold only 3% of clout positions in the mainstream media (telecommunications, entertainment, publishing and advertising).
This clearly points to why and how the media presents a largely male point of view, reports on mainly male interests and still maintains a rather sexist attitude when it comes to women. No wonder women are represented on television primarily as sex symbols and any women in any position of power are judged to have more masculine qualities. Women and men who are in the media must fight for a more equal workplace environment. I believe it falls on the access to information that educated people of this generation have. It is on us to bring to light statistics like this and urge a non-biased and non-sexualized media environment.