A while back I heard about this documentary Miss
Representation written and
directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Her husband, Gavin Newsom (yeah, thatGavin), was on the radio and talked about this project that his wife was
working on. It sounded interesting, so I set my DVR to find and record it. It’s
been sitting there for months, and I finally got around to watching it today.
Actually, I am watching it right now. Half way through and I am already fired
up enough to grab my laptop and start ranting.
I know I’ve probably turned you off by using the word
documentary, which usually makes people run screaming. But believe me, this is
no stuffy boring academic tome. It’s a vivid look at the way women in our
society have been treated by the news, movies, television, advertising, and
our government. So essentially, how we treat ourselves and each other.
It should be pretty obvious from the things I read and talk
about on this blog that I have some strong opinions about the way women are
treated in our culture. As much as we say that things are “getting better” for
women, anyone with a TV, internet connection, video game console, or movie
ticket can see that women are still treated differently - sexualized,
objectified, ridiculed –by the media.
Actually, hold on. I’ve always hated that term. Blanketly
blaming “the media” always seemed like a cop out. I never thought of the media
as some independent entity out there creating magazines and newspapers. We, the
people that write and consume these stories make up the media. So when we blame
the media for the way it treats women, really we are blaming ourselves as a
culture and society for allowing it to happen. But after watching Miss Representation I am inclined to
change my mind.
Using interviews with some of our culture’s most influential
and powerful women; Katie Couric, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Dianne Feinstein,
to name a few, it gives us a look at the way women have had to overcome sexism
in all facets of their lives. There are also some terrifying statistics that paint
a picture of how the media sees and treats women. Of how
the men we elect to represent us often ignore the things that matter to woman.
How advertisers cater to male tastes and desires, using women’s bodies to sell
beer and cars. How news outlets focus more on female politician’s fashion than
their politics. And how young girls are
growing up and learning that the most they should aspire to be is a pretty face
on a reality show.
Before I get a barrage of “hey what about the guys?!” let me
say that Miss Representation does
address how the media affects our young men. The flip side of the message is
that boys should be strong, should be masculine, should be successful and see
themselves as failures if they do not live up to the stereotype. But, as much
as I agree that they have it rough too, I would much rather grow up with the
pressure of being the hero than the damsel in distress.
Miss Representation
is a fascinating, if not somewhat depressing, reality check. I think anyone with
daughters, nieces, sisters, students, should watch it. Should share it with the
young girls and women they know. The only way we as a society can start working
to make changes, is to understand what’s happening. So go find a screening –look here for info
– or host one if you can. Buy the DVD and show it to every young girl, and boy,
you know. Teachers, use it in your classrooms if you can.(And no, I don't work there, don't have a horse in this race, just think it's worth the time and money.)
Seriously, find a way to watch it. You’ll walk away with a
whole new perspective of the world we live in.
No comments:
Post a Comment