Miss Representation
I think out of all three videos we have watched so far this is the one that has impacted me the most. After seeing "Miss Representation" it made me realize how there is very little equality between men and women. Also how media strongly affects women and girls' opinions of themselves.
In the documentary, it stated that 53% of 13-year-old girls are not happy with their bodies, and the same goes for 73% of 17-year-olds. This is due to mainly to media. Social media is like an unspoken law that specifies what and what not defines you as beautiful. From this girls are taught to see themselves as objects and form the attitude that looks are everything. Media sends the message that girls' value depends on their body and appearance.
In addition, women are never the protagonist in movies. Every female role has to do with falling in love with a man or how to get the guy to like them. Never is it the women as the lead because of her intelligence. Only 16% of films have had a female protagonist. There are very little diverse roles made up for women. Women are over-sexualized in movies, mainly for the entertainment of men. Take Harley Quinn for example.
She is a superhero and can be seen as the main protagonist, but, as the documentary said, she is a "fighting fucktoy." This means that even though a woman protagonist is portrayed as strong, they actually are there to appeal to men. Harley Quinn's outfit is literally top that says "Daddy's Lil Monster" and booty shorts. Ultimately, the movie industry puts out the message that a woman can only get power if she is sexy.
Lastly, the documentary highlighted the lack of equality politically that women have. As of now, women have only 23.7% representation in Congress. A total of 44 women have served as governor and 67 countries have had a female as president, the U.S. NOT being one of them. Women in power are seen as a negative image, therefore girls are discouraged to take jobs in politics. When a woman runs for anything that has to do with politics they are always scrutinized on their appearance and emotions. They are never judged on their ideas or what they have to say because people are too busy deciding whether or not her skirt was too short, or if she's had work done (i.e. Nancy Pelosi).
Overall, what I took away from watching the documentary is to not let media depict who you are. It's ok to like the pictures you see on social media of models, but it is more important to not judge yourself against them and their bodies. Also, your value has nothing to do with what you look like, or if you are pretty. You should base your worth on your intelligence and if you are being a kind, ethical person.
I agree with MissRepresentation being the most impactful. I had never really thought about or seen actual evidence (like the stats presented in the movie) that showed how much media impacts women and their roles in society. The documentary was very impactful and I also took away from it that women should not allow media to depict who I am. I like the connection you made between US not having a women president and that likely being a result of our media.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about this is is that you address the fact that women shouldn't let media depict who they are because it is really important for people to be themselves and not strive for something unrealistic. I also really agree with your last paragraph when you state that we can still admire these people, but we shouldn't judge ourselves because of them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this film had a impact on me as well as many other people who watched it. This film pointed out so many good judgements women get as well as assumption. For example shes fast for a girl. What is that suppose to mean, media tries to lower standards of women just to make men seem more in power. Though in recent years some media has changed to try abs make women as strong as men. Though I believe they only do this because they see now women empowerment is now a big thing
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