Blog Post 6

The documentary "Miss Representation" thoroughly shows the struggles of media pressure when it comes to women in media whether they be actresses, models, or even politicians. I think it's good that they brought up the important issue of eating disorders and societal expectations of women's figures. It provided the concerning large statistic that "65% of women and girls have an eating disorder." The documentary says "How you look is equal to your worth," and it seems to be a true statement of what we see today. Women are expected to be beautiful and thin with exaggerated parts or facial features rather than being able to contribute to society in some way without regards for their appearance. It brought up the point that computer/digital editing is having dangerous consequences by making impossible people for mass consumption. The model themselves who are photographed cannot even look as they do on the cover. I had never really focused on the media's portrayal of women politicians and their reception based upon their looks until "Miss Representation" brought it up. The demonization of Hillary Clinton based primarily upon her looking different from the standard woman in media such as an actress or model. The fact that how a woman looks somehow limits her ability to lead a company as CEO or lead a country as President is ridiculous. The documentary mentions the double standard of how the clothes are important with a woman but not with a man. That a woman cannot be too revealing but also cannot be fully covered and modest. It shows examples from both end with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. It doesn’t start with politicians though, it starts with even newscasters. They need to be wearing revealing clothes just to draw in viewers and prove worth for the news station rather than having good intellect like a man. This documentary has really just reaffirmed what I already knew overall; the media doesn't treat women equally and expects things from women that it doesn't from men when women are more than just their looks.