Week 4 - Miss Representation

Miss Representation is a movie that comments on the gender inequalities in modern society and raises awareness of serious problems with our culture. It certainly does a good job of grabbing my attention with statistics like “65% of women and girls have an eating disorder” and “17% of teens engage in cutting or self-harm activities.” With computers and image editing software these days, the basis for the ideal human beauty has become literally unattainable. Yet girls and women still strive for this impossible ideal because the media has taught them that beauty is everything, and that they should worry about their appearances. I found it interesting how the movie connected the media’s preoccupation with women’s appearances to the lack of women in politics.

When the movie was created, Hillary Clinton was the biggest female political figure, and we are at a convenient time in which she is once again playing a big role in politics. Back then, Clinton received much animosity, and even had people following her around shouting “Iron my shirt.” The media, and society in general, still refuses to grant her equal treatment as a politician, and instead focuses on appearances because she is a women. I think the media has improved, somewhat, in regards to that issue, but there are definitely still articles solely discussing Clinton’s attire. Conversely, the media has no interest in discussing the wardrobe choices of the male politicians and male presidential candidates. Yet other articles protest this injustice, such as this one, showing that we are successfully moving away from the media’s obsession with female leaders’ clothing choices.

I particularly liked how the movie never forgets that the issues with the media affect men too. From a young age, boys are taught by the media that they must be strong, that they should not cry, and that they should be and feel superior. A man that shows weakness is looked down upon, and becomes emasculated. As a result, many young boys strive to separate their feelings from their actions, which can potentially lead to ultra-violent behavior. What’s worse is that adult men send the same messages as the media. By trying to assert their dominance among other men and over women, adult men provide an example for young boys that being the strongest is equivalent to being the best. One thing I have noticed, as a peer tutor, is that more girls tend to come in for tutoring than boys. I would wager that some guys do not want to get a tutor simply because it would make them look weak. It is this kind of mentality, instilled in men by the media and other adults, that sets them up for failure later in life. Teachings like these, which limit children's opportunities, need to be eliminated from our culture if we want to achieve gender equality.