Miss Representation

Miss Representation is a documentary which discusses the way women, particularly those in leadership roles, are portrayed in the media.  From every aspect of the media body image comes in to play. Girls are taught in movies, television, video games, even commercials, that their body is their most important asset. So no matter what else a woman does, those aspects of her life are always over shadowed by her clothing or body type.

Hillary Clinton is a prime example of this, as are many of the women in political roles. Rarely do people discuss her politics but rather focus on her choice of clothing. Men don’t have to worry about that. A suit rarely changes and there is never commentary on the color of a tie. For those female politicians who wear choose to dress conservatively or those who show the shape of their body, there is not right way to dress. The same goes for any woman in the media, regardless of what she does she will be ridiculed for her choices. Constantly women are objectified by the media and because of that women begin to self objectify which leads to depression and anxiety.

My issue with this movie lies not in the information it gives, but rather that nowhere in the film are there suggestions for how to change what is happening. Clearly the first step is to have an understanding and to know what is happening in the media, but there were no ideas on how to fix the issue long term. I believe it is up to modern women to stand up for what they believe in, but it is also the job of men to stop objectifying women. We should be treated with respect and everyone, women included, need to leave looks out of the discussion.