Miss Representation

Psssttt- u forgot to attach the trailer :)!

I definitely want to watch this movie! In most cases, I think that the media is a figment of our insecurities and those behind the scenes are well aware of this! It’s easy to want to strive for certain celebrities’ figures but we need to remember that a) air brushing is likely to be involved and b) what we see doesn’t paint the true picture. I know it’s cliche but even if someone looks out of this world gorgeous, are they truly happy? Or in other cases, how long do they have to spend to maintain those figures? How many slices of cake are they saying no to? How many memories are they foregoing to upkeep their images?

Very interesting, I need to see this. I think we get comfortable and somewhat brainwashed. This is a good wake up call. Is my 10 year old too young to see this?

This movie sound so interesting! I will have to see if its playing somewhere near here. Yes, I think the media had a huge influence on me growing up–of course the internet wasn’t quite out yet in my early years, but I remember plowing through magazines and keeping ones that listed models weight/height.

Nice work on the clean room–your mom will be so proud;-)

So weird that you have a blog post about this today because I am taking an online mass media class and I was JUST reading about how the media affects young women and girls mostly. That the rise of eating disorders are higher than ever and they distort their perception of beautiful. Looks like a very inspiring movie!
Awesome post:)

Thanks for sharing this Janae! I think this is something that might be touched upon a bit in our church, but the rest of the world needs to realize that this is a problem for everyone and the impact it has on women of all ages and society in general.

I definitely agree that women in positions of leadership are not taken as seriously as men – think of how many people comment on the way a female politician or other leader looks/is dressed – which would NEVER come up in a discussion about a male candidate. Ridiculous.

I also agree about your comment about women in movies, etc. being more for decoration – there is a really fun show I watch but half the time a shot will be angled so that the person talking will be strategically placed so that the behind of the woman he is talking to is also in the shot. Think female coworker standing in front of male coworkers desk, her but is fully in the shot, even tho the shot is supposed to be focusing on him and what he is saying… seriously, is that necessary?!
And don’t even get me started on the fact that I can’t watch 1/2 the pg-13 movies out there with my husband because the amount of skin, sex, etc. is just embarassing for us both and so ridiculously distracting from the plot – if there even is one. No, I am not a prude, I just don’t think a woman’s breasts and other fully bared body parts need to be the focus of a movie, especially a pg-13 movie :-p

I am dieing to see this film! I am so glad you shared the website now I know when I can go! The trailer for this movie really got to me! I definitely think the media has a huge impact on us. In college I wrote a 10 page paper on the media and how it affects the way girls/young women view their body and body image in general.

No, I don’t think the media had a big impact. I actually think my Mom had the biggest impact. And not necessarily in a good way. I don’t have kids.

I don’t hang out with coworkers. I watched Moneyball on the plane. And yes, my room is clean.

The Kidless Kronicles

Wow that sounds amazing. I hadn’t even heard of it until you posted about it girl. Now I kinda want to see it-though I don’t know if it would ever come to the north country seeing as we get mainstream movies like weeks after they come out!

Thank you for posting this!!! It’s not something I spend enough time thinking about, but it’s so true that the female obsession with our looks takes up SO much of our time that we could be devoting to dominating the world in whatever way suits us individually – in the corporate realm, in service, as an athlete, as a mom, whatever. Just think about how much we could accomplish, it truly boggles the mind!

I am curious about this movie – I will keep an eye open for it making it over to my shores. I do think media had an influence on me growing up and sometimes I feel like I’m still peeling back the layers. Sometimes I find that I don’t see how something has or still is affecting me until something else happens that causes me to see it in a different light. I think we get so used to things being done or spoken about in a certain way that it’s just normal, even if it isn’t natural. It’s just accepted and becomes a default understanding.

…& I do see my coworkers out of hours and our apartment is all pretty tidy and last movie I saw was Moneyball, which I enjoyed :) Have a good Tuesday!

the media has a HUGE impact on how women perceive themselves..I know that its made me feel low at times and I will probably always struggle with my self esteem…but its only one of the reasons why, obviously there are other reasons. but its sad that we tend to focus on weight and size SO much because of it…i hate that our views of what is “perfect” can be so skewed.

im really shy and I tend to keep to myself..and my work environment is HUGE so to be honest I dont have alot of friends at work..but thats ok :)

last movie i watched was wanderlust over the weekend. it was..interesting to say the least. lol.

my room is hardly ever clean. me and kevin are perfectly cluttered together…we have some organization to our madness but its pretty funny. most days my floor is usually cluttered with shoes, running gear and clothes. ;)

That movie is amazing! Props for bringing it up to attention. I also encourage many to follow Missrepresentation on Facebook as well. There’s constantly updates on different ads and media campaigns that are objective women and actions you can take or take note of to try to make an individual change.

Last movie I watched was Girl with Dragon Tattoo – so good, just finished the book! Moving onto Girl who Played with Fire.

Thanks!

I saw wanderlust this weekend! super funny go see it!

Sounds like an awesome movie!!!

I hate that girls feel ‘type cast’ into being a certain way or having certain jobs… you should chase whatever you love and succeed at it! Luckily I have a bunch of role models in my family.. my late grandma was the first female Sheriff in TN and I have an aunt who consecutively beats all the men in her sale’s company for top honors each year :) They make me proud!

Speaking of growing up and things media teaches… I thought this was funny about the Disney Princesses (which I LOVE, but c’mon, they weren’t always the best role models lol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rT28Z0xM88

my room is surprisingly somewhat clean right now!
um last movie i watched was mean girls with lindsey lohan… deep i know. haha
that movie sounds VERY interestnig actually! im curious now and feel like i need to see it!

I LOVED this movie! It really struck home to me for several reasons. Even educated people that can see what the media is putting forward as “real” and knowing that women are being used as objects can be affected by the things they are seeing…. eating disorders, disordered eating, addiction to diet and exercise in general…and the list goes on! I personally struggle with severe self confidence and self image issues when, in all actuality I am smart, fit, and healthy (I have to remind myself of this more often than I’m willing to admit). When I (and I think with other women, too) finally decide that I look good enough, maybe the world will start to see it that way too.

It is not just media, but society. (an arguement to be made that media effects society) I have gotten more compliments, hands down, for the way I look than any other accomplishments I have ever done….. and this is coming from my own family. My mom has some great qualities, so not trying to paint her terribly, but I know she is more proud of my look than almost anything else she could feel proud of.
My best life came, when I finally saw myself for EVERYTHING I was worth. We women, have done some fabulous things…..amazing things!!!!!!

I don’t think you can escape being affected by the media. It’s everywhere. Most people are affected without even realizing it. I think it’s important as a child or teenager to have strong role models and adults who tell you that you don’t have to be what the media paints as the ideal man or woman. The influence is always going to be there, but having strong people around you can lessen the impact.

Wow! Thanks so much for posting this! I have never heard of this movie, but now I will definitely have to watch it. This subject hits close to home because I have been dealing with body issues most of my life. I was over weight much of my life, and now even though I am technically a “healthy weight” I still feel like I am not as attractive as the women that we see on TV and in magazines.

I also think that this has a huge impact on men, because I feel like their expectations are set much higher, and they expect every woman to look like that, and in reality most of these women have had plastic surgery, they have fake hair, and they spend hours with a personal trainer to get that kind of body.

However, I know as women it is so easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to other women. I hope that there will be a shift in the media someday, and women will be portrayed more acurately!

Do you think the media had a big impact on you and your self-image as you were growing up?
I think the media has an impact on me today, particularly all those thin, pretty girls on tv. I really don’t have any reason to feel bad about myself, and comparing my looks to theirs is absolutely stupid. Growing up I had terrible skin and couldn’t get past that. The acne-faced girl in movies/tv is always the nerd who never gets anywhere.
My industry is heavily female-oriented (nonprofit administration), but I don’t think that stops the glass ceiling, salary-wise. Being female doesn’t stop me from accomplishing my goals or keep me from advancing, I don’t think.

Do you hang out with your co-workers outside of work?
No, I like to drink and no one else seems to. They all want to go right home after work. Two of my co-workers are pregnant now, so that precludes most hanging out anyways.

Last movie you watched?
The Artist. Eh.

Is your room clean right now?
No, but my husband is away until Wed. night and it will be clean by tonight unless I need to pass out as soon as I get home. He HATES a dirty room, but I am terrible about shoving my crap into my overstuffed drawers. Also, our house is a wreck because we are halfway through a renovation. UGH DUST!

I do hang out with my coworkers. I am fortunate enough that four or five of my super close friends all work with me. So we hang out at work, and then I’m lucky enough to get to see them on the weekends, too!

Last movie I watched? This Means War. Very funny and Tom Hardy is beyond adorable. Chris Pine is just yummy.

My room being clean? It’s not too bad at the moment. I usually have laundry strewn about, but I’ve been trying to do better about putting dirty clothes in the hamper and hanging clean clothes back up!

As for media literacy… Teaching elementary school, I see girls all the time who think they need to grow up. They want to wear the same clothes their high school siblings do, they want to have boyfriends, they try to adopt ‘older’ phrases and attitudes. These kids live in a world where the lives of older people (a college style, usually) is portrayed to younger and younger kids, telling them that THIS is what is cool. Kids don’t ever have a chance to be kids anymore, but the media forces them to grow up at astonishing rates – boys and girls alike. But the girls in particular are the most sad, because they are already, in fifth grade, valuing themselves based on their weight, their brand of jeans, or their haircut. It’s so sad to see. :(

I would LOVE to see this movie; I am going to keep checking the site to see if it comes closer to UT county again. I definitely think the media plays a big role in how women see each other and themselves. I do think my mom played a big role as well (like someone else mentioned). I think I was effected by getting a lot of compliments on looks as a kid, as well as hearing negative self talk from female role models in my life, which made it hard to see myself as more than just my image, but IMHO developing talents (including running and other physical skills) helps A LOT when it comes to learning to value yourself. Even though we need to step towards valuing our brain/spirit/personality more than our bodies I believe learning to see my body as a tool that could help me accomplish goals that I could be proud of helped me take the first steps toward loving/accepting myself when I was younger.