Miss Representation Follow-Up

There were a few things that I thought about this morning that I had to add to what was said in the previous post.  A little more about the issue:

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(source)

So WHAT?  What can we do now?  How can we change the misrepresentation of women?

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1.  Support each other.  The media tears us down enough as it is.  We simply cannot afford to bring other women down.

2.  Support your female leaders.  Victoria brought up that there are more women in the legislature in Afghanistan than in the US. We need female leaders that are examples and role models for young women that let them know that they CAN be leaders.  Side note: isn’t it disgusting how the media describes women running for office, it is always that they are very emotional and described based on their looks. Men politicians are never described by their legs/the way they dress/the b word etc.  DO NOT join in on that.

3.  Teach our young girls about  the impact the media has on a woman’s ability to see herself as a leader and obtain a leadership position.

4.  Teach our young men about the false objectification of women that is portrayed in the media.  Teach them to respect women and value things about them other than their looks.

5.  Do not degrade yourself in front of these young girls.  Do not look at the mirror in disgust when you see yourself and point out your physical flaws, do not call yourself fat and do not put extra pressure on looks.

6.  Spread the word about this film.  Follow them on Facebook, twitter and their blog.

7.  For me personally, I am done wasting time wishing to be different or to fit more into the medias mold of what I should look.  I am sick of comparing myself to women that have had a million plastic surgeries, that are airbrushed in all of their photos, that have a professional that does their hair and make-up and can spend all day working out with a personal trainer and a personal chef to make them the perfect meals.

It has been a huge distraction in my life and I have wasted a lot of time worrying about my weight and looks.  I will take this time that I spent thinking about those things to better myself, become a better wife/teacher/friend/runner and church member.  This frees up a lot of time for things like more education, helping others and loving myself.

I forgot to link it in the last post for the trailer of Miss Representation, it is HERE.  I will warn you that it is very graphic but it is all things that you see when you turn on the tv, anytime of day.  It is shocking because the portrayal of woman in the media is shocking.

PS a running/food post will be up in just a few hours….

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53 comments

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Thanks for sharing! I am going to have to check out the film!

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You are welcome and I really hope you are able to Celia.

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I’m really glad you posted on this- I feel really sad for teenage girls having to go through all the pressure that’s out there as you grow into your body and are trying to become comfortable in your own skin.

I think most of us have wasted too much time worrying about how we look, our weight and how others judge us based on how we look. It’s great to see the issue being recognized and awareness being raised! Great post

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There really is so much pressure on these young girls to look a certain way. They are already dealing with so much….friend/family problems, school, changing hormones and then on top of everything they have the media to constantly tell them they are not good enough. Thanks Jenn!

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All of those numbers are eyeopening! This movie sounds like one I need to watch.

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I really hope you are able to see it Tanya!

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Thanks for sharing the trailer, and I love that graphic!

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You are welcome Claire, I hope you are having a great day!

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“Do not degrade yourself in front of these young girls. Do not look at the mirror in disgust when you see yourself and point out your physical flaws, do not call yourself fat and do not put extra pressure on looks.”

I especially love this because even at a young age, they pick up on things, like my 3 year old. Thanks for sharing!

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I KNOW. I notice this with my niece too! Shelly below left a link to an incredible article about how to talk to little girls, you should check it out!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html

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Great post. Those are definitely eye opening statistics. Thank you for shedding light on this. I will have to check the movie out for sure!

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Chels, I really hope you are able to see the movie. They really are eye opening statistics and I can’t understand why I hadn’t seen them until now!

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Love these two posts… I am very passionate about independent women!

Sometimes I get so frustrated with fellow women though – we are not going to change those sad men-dominating numbers if we do not do something about it! I don’t know if it is because of the media and society, that women are brainwashed into thinking women are inferior to men so we continue to abide and fit into that ‘norm’… but we can not. I also think that religion plays a huge role in the women:men ratios that you listed above – Most religions tell us that the girl figure is the one that once married, stays home and raises the children; while the male breadwinner furthers his career and becomes one of the Fortune 500’s CEO’s. (not that I am condemning those who choose this life path, but we are not going to change these statistics if we continue down this so called ‘normal’ way of life)
sorry for the rant:) …

Great post lady!! Sorry I missed ya last weekend… it ended up THIS weekend I am going to St George. Looks like you had fun though.

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CHRISTIE!!! Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it! I love that you used the word ‘brainwashed’ because I think that our society has completely been brainwashed into this type of thinking and it is so scary! Let’s break the mold:) ENJOY your time in St. George and we will have to do it again in the future!

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I read this article a few months ago http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html and it was eye opening. I realized how often we use a pretty dress or something about a little girls looks to talk to them instead of something intellectual. Making just that small change can help young girls feel more validated and smart and concentrate more on their brains then their looks!

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Shelly, thank you so much for sharing this. What an incredible article and it really made me analyze how I interact with my nieces and what type of compliments I use with them. I care so much about them that I want them to grow up realizing their value is based on other things than their looks. Thank you so much, this really touched me.

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Thank you so much for sharing this! I admire and look up to you so much. I agree that we ALL waste to much time on our looks and weight. There is so much more to life than this. Family and friends are the most important things in life and I think id we all would focus as much attention on our loved ones as we do on what we look like, this world would be a better place! Thanks again for sharing this!

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Anne! Thank you so much for your comment and I could not agree with you more. If we could just focus in on spending our time on helping others and working on our talents and skills, we would all be so much happier!

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YES. Let’s support this movie!

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Thank you so much Abby!

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I need to see this!! I am a high school counselor and would love to get some other teachers and counselors to go!

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Denae, this movie would be PERFECT for you to go see with your fellow teachers and counselors. I have held discussions with my classes all day long about what I learned and it has been so beneficial. Hope there is a showing near you soon!

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After reading your post this morning – I rushed over to the website – and then told everyone I know about it. It’s time we take a stand for ourselve and quit letting the “media” tell us WHO WE ARE

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WOW, thank you so much Kelly! This is so awesome, we have go to spread the word!

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Thanks for posting this.

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I started following your blog as a way to inspire me to run and have more fun doing it. Today you’ve inspired me to go farther. As the mother of a young girl this really hits home. Thanks for sharing.

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WOW, Laura..thank you so much for your comment, that means a lot to me! Did you see the article that shelly linked above about how to talk to little girls…I really love it. If you have a chance to read it:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html

Keep in touch!

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This looks so good! I work with teenage girls as part of my job too and they all need to see this!

Also, found it interesting that several of the videos advertised on the sidebar of this trailer on YouTube are for Miss Universe. Sigh.

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I didn’t notice that. WOW, you are right. That is so sad….we can’t escape being constantly bombarded by these images. I hope the kids you work with are able to see this!

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On #7 don’t forget airbrushing.

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You are so right!

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Love it. Especially the points about women in other countries being in more leadership positions (the US always acts so forward about things, but look at the amount of countries with female heads of state in the world!).

Also the point about being tired of obsessing about looks/weight/ things that don’t matter. Think of how much cool stuff could be done if we weren’t spending as much time worrying about looks.

Best post :)

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Thanks for posting and being so passionate about it- having two little girls now and having been hospitalized for an eating disorder, I think a lot about how the media does and will impact even my own LITTLE girls- I try to reinforce them now in a ‘you are beautiful inside and out, you can do and be anything you ever want to be’ kind of way. It’s a tough world and it’s scarier looking at it as a parent knowing your kids are going to face some tough things. I can only give them good resources and teach them life skills and hope they use them! Going to check out the trailer!

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Thanks for sharing the trailer. I am terrified of all these things as I am about to have my first child. I have never really thought much about the media and its effect on boys. Its so scary!

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This is absolutely wonderful (you getting the word out). If it wasn’t for you, I would have never heard of this. I’m trying to find a veiwing that fits into my schedule. Thank you!

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Love this… so powerful. It really is time that we stop comparing ourselves to others and wishing away our lives because we long to be someone else. We are ALL made perfect in God’s image. Let’s start believing it!

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Great post(s). I am glad there are teachers like you out there who are role models for young women!
Your post and link to the movie (which I need to see) reminds me to look into http://www.girlsontherun.org

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Thank you so much for posting about this. Seriously. Especially your bulleted statements about what to do. It is something I think we all need to be reminded about. A lot. Do I want to be ‘skinny?’ Of course. But should it occupy my thoughts as much as it does? Never. And I don’t want my daughter to waste as much time as I have thinking about it. I saw the link you have been posting on people’s comments about how to talk to you daughter and I loved it. Crazy because my friends and I talked about this very topic & how we should talk to them for about an hour on our car ride into Zion last weekend. I will be sending them this link as well.

I saw there was a screening in Park City next week, but I didn’t see the one for SLC. If there is, I would totally go. I guess PC isn’t far away either. Would you want to see it again though?? Let me know!

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Great post. Thanks for posting this information. While none of it was new information for me, it was wonderful to be reminded. As soon as I had children I realized I needed to stop saying negative things about the way I looked. My mom always did this growing up and I definitely think it impacted me negatively. I’ll definitely look into the movie too.

Thanks again!

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Just watched Miss Representation last night and found it incredibly powerful and moving. Thank you so much for this post. I don’t think that people realize sometimes that the way women are portrayed in the media and in politics has such an incredible impact on the lives of everyone (both men and women). It’s so important that we as women stand up for ourselves and for other women. It’s terrible the way that women tear each other down when we should be helping one another. Great film and suggest that everyone see it.

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Thank you so much Janae, as a teenager I really needed this information. You are a great role model and I hope I can be like you when I get older, you seem to understand so much! I will definitely watch the film.

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Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to check that out. I’m sick of comparing myself to other women too. I recently made the effort to stop.

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Great post! Thanks for sharing!

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J–This is so important! One thing I do as a mom is NEVER—I MEAN NEVER mention one word about calories, dieting, good food, bad food. I REALLY try hard with this bc I have struggled. I encourage healthy eating and provide healthy choices. Simple as that. e

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I love that you are commenting on this over in Utah because this movie needs to be watched by all. My best friend actually works for the professor who wrote as created the movie. This is an important issue that is often overlooked in schools and by parents. Thank you for further publicizing and drawing attention to this. :)

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This looks AWESOME!!! Thanks so much for sharing. I know I have gotten caught in this trap. Definitely on my must see list.

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LOVE these posts! As a world, we’ve come so far…. but it’s really easy for forget how far we have to go, especially in terms of business, economics, and politics.

I am really proud of my country for having a female leader, but every day I am disgusted by the way she is portrayed in the media/the things I hear people say about her… it is ALL about how she looks, dresses, walks, etc. Her actions are always painted with the ‘because she’s a woman’ brush (whereas if she was a man, it’d be just accepted). I feel like… you don’t have to like her. That’s fine. You don’t have to agree with her policy or decisions.. that’s the luxury we have in a democracy! That’s a GOOD thing! But the second you start explaining to me that you don’t like her because x, y, z and “she’s a fat ugly bitch”…. I stop listening, and lose all respect for you and your opinion.

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Great list Janae – I couldn’t agree more! Sometimes I see those motivational things on tumblr and pinterest etc and I wonder how much photoshopping went on – we, as a society are focusing on the unattainable a lot of the time. Supporting each other is such a big thing too. So often I hear women tear down other women, but if we all support each other, I believe we can make the world of difference.

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I really appreciate your posts on this, J–I too have spent too much time worry about looks, etc, but now try to be a role model for young girls who do the same. I work with my church’s youth group, so I should definitely try to watch this movie and share some of the things with the girls! Thanks, girl!

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janae THANKS for posting about this!!! i feel so passionately about this topic. it is SO important to treat other people with respect, and i think it applies ESPECIALLY to women! we need to respect others and ourselves, and be grateful for EXACTLY who we are :) love your blog!!

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Thanks for sharing this! I just watched the trailer and I can’t wait to see it. I mentor a 7th grader (age 13) and I’m wondering if it would be appropriate for her to watch too, what do you think?

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Great post, lots of interesting information!,

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