The film Miss Representation took a close look at women and how they are portrayed in the media today.
Starting at an early age, girls are exposed to an unrealistic image of how they should look when they grow up. From television shows to magazines, music videos to advertisements, this image has developed creating extremely negative effects on girls of all ages. In both children’s films and adult films, the ideal woman has a flawless face, big breasts, small waste, and a butt. Nearly every picture taken for the media is airbrushed to a point where the original model is almost unrecognizable. Teenaged girls are looking at these pictures and creating this unobtainable image in their mind of how they are supposed to look. They are not satisfied or confident in their own looks because they look nothing like the models. The lack of self-confidence has lead to an increasing rate of eating disorders, depression and self-mutilation among adolescents.
The media, which is 97% male, continues to use these images because they are successful. People enjoy looking at the images and buy the products in an attempt to look like the fake image. The film discusses the idea of “self-objectification.” This is the idea of women looking at themselves as objects for men. Someone who has a high level of self-objectification generally does not have the ability to find self worth. An interesting example used in Miss Representation was about most action films. It was noted that while some women are the protagonists in films, they are often just “fighting fuck toys.” They get the job done and then make for a good sex scene.
A large portion of the film was dedicated to the discussion of women in power. Women make up 51% of the American population; yet, when you look at the board of major corporations, women only hold one or two seats. The creators of Miss Representation noted that, “you can’t be what you can’t see and we don’t see women in power.” When choosing a job, women often change their goals and dreams because it seems impossible. Men are dominating the work force. Then, if obtaining the job was not challenging enough, women who have power are critiqued on entirely different aspect of their work. They are constantly judged on their sex appeal as opposed to their decisions.
All in all, the only way to change the image of women in media is to get women in powerful positions. The film successfully delivered this message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gkIiV6konY
You discuss an interesting point concerning women in power, and I believe Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid in 2008 is a striking example of this in play in American society. While I believe Obama was forced to break through many race-related barriers in his campaign, I also believe Hillary Clinton had just as many hurdles to climb as a woman running for the highest office in the United States, possibly even more. I believe sexism may have played a larger role in the Democratic bid than even racism, and I think it definitely contributed to her eventual suspension of her campaign. For example, pundit Maureen Dowd referred to her as a “nag” and “witch” throughout her campaign, and she constantly received unfair, hostile coverage in the media. Furthermore, I believe it is no coincidence that Clinton wears pant suits and displays fewer feminine characteristics and mannerisms, because she would like to display herself as more of a typical powerful, masculine politician.
ReplyDeleteI was simply blown away by Miss Representation. The documentary really opened my eyes to the harsh reality that is American mass media and the terrible effects it has on our gender construction. The issue of power as it relates to female presence couldn’t be more articulated. The quote you reference Courtney is powerful in its ability to shape our understanding of an outcome that truly has affected women and their decisions. Even more upsetting are the disgusting things male reporters and radio show hosts said regarding the female politicians running for office. They were repeatedly called out of their name, belittled, gossiped about, criticized for their beliefs, and rated on their attractiveness. Camera shots between Bachman’s legs showed her male supporters gawking at her. They were even addressed differently from males in news articles, where subtle changes in verbs distinguished the females more emotionally than men. The fact that these incidences were so frequent to the point of going unnoticed is truly repulsive.
ReplyDeleteOne of the greatest parts of Miss Representation was when the filmmaker examined the negative effects mass media has on men. This idea that men have to be tough, stoic, stripped of all emotion, and physically powerful is definitely visible in the media. As a result, boys aren’t taught to express their emotions in a healthy and positive way. Violence is commonly displayed in the media with little remorse. It’s sad to see that those who control the media don’t recognize the detrimental effects it has on young people.
I really enjoyed this post as well as the comments with it. I was unable to attend the screening, but this issue is one that interests me greatly. Your post sort of gave me the cliff-notes to Miss Representation. Being really interested in politics and having taken Professor Carne's Gender and Politics class last year, the nature of this discussion is so relevant. With terms like post race society or post gender society, as well as the race of Hillary Clinton pointed out in Ryan's comment, I think a great argument can be made for us being far from these "post" societies.
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