The first documentary, Miss Representation focuses on the ways in which the media influences women and their place in society. In this documentary, Jennifer Siebel Newsom discusses her concern for society and the future generation of women after getting pregnant and giving birth to a baby girl. The documentary covers many issues concerning gender and sexism that impact women and the social expectations placed on women in society. Some of the main issues it focuses on are beauty in the media, women on TV, women in politics, and women in leadership roles.
Miss Representation begins by discussing the beauty standards placed on women by the media. Magazines and advertisement companies create impossible beauty standards for women by physically enhancing and editing women’s bodies and then portraying these women as the ideal type of woman. The media also places a great emphasis on women’s physical appearance, teaching women and men that a women’s physical appearance is all that
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According to the film, 16% of protagonists in films are women, a shocking statistic considering half the population consists of women. Whenever women are included in films and shows that contain a male protagonist, they are usually overtly sexualized and objectified for the male view. Many shows and movies portray women in leadership roles as mean and unpleasant, adding to the negative connotation of women in power. Reality TV shows also portray women as catty and selfish, encouraging the idea that all women hate each other and are enemies. The TV and film industries also further the idea that being physically attractive is all that matters in a woman. Most female characters in movies and TV shows are young, with 71% of women on TV being in their teens, 20s or 30s. The film and television industry also encourages women to modify their physical appearance using surgery in order to improve any imperfections they may
The documentary, “Miss Representation,” is a film about how women are perceived in the media. It is written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. She is an actress and a film maker who advocates for women. In the beginning of the documentary, Newsom discusses her struggles as a young woman surrounded by the pressures of looking a certain way. This film is targeting mainly women of all age that has experienced her struggles. Jennifer Siebel Newsom effectively convinces the audience of “Miss Representation” that the media has molded women in a negative way through statistics, celebrities’ and younger generation’s testimonies, and clips from the media.
We hear sayings everyday such as “Looks don’t matter; beauty is only skin-deep”, yet we live in a decade that contradicts this very notion. If looks don’t matter, then why are so many women harming themselves because they are not satisfied with how they look? If looks don’t matter, then why is the media using airbrushing to hide any flaws that one has? This is because with the media establishing unattainable standards for body perfection, American Women have taken drastic measures to live up to these impractical societal expectations. “The ‘body image’ construct tends to comprise a mixture of self-perceptions, ideas and feelings about one’s physical attributes. It is linked to self-esteem and to the individual’s emotional stability” (Wykes 2). As portrayed throughout all aspects of our media, whether it is through the television, Internet, or social media, we are exploited to a look that we wish we could have; a toned body, long legs, and nicely delineated six-pack abs. Our society promotes a body image that is “beautiful” and a far cry from the average woman’s size 12, not 2. The effects are overwhelming and we need to make more suitable changes as a way to help women not feel the need to live up to these unrealistic standards that have been self-imposed throughout our society.
Miss Representation, a documentary film produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom released in 2011, presents a contemporary issue which is the misrepresentation of women’s portrayal in mass media. The media is powerful in shaping audience’s belief in how to be feminine. Women are expected to be beautiful, attractive, and even sexual on the media to attract audience’s attention. Also, the film points out the existence of social system in which men are considered more powerful and dominant than women. Finally, the film tries to increase the awareness of female real value including capability, educational achievement, and leadership. Consuming the media wisely to eliminate gendered stereotypes can help young women build their confidence and be successful.
Today, only 16% of protagonists in movies are female, and the portrayal of these women is
Beauty is often described as being in the eye of the beholder. However in modern western culture, the old adage really should be beauty is in the eye of the white makeup artist, hair stylist, photographer, photo shop editor, and advertiser. Beauty and body ideals are packaged and sold to the average American so that we can achieve vocational, financial, social, and recreational successes. Mass media and advertising has affected the way that women perceive and treat their own bodies as well as their self-concept. Women are constantly bombarded with unrealistic images and hold themselves to the impossible beauty standards. First, we will explore the role of media in the lives of women and then the biggest body image issue from a diversity stand point, media whitewashing.
In conclusion it is possible to see how the media promotes a physical and psychological disease among women through the usage of unrealistic body images as it urges them to change their bodies, buy “enhancing” products, and redefine their opinions. Such statements may appear to be ridiculous, but for young women who are seeking to perfect their body according to how the media portrays “good looks” it is the basis for corruption. Confidence, contentment and healthy living are the keys to a perfect and unique body image and no amount of money can advertise or sell as genuine a treatment as this.
The most fashionable, sought after magazines in any local store are saturated with beautiful, thin women acting as a sexy ornament on the cover. Commercials on TV feature lean, tall women promoting unlimited things from new clothes to as simple as a toothbrush. The media presents an unrealistic body type for girls to look up to, not images we can relate to in everyday life. When walking around in the city, very few people look like the women in commercials, some thin, but nothing similar to the cat walk model. As often as we see these flawless images float across the TV screen or in magazines, it ...
In this age, media is more pervasive than ever, with people constantly processing some form of entertainment, advertisement or information. In each of these outlets there exists an idealized standard of beauty, statistically shown to effect the consumer’s reflection of themselves. The common portrayal of women’s bodies in the media has shown to have a negative impact on women and girls. As the audience sees these images, an expectation is made of what is normal. This norm does not correspond to the realistic average of the audience. Failing to achieve this isolates the individual, and is particularly psychologically harmful to women. Though men are also shown to also be effected negatively by low self-esteem from the media, there remains a gap as the value of appearance is seen of greater significance to women, with a booming cosmetic industry, majority of the fashion world, and the marketing of diet products and programs specifically targeting women.
Modern media has a massive audience with more than 115 million American household families owning a television (NewsWire 2013). Everyday viewers devote huge amounts of time to watching TV programs and movies, and are intrigued by the attractive actors and the situations they encounter within these productions. Although these characters and their lives seem to be unbelievably glamorous, many of these productions exhibit commonplace gender stereotypes in both female and male roles. An excellent example is Regina George, a popular high school girl in the Paramount Pictures movie, Mean Girls. In the film, Regina portrays qualities that are often seen as ideal traits for adolescent girls to imitate, though a closer look reveals the limitations
However, as television and cinema have progressed, woman have been further and further reduced to caricatures of humans, filling only broad character tropes revolving around the much more interesting and complex life of a man, whom is usually a would-be romantic partner. With women as only a grand total of sixteen Erin Wagner WST 3015 Miss Representation Application Paper percent of all protagonists, the misrepresentation of women on screen teaches all
Introduction In a contemporary media image film of the portrayal of women, the film explores the ways in which mainstream media contributes to the representation of women. The negative image of women in media is under-represented causing women to be in a position of inferiority, by looking at the 2011 American documentary film, Miss Representation, written, directed and produced by Jennifer Newsom. The documentary raises important concerns such as the lack of women leaders and the constant emphasis on women’s body, and body parts. The act of objectification and dehumanization of women in the media sets an example for other members of society, such as young teens and other women to not have a proper representation of their sex in the media.
The depictions of women in films have changed in time with society to ensure the films popularity.
For as long as I can remember, women and men have almost always played completely different roles in films. Men are most likely more masculine than women in movies while females are more nurturing. In the article based on a research project written by Doug Meyers, the author informs is audience about the gender roles in films and compare women and men characteristics. As the article continues, the author pointed out something very important to me.
It is not surprising, that a number of female movie directors, filmmakers, characters and emerging talents are challenging this status quo. 28.8% women wore sexually revealing clothes compared to the 7.0% men. 26.2% women get partially naked compared to 9.4% male, while only 30.8% of women are offered speaking roles. The average ratio of male actor to female actress is 2.25:1, meaning the majority of men are always cast in lead roles. The last decade has seen little change in the numbers of female leading and speaking characters. Few actresses have chances for identifying goals or to be portrayed as leaders of any kind. The report also shows that the majority of movie goers are women, asserting that, though disparities exist in the industry, more women as well as men are fine with the status quo. In the history of the Academy Awards, only four female filmmakers have been nominated since 1976 to 2010 for best director out of which only Kathryn Bigelow won in 2010, becoming the first woman ever to win this
Overall, Miss Representation was an eye-opening documentary that included many facts about the consumption of media and how it impacts politics as well as ideologies. For example, the film introduced the topic and comparison of a face lift to the cost of education. This comparison should make the audience realize how much money women are willing to spend to maintain the standard beauty set by society. This documentary, however, does not focus on the impact that media has on men because there wasn’t one single fact given about men regarding their depression rates and such. However, I do think that this documentary is generally very important because it depicts that women’s voices should be heard and respected.