'Miss Representation' documentary review

The women of America have fought a continuous battle for complete equality in a society that continues to cater to men. Though impressive strides have been made for women, in 2013 we still remain victims of misrepresentation and social injustice. The documentary Miss Representation explores how the media’s often degrading portrayals of women correlate with the apparent lack of representation of women in power.

Miss Representation is an insightful documentary directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and Kimberlee Acquaro. The masterfully made film showcases the horrifying realities of female media representation that flood the outlets of our modern society. The documentary’s message is made clear almost immediately when viewers are assaulted by over-sexualized media images of females in contrast with images of women of great substance and leadership.

While the media and pop-culture are often undermined as being brainwashing and unimportant, it is an undeniable fact that the media molds the minds of our citizens. From the utmost beginnings of media circulation women have been put into boxes that limit our intellectual integrity, creativity, and overall worth. Miss Representation takes the vast variety of media influences and directly connects them to every aspect of society, ranging from politics to our creative industries such as film and music.

These mass derogatory messages of females are infecting our future generations of young women and poisoning their self-perspective. In the documentary, young women admit to the harmful effects the media has had over their self worth. A high school student named Ariella expresses concern over the mediated portrayals of females, stating, “There is no appreciation for women intellectuals.” Ariella was one of the multiple young women who felt this way. Young women are trained from childhood that their worth is reflective of their appearances. This unfortunate reality contributes to the staggering 65% of women and girls who suffer from an eating disorder.

The focus on female appearance is an unfaltering flaw in society that continues to mock women who take pride in qualities outside of their physicality. The undermining of women’s intellect has been ingrained as a societal norm. On the cusp of college graduation, I have been exposed to the ignorance of women’s intellect on countless occasions. I have experienced reactions of shock and awe when I express my opinions and beliefs. It frustrates me to hear the words “Wow, that was an impressive argument, especially for a woman” after offering my input.

The overt mediated portraits of women occur within advertising, television, film, music, journalism, and even in politics. The lack of positive female representation in the media is directly related to the discouragement young women experience in pursuing leadership positions. Women are type casted time and time again in demeaning roles, and while powerful female characters do exist the number is limited.

The mediated stigmas of powerful women are associated with words like bitch, witch, stiff, and stuffy. Powerful women are characterized in a mere two forms: the power hungry bitch who sacrifices love, life, and happiness for her career, or the masculine fantasy of a sexually empowered woman who takes physical control. Two roles to represent an entire half of our population.

“The hyper-sexuality that occurs in Hollywood is affecting all of us, including young girls seeking an identity” Jane Fonda states in Miss Representation. Hollywood’s interpretation of empowerment is skewed based on “role models” such as Madonna, and Angeline Jolie, who despite being exceptional members of society continue to perform in over-sexualized roles that objectify women.

Even women of the highest power and education are dealing with sexual objectification and harassment. Katie Couric, a renowned journalist was criticized and commented on for her appearance throughout her entire career. Above all, the first observations on Couric’s performance did not pertain to her job performance but her body, her clothing, or her personal life. Katie Couric admits in Miss Representation that she started to question herself as the criticism continued, stating “I sometimes worry that I started this thing with my legs and everything, that I sort of started this trend...” As women in leadership positions are reduced to their appearances it is almost impossible not to experience some self-doubt.

Women in power are victims of the media, constantly under close watch teetering on a double edged sword of being too stuffy or too sexy. Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin were equally hated not for their politics but for their presentation of their feminine power. While Clinton was often mocked for her ambition, Palin was objectified. Two powerful women in politics were stripped of their expertise, qualifications, and ambitions and dubbed the “bitch” and the “ditz.”

The media treats power as defined by the male perspective. The media’s depictions of women deny us the power of being a whole person. The mass messages received by our population are not conducive with reality. As a new generation it is our responsibility to create new messages, tell our own stories, and ensure a proper and equal representation of women. The media defines us, and it’s about time to rewrite this definition.