MissRepresentation
A film exploring how the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence.
Disclaimer: Very graphic content at beginning of video!
The media is the contemporary backlash against women's advancement - our view of women is defined by the media's portrayal of women as vulnerable, sexualized, and objectified beings...taking away their power of being whole people.
From day to day women are losing their honour, dignity, worth, and integrity.
As a result women have come to learn to be objectified...and to objectify themselves. “Self-objectification has become a national epidemic,” according to Caroline Heldman, Ph.D.
Is it a wonder that teenage girls feel more powerless than ever?
Children have different interpretation abilities and therefore, are more vulnerable to the messages that the media is showing. We can't turn a blind eye on how the media impacts our culture and harms both our daughters...and sons.
"We women need to stop our destructive behaviours towards each other; judging and scrutinizing each other. Girls are harder on other girls. Create your own stories of women in the media - teach those around you to look at the media critically. Media literacy today is as crucial as literacy."A Problematic Quote: “The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." –Pat Robertson
*Discussion Questions*
1. Who are the people behind the scenes? The majority of producers and film makers?
2. What was the purpose of the creation of the television?
Our ultimate goal in relaying this knowledge to others should be to sensitize them, so they as active agents of socialization in the life of their loved ones become those that play a prescriptive role rather than letting the TV take on this task. People should be given information regarding the historical goal behind the creation of the television, the direct effects of television on children's health and the effects of advertisement in television on children's behavior.
Although many people might be oblivious to the fact that TV can be harmful, we should remember that "the underlying purpose of mainstream television was and continues to be the sale of goods for profit-the commercials-and not the entertainment" (Albanese, 2009, p.97) as we have come to believe.
3. What are the consequences for our generation? For both women and men?
We all know that according to social learning, stimulation and cultivation theories, messages that recur are learned through observation.
4. Why is it crucial to sensitize young girls and boys?
The average teenager spends more than 10 hours each day consuming media — more than sleeping or attending school. Media is the messenger and an increasingly powerful one. Mainstream media bombards children and adults alike with overwhelming messages that women should be beautiful and sexy, while men should be powerful and often violent. These messages limit children’s ideas of what is possible in the world and can have damaging effects on their self-esteem, health, and the way they treat others.
5. How can we as mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends make a change and sensitize those around us?
We can make a change through helping our children, siblings, and friends by:
- Teaching them that the media communicates ideas and teaches individuals.
- Identifying the ways media and advertisements portray gender
- Defining stereotype and identify stereotypes frequently seen in mainstream media.
- Showing that when stereotypes are repeated over and over, individuals begin to accept them as normal or real [desensitization]
- Making the connection between media objectification and the low numbers of women in influential leadership positions
- Understand that what we see in the media is influenced by political and economic decisions.
- Explaining that changes in the media and advertising industry have given companies more power in determining what we see and hear.
- Explaining the dangerous effects of solely profit driven media and advertising industries, the impact they have on our culture, and the news/information we are given access to.
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