Miss Representation is a documentary about the negative ways that women are portrayed in the media. The title is a play on words, being both representative of the word misrepresentation as well as the actual title, Miss Representation. Miss Representation is significant as the title because, looking at it as a proper noun, it works as the woman who is being shown and represented through the media. Misrepresentation works to show how women are portrayed in a manner that does not show who they really are, but rather frames them as sexual, one-dimensional objects there for either men’s viewing pleasure or as a source of mockery. Not only are women represented badly in the media, but men are almost completely in control of the it and thus of how …show more content…
The men on news stations tend to be older and plainer, whereas the women in the news industry are often young and conventionally attractive, being paid more attention to for their looks than for the information they are conveying. These are just a few examples of how women are sexualized, ignored, and not taken seriously in the world of media.
Women in politics was a huge topic in the documentary, addressing how few women there are in politics compared to males. A lot of this could be a result of how the media portrays women in politics, often sexualizing them, mocking them, or not talking about them at all. The documentary shows women in politics who are sexualized, like Sarah Palin, or mocked and called a “bitch” and a “boner-killer,” like Hillary Clinton. There is also the misconception that women’s bodies are where they get their importance; for example, when the first female vice presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro, was announced, her name was announced followed by her dress size. The comments that men tend to make about women are also loaded with double standards, for example calling Hillary Clinton “shrill” and commenting on her
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The title is a play on words, being both representative of the word misrepresentation as well as the actual title, Miss Representation. Miss Representation is significant as the title because, looking at it as a proper noun, it works as the woman who is being shown and represented through the media. Misrepresentation works to show how women are portrayed in a manner that does not show who they really are, but rather frames them as sexual, one-dimensional objects there for either men’s viewing pleasure or as a source of mockery. Not only are women represented badly in the media, but men are almost completely in control of the it and thus of how women are publicized. Jane Fonda, among many other women in Hollywood, was asked to have cosmetic surgery done in order to play a part. Botox and dental work were just a couple of the requests made my male directors who feel that a woman in her natural form isn’t good enough to play their roles. Women in movies discuss how finding a multi-dimensional character to play is uncommon, and it is very seldom that there is a female-led movie that isn’t about a male or finding heterosexual love of some sort. If a woman is the
poster typically has the white cowboy large, presented front and center, with the antagonists and co-stars all behind him. An iconic western, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, has a poster picturing the white cowboy alone. Clint Eastwood stands there tall, stoic, and singular. Typical of most other westerns, the white cowboy is the center of attention. Here, however, there are two non-white figures presented: Bart, the Black cowboy, and a large Native American chief. This movie poster has the same style as other westerns with the color and layout, but is unique in the fact that a black man is presented where a white man would normally be dominating. Once again, this makes a statement about racial improvements. Previously having a black man at
In Congress only 2 percent of members have been women in 1789. That is severely low number and part of the reason why this is so low is due to the media’s and society’s treatment of powerful women. The media is especially savage to women with their criticisms, but they are often criticism not of the policies but of their outfits and hair. The media teaches society that it is more important to focus on aa women’s pantsuit than her policies. The can be disparaging to any women wanting to run for politics. In the film they show many clips of newscasters or radio host taking about women; they comment on their outfits, their hair, their hormones, they call them sluts, and whores, they attack them. It was unbearable to watch these women who have worked so hard to become powerful women being torn down for their hair choice for the day. Its also hurts voter’s confidence in women in that “sexist media coverage results in drastic decrease of voter confidence in women candidates” (Larris, Maggio).
because it demonstrates that the whole film is going to be about women’s roles in the
Typically, 2 people will form an opinion of others within the first 3 seconds of meeting one another. The way these opinions are formed so quickly is, generally speaking, solely because of physical appearance. All too often, in our society today, people are criticized for what material possessions they have and how much money said people have to spend on things that they do not need, but instead just want. It does not matter where you go; this can be observed almost anywhere. Sometimes, when people notice that someone has cheaper clothes or less objects of purely material value, the people who have more frown upon those who have less. Ev...
...changing the role of women in society from a passive one to an active, vital force.
are being portrayed, is the way they really are. Particular groups of people are though, shown in a
In our world today every country has their own set of avowed and ascribed identities for it's population. An avowed identity is one a person gives to themselves, a woman might say she’s a sister or a wife. The opposite of that is an ascribed identity, or how society sees someone. For example, a rich person could be perceived as a snob. To ascribe someone with an identity is to judge them based on societal norms. The entertainment industry in America is no different then it's parent culture. Both men and women in this industry have identities placed on them, and they change based on their career. Women are given more negative ascriptions than men in the media. That is how Americans identify people they read about, with the identities the media gives them. Women are more negatively perceived that men in the music and fashion industry because of their ascribed identities in the media, and gender roles in our nation.
Not so in real life, thankfully. the feminists succeeded in overthrowing the male regime. Or did they? The Cult of True Womanhood is, in some ways, still with us.
usage. Television shows and movies that have a strong female lead role who are also not
femininity. She first expresses two different ways of thinking about the nature of gender: as
One thousand years go by and an abundant amount of people still view women in a stereotypical type of way. On the opposing view, if women did not overstretch the slightest of things, this wouldn’t be such an enormous issue. Women may be overreacting to what the media has to say about them. It is not affecting everybody but a vast majority of successful women from continuing to moving forward said Marianne Schnall. Important to realize, women are capable of doing jobs men can do. Such jobs as being an engineer, physician, mechanic, lawyer and even top notch business women! Up to the present time there is an ongoing public debate on women suffering from double standards. If it makes a female feel threatened or belittled than it may be sexist. A very interesting article this came to be because the writer had numerous accountants to keep her argument steady. A worthy writer brings up present time activities, statistics, and people being affected by the scenario and provides the reader some closure. With a devastatingly crucial issue such as women being shunned by the media, it’s not okay to have the ideas of other people in your work. In the article, “Controversial Hillary Cover of Time Illuminates Sexism in the Media” by Marianne Schnall, implies that the media is negatively affecting the chances of women becoming successful with all the sexism it is portraying. Marianne Schnall is a published writer and professional interviewer with many influential credentials that she in not afraid to use.
...ut so are their male counterparts. Husbands are affected, sons are affected, and friends are affected. The idea of Sexism is not enforced by the opposite sex, men, but is cultured by those who accept and abide by society’s expectations of a woman’s reality. As Kathleen Hanna once said, “While sexism hurts women most intimately, it also damages men severely.” Every human has their own mind, their own decisions; if we let other people command us and make choices for us, we lose our sense of individuality and uniqueness. Sexism is a choice, a way of thinking that we can choose to accept, or deny. It affects the self and the community as a whole, and should not exist. As we can accept that the world is filled with tribulations such as sexism, it is not a concept that cannot go extinct, rather, should be used as a counter example of how we should behave in society.
On a daily basis people are exposed to some sort of misrepresentation of gender; in the things individuals watch, and often the things that are purchased. Women are often the main target of this misrepresentation. “Women still experience actual prejudice and discrimination in terms of unequal treatment, unequal pay, and unequal value in real life, then so too do these themes continue to occur in media portraits.”(Byerly, Carolyn, Ross 35) The media has become so perverted, in especially the way it represents women, that a females can be handled and controlled by men, the individual man may not personally feel this way, but that is how men are characterized in American media. Some may say it doesn’t matter because media isn’t real life, but people are influenced by everything around them, surroundings that are part of daily routine start to change an individual’s perspective.
Females are dehumanized and looked upon as sexual objects because their value is measured in sexual terms; thus creating the concept of a slut.
a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person 's sex. For example,