Miss Representation

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IT’S FRIDAY!!!! Congratulations, you made it! Haha, who doesn’t feel that way most Fridays?

When I got home from running some errands yesterday, there was a giant blue box in my apartment building’s lobby: PIRATE’S BOOTY!

I’d won a giveaway from the Celiac Chicks a while back and had practically forgotten about it, so it was quite a surprise when I saw the box! Plus, who doesn’t smile when they see a giant blue box for them with the words “Pirate’s Booty” on it? The name always makes me laugh.

  

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The only problem? What in the world am I going to do with all this Pirate’s Booty?!!? It’s all Aged White Cheddar, which I love, but geez! Haha it’s going to take a while to get through! I think some will be donated to friends and family in the area…

 

Now on to more important things. Before I went to South Carolina and Colorado for Spring Break, I saw the movie Miss Representation, which was played at my school. I was lucky they were playing it, and for free! I’d heard about the movie from Janae at Hungry Runner Girl and knew I had to see it if I had the chance.

(source)

Miss Representation is a documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and it’s also aired on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network): “The film explores how the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence.”

The film was filled with interviews with people from high school students to politicians, celebrities and academics. Some included Katie Couric, Nancy Pelosi, Margaret Cho and Condoleezza Rice. I loved these interviews because they gave their own perspectives about how they are treated in the media world, as well as what kind of affect they believe the media has and will have on younger generations.

The film talked about how women are portrayed in things like music videos, TV shows, movies and commercials, which I expected. What I did not expect was their discussion on how women politicians are portrayed. Not having a TV (and okay, not being especially intrigued by politics), I hadn’t really thought about how women politicians are portrayed in media. The film showed several clips and read pieces from articles that completely shocked me. These “journalists” spent more time focusing on their physical appearance than on their stance on issues. My jaw was on the floor for half the film, I wish so badly I had thought to write down some of these quotes, I think you would be shocked as well.

Some other things from the film that I found very interesting were that when young men see women as objects on television or in video games, then that leads to them to treat women like objects, resulting in physical and sexual abuse. Also in regards to men, media often portrays emotions as weak, making young boys feel like they cannot share their emotions, which leads them to express it in unhealthy ways.

I highly recommend seeing this film if you get the chance! You can find screenings near you by clicking on this link.  Also, CLICK HERE if you want to learn more about the issues discussed in the film (I barely grazed the surface in this post!).

Here are some stats from their website:

• Women hold only 3% of clout positions in the mainstream media (telecommunications, entertainment, publishing and advertising).
• Women comprise 7% of directors and 13% of film writers in the top 250 grossing films.
• The United States is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures.
• Women hold 17% of the seats in the House of Representatives (the equivalent body in Rwanda is 56.3% female).
• Women are merely 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.
• About 25% of girls will experience teen dating violence.
• The number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youth 18 or younger more than tripled from 1997 to 2007.
• Among youth 18 and younger, liposuctions nearly quadrupled between 1997 and 2007 and breast augmentations increased nearly six-fold in the same 10-year period.
• 65% of American women and girls report disordered eating behaviors.

 

I would not consider myself a “feminist” by any means, but I found this movie to be very interesting, it got me thinking, and it revealed a lot to me that I never realized. Definitely go see it if you get the chance!

 

Have you seen the film? What did you think? If you haven’t, would you see it?

Any Pirate’s Booty fans out there? Recent giveaway winners?