In order to fulfill the requirements of this assignment, I went to the Bunker Hill Community College Library and logged on to the Kanopy film database. I selected the film “Miss Representation” because the topics of women’s rights and gender equality are interesting to me. The film focuses on gender discrimination that women face in their daily lives and argues that it is essential to change the portrayals of women in the media in order to enhance equality in business, politics, science, and other critical fields where women are underrepresented.
The film begins with interviews with teenage girls who share what it is like to be a young female in today’s world. They mention many problems, such as body shaming, unrealistic beauty standards, and objectification, which they face every day both at school and in their free time. These problems are then explored further through examples and comments by scholars and prominent female figures. For instance, the film includes interviews with female politicians, directors, producers, and business owners. The information provided by the film shows that women’s representation in mainstream media, including TV, journals, magazines, and even books, is highly biased and supports negative stereotypes about women and their role in contemporary society. Misrepresentation of women in the media, in turn, creates distrust toward female leaders, limiting the representation of women in political and business leadership, as well as in some other fields.
These issues affect the opportunities available to adult women, but they also influence young girls. Being told to focus on their looks and on attracting boys, teenage girls often feel powerless to fulfill their ambitions, even if they strive to be leaders. Hence, the film argues for improved representation of women both in the media and in diverse leadership roles, as this would inspire a new generation of female leaders. Personally, I found the film to be very enlightening and inspiring because it shows the media’s role in supporting gender discrimination and suggests a solution to the problem.
Work Cited
“Miss Representation.” Dir. Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Girls’ Club Entertainment, 2011. Kanopy. 2020. Web.