From Miss Representation to Me Too: Feminist Action in the Media
The 2011 documentary, Miss Representation, addresses the preconceived notions of gender and resultant expectations, as well as the ensuing issues with mental health. This film focuses for the most part on the unrealistic societal standards placed on and expected of women, which limits both their own growth and the healthy development of a larger community. It aims to inform on the history and trajectory of the issue. The film additionally informs on ways women – specifically American women in this case – can overcome cultural limitations as consumers in a widely male-dominated media conglomerate and as citizens under a similarly-led government. Through this they are encouraged to work together to excel in wherever their passion lies, without being shackled by their gender and appearance.
Actress and filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the director, producer, and part of the team of writers of the film, narrates throughout from the perspective of a young woman and a soon-to-be mother. The film begins with sentimentality as her initial concern is that she, about to have a baby girl, is afraid of the world that her daughter will enter into as well as the way it views and treats its women and girls. Her repetitive use of ‘my daughter’ resonates with the audience who have a female presence in their life in the form of a mother, sister, partner, or daughter. Throughout, Miss Representation provides both statistics and personal testimonies of mass culture’s reality and its subsequent effects on women in America.
On the film’s associated website, they succinctly articulate the issue, that “the media is selling the idea that girls’ and women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in their capacity as leaders”.[1] The personal accounts of several female leaders both in the media and in roles of political leadership illustrate not only the struggles of being a woman with a powerful position, but also act as role models for young women and girls. These speakers, such as Jane Fonda, Katie Couric, and Condoleezza Rice demonstrate women’s power to hold prominent positions in highly influential industries.
In addition to these personal accounts, the film provides statistics on the history, current status, and evolution of the state of women’s rights as well as limitations in American society. These inform viewers that, although women make up over half of the US population and nearly 60% of college graduates, they constitute for fewer than 5% of S&P 500 CEOs and only “17% of directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic top grossing films”.[2] By addressing this, Miss Representation raises the initial point of film’s, as well as general media’s (advertising, video games, music videos and content, etc), influence over the mindset of the country’s culture due to millions of people’s contact with to it daily. Due to this constant exposure, societal standards become subconsciously conditioned by these industries. Furthermore, the fact that most of the figures controlling what occurs within these platforms are men conditions all people, regardless of gender, to see the conventionalized ‘male gaze’ as paramount.
Following its release in January of 2011, Miss Representation was featured as an official selection in eight film festivals, including Sundance, and won audience awards in Palo Alto and Sonoma. It has been distributed throughout schools, communities, and corporations, gaining support from the on-screen leaders mentioned above as well as companies such as Gap, Inc. and Charles Schwab. Those chosen to represent the film in its on-screen interviews are varied in race, industry, status and gender, allowing a wide audience of those viewing the screening to relate to or, in the slightest, be receptive to at least one of the film’s spokespersons. The inclusion of the voices of men such as the current Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom, Senator Cory Booker, as well as filmmaker and educator Jackson Katz champions change not only in women but in men as well, which is key in shifting harmful cultural beliefs and standards for all sexes.
Moreover, the Representation Project, part of the team behind Miss Representation as well as several other films, The Mask You Live In and The Great American Lie, is actively involved in various areas of outreach via social media on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Within these platforms, hashtags such as #NotBuyingIt, #MediaWeLike, #RepresentHer, #AskHerMore, and #AskMoreOfHim arise, uniting scattered social media users around the collective cause. These hashtags do not only appear on social media, but also on The Representation Project’s website, which additionally contains resources for people to advocate within their communities and join communities they may not have had access to previously.
This highly organized site, therepresentationproject.org, provides information on gender issues, current affairs surrounding related topics, and the group’s other films in order to inform audiences on related issues. This website also presents various strategies and resources for getting involved in the drive to end gender stereotypes and sexual violence. These include directions on how to host a screening, curriculum for teachers showing the film, and email lists to join in order to stay up to date on the status of change within the campaign.
Further advocations have arisen since this film’s release in 2011, including the Women’s March and TIME’s person(s) of the year in 2017. Various women’s movements have occurred within social media as well, most recently Me Too in 2017 and the following Time’s Up movement in 2018, both of which take advantage of platforms such as twitter and instagram with the use of hashtags for the distribution of their message. Both of these stem from recently exposed and long-lived gender and sexual harassment issues in the entertainment industry. They aim to aid in women’s advocacy and rights, especially in defense of victims of sexual harassment or violence. Alongside partnering with organizations such as Equal Rights Advocates, Futures without Violence, and Girls for Gender Equality, they’ve developed well-organized and easy to use websites similar to that of The Representation Project. This is highly positive as it demonstrates both waves of change and the progression of conversation and action against cultural restraints effecting women daily.
[1] The Representation Project. http://therepresentationproject.org/film/miss-representation/. Web.
[2] The Representation Project. http://therepresentationproject.org/film/miss-representation/the-issue/. Web.