The Film Miss Presentation and Mistreated Women - Essay Example

Mistreated Women Introduction There have been a lot of female representations in the media and in the world in general. According to Miss Presentation, a film shot in 2011 which was produced and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, women have been represented in the most negative way throughout the world. The documentary shows how the media has been keen to represent women in a negative way. Jennifer Siebel shows that only 3 % of women hold clout positions in telecommunication, entertainment, publishing and advertising (Jennifer Siebel Newsom). This indicates gender bias. There is male domination and chauvinism with regard to gender roles in the world. In addition to this, only 16% of women are writers, directors, producers, cinematographers and editors. Patriarchy has unfortunately caused a poor representation of women in society. In this paper I will analyze the power of the media and its influence on the role of women. The paper further dwells upon the effects of the negative image of women, created by media, which affects their position in society. Thesis Statement The media has been continuously using women to its benefits, meeting the needs of the male audience. This has eventually had a negative effect on women and their representation and position in the world. This is because you can’t be what you can’t see. Body ‘The media is the message and the messenger’. These were the opening remarks in Pat Mitchell’s documentary. He is the president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media. Jackson Katz, the author of The Macho Paradox, argues that people learn much more from the media than from any other source. On the other hand, Jim Steyer the CEO of Common Sense Media argues that the media is delivering the content that is shaping our society. Even though 51% of the US population is women, only in very rare cases anyone of them achieves elite positions. The media is one of the key factors which are to blame for this. It makes and delivers the news and for this reason most of the information we get from it is a result of the trends liked by the media. It has portrayed the males as dominant over the females. Patriarchy is evident and the female identity has been blurred. Nude pictures of attractive women are used all the time in magazines, movies and even on calendars and billboards on the streets. This all objectifies women and makes them a lifeless thing of desire and lust. The director of this film emphasizes that despite the high percentage of women in the US, only 17 of them are members of congress. Since 1979, the first election of a woman to the congress took place in 2010. This fact proves the evidence of patriarchy. Most youngsters spend all their spare time surfing the net, visiting different social networks and forums. Consequently, they absorb information from the media which shapes their beliefs, values and opinions. Girls in particular, are more vulnerable to the influence. Since childhood, while watching cartoons, films and TV shows they learn that their attractive appearance is highly appreciated in society. Jean Kilbourne, the film maker of Killing us Softly, believes that girls are taught to value their looks. Meanwhile, boys are taught that appearance is the only important feature in girls. These notions are everywhere in television shows, video games, cartoons and anywhere on the media including the billboards. It is for this reason, that despite all the achievements of the most successful women, males still value only how females look. Advertising continues to undermine autonomy, especially for women. This is because it has been used as a tool to promote beauty at the expense of one’s health and values. Advertising is a highly competitive business. Because of that artists have been forced to focus on specific parts of a woman’s body, turning them into objects, which is dehumanizing. 90% of all ads include images of women who are sexually attractive in one way or the other (Konow). They are shown on TV, printed in magazines and newspapers. Women may not necessarily be nude, but they are represented as sexually attractive. As a result of it, some women are forced to enter into exhausting diets that end up destroying their natural looks. It is no wonder that one out of 200 American women suffers from anorexia just for the sake of beauty (Lauren Langman and Devorah K). But on the other hand, people shouldn’t bring themselves to obesity. One third of adults in the US suffer from this disease. It is important to find golden middle and not to go from one extreme to the other. Advertisements have reduced women to objects and have failed to respect their values and their talents. Our culture is changing with the influence of the media, which does not respect women’s personalities. The US government should introduce a proper policy and some standards which would regulate and even prohibit all ads that expose women’s private parts. There is a vivid example to demonstrate the negative influence of the media on women. It is not a secret that women turn to plastic surgery more and more often. In this crazy rush for beauty they decide to change their bodies. The most famous operation is on reducing or increasing the size of breasts. Women are literally forced to do that because they need to fit the standards of beauty, made by the media. Even though females venture to make such a bold step, most of them end up being disappointed, especially if they do not make it to certain ads. However, it can be argued that promoting female sexuality in the media may have its benefits. There are numerous examples of women who achieved success due to their attractive bodies and images. Victoria’s Secret models, famous actresses and pop-singers like Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson or Rihanna are bright examples of women who used their sexuality to their benefits. But still, attractive women have more chances to become successful, while men are not obliged to look perfectly to provide themselves a career growth. Despite the negative publicity about gender roles and male chauvinism, the director of Miss Presentation provides a solution to this issue. She advocates for positive representation of women. In addition to this, there is a need for alleviation of gender imbalance and providing mentorship to the female gender in society. The media is the instrument of change, according to Katie Couric, a news anchor at CBS Evening News who took part in this documentary. She believes that the media can cover more positive news and influence the negative identity already created in the minds of many. Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to say that the perception of women should change. This is only possible if the media changes its policy of using images of sexually attractive women all the time. Of course, our appearance deserves due attention and it is important to look nice, attractive and neat. But there is a certain line which should not be crossed. We need to bring up our children, trying to avoid focusing on looks. We should teach them that personal values and achievements are more important instead. Nude pictures and all kinds of provoking negative advertisements about women should be stopped. Moreover, it is necessary to provide good mentoring for our ladies and provide them with more leading positions in order to create a positive picture about their gender roles. Definition of Terms Patriarchy is a social system which shows male dominance and authority in a social organization due to the ability of men to control certain resources within the society as well as making decisions within the society. Patriarchy implies oppression of female gender. Gender Role refers to the behavioral norms which are generally considered as appropriate for the men or women in the society. Identity refers to the conception and expression of an individual or a group affiliation Chauvinism refers to the belligerent belief of being superior to others. Gender discrimination is an attitude that seeks to deny a certain gender, to discard its privileges. This attitude normally stems from traditional stereotypes of gender roles. Works Cited Konow, James. "Which Is the Fairest One of All? A Positive Analysis of Justice Theories." Journal of Economic Literature (2003): , 41(4), p. 1188-1239. Langman , Lauren and Devorah K. The Evolution of Alienation: Trauma, Promise, and the Millennium. New York: Lanham, 2006. Miss Representation. Dir. Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Perf. Jennifer Siebel Newsom. 2011. Film. Read More