I want to take a moment to write about something other than
picture books. Last night I took my mom and my two daughters to go see the
documentary Miss Representation. It was an amazing piece about the media and
how it is dis-empowering women and we as a society are letting it happen. We are
letting the government and the media dictate what is acceptable behavior: how we
should act, what we should wear, where we should eat, who we should vote for, essentially,
the media is becoming the role model for the kind of person we are going
to be when we grow up.
The film talked about women in the media and what is the
norm and expected:
- skinny
- scantily clad
- promiscuous
- not strong
- not leaders
- lots of make up
- not average
- not smart
- needing to find a man
When Hilary Clinton was running for president there were
very few news reports that talked about her content, her issues, her politics,
they were all focused on her hair, her clothes, how old she looked, how would
it be in the oval office when she was PMSing, and my favorite, how much of a
_itch she was. Whether you like her or not, her opponent was never scrutinized
for his clothes, hair color or if he was the male counter part to a _itch. No
wonder she didn't continue, who would take this woman seriously after listening
to the media about what a horrible, ugly, frumpy, _itchy person she
was...certainly not us women and for sure not the men in our society, how could
the men feel like a "man" if the most powerful person of the free
world was a WOMAN and a frumpy looking one at that! And lets face it many women
are so caddy...and because we are trained to judge a woman for what she
"LOOKS" like and not what she stands for we wont vote for an
unattractive woman. How sad!
The film talked about men in the media and what is the norm
and the expected behavior:
- drooling over women
- heroes
- protagonists
- powerful
- strong
- smart
- leaders
- conquering their sexual fantasies
It is perfectly acceptable for a man, and now young boys, to
treat women as things to be used and tossed aside when they are done, isn't
that what our media shows us? Men are always the heroes, the president, the
leaders and the ones allowed to bash strong women on their news programs. This
is acceptable behavior...and we listen to it! Worse still are many of the
violent video games that our youth play...they actually let women be raped and
beaten in these games! So if it is okay for it to happen on the TV, then why
can't it be done at school? The truth of the matter is, it is being done at
school, the statistics for girls under the age of 12 being raped or sexually assaulted
is raising. How scary!
In the early 80's there used to be the "family
hour" on TV where any questionable shows could not come on till 9pm. That
is not regulated anymore, and since that regulation has stopped and the ratings
have gotten more lax and the content more extreme the statistics on teenage
cutting, eating disorders, violence, rape on girls under the age of 12,
depression and suicide has increased! But the government won't regulate this,
why? Because the media is in the pockets of the government. How wrong!
After seeing this movie, I walked away feeling sad, a little
ashamed, extremely angry and completely woken up to the realities of today's
society and the profound influence the media has on us and our children.
I also started thinking about our schools and how as educators
we try and try to teach good character, instill strong values and respect,
because let's face it, some of our kids are really lacking this at home. I also
thought of Barbara over at The Corner on Character and all the work she does on
teaching character to all the students at her school and the many wonderful
posts she shares. After all of this, I am now questioning, am I doing enough?
If you haven't seen this film you really should. If you go to their site you can search for a screening near you! Here is the trailer to entice you to find a screening.
I will leave you with one of my favorite lines from the film "you know more than you think you know".
I'm intrigued by this movie now. I haven't heard about it. It makes me so sad that we are seeing this behavior earlier and earlier with kids. I worry about my nieces and them growing up in this kind of culture. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can find a screening of it somewhere, it really is a powerful message. It definitely woke me up!
DeleteShawna
I hadn't heard of this movie, but now I want to see it. If I ever have daughters, this is my biggest worry, honestly - growing up in a culture that encourages and expects them to be something less than they really are. Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteKara
Spedventures
I have 2 daughters, soon to be 16 and 18. It was great for them to see and hear how media is "treating" women. The media right now is their "norm" and until now never thought about it. They now are thinking and talking about it and wondering how they will be treated when they are trying to be successful women. A very powerful message! I hope you can find a screening of this someplace.
DeleteShawna
I remember seeing the preview for this awhile back. Looking forward to seeing it. Thanks for finding my blog and following. I am now your newest follower.
ReplyDeleteShannon
Tickled to Teach
Shawna! Thanks much for posting this great story on Miss Representation. I"m on the social action campaign. Wanted to let educators know that Miss Representation also has a comprehensive education curriculum . The curriculum inlcudes age appropriate film clips, and sample in class and homework assigment K-3 grade, 4-5 grade, middle school, high schools and Universities. More info can be found here: http://www.missrepresentation.org/education/
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting...I have seen it also and thought it was a very powerful film that all women need to see especially young women and teens.
ReplyDeleteDiane
schoolhousetreasures