The media has become one of the primary sources for distribution of content; what the media shows is reflected in what the public buys, says and does. It becomes both the “message and the messenger,” influencing our society, our discourses along with our brains and emotions.  Unfortunately, women are not portrayed in a flattering light. The diversity of our 21st century platforms gives us 24/7 access to information that has no appreciation for woman who are strong, smart and accomplished individuals. Instead, we are seeing woman whose looks and body are the only means through which they can get approval from the eyes of men – and sadly, young woman today are growing up surrounded with that message and falling into its traps. These limiting portrayals of women “pervades every aspect of our culture” and extends well beyond just teenage girls. The way in which the media depicts the most powerful woman in the country begins to trickle down and affect the way women of all ages see themselves. I cringed when I heard that Clinton and Palin were being critiqued more for their femininity than for their political stances. It’s an extremely limiting depiction and the numbers of women involved in our government reflects its affect on the public. Girls start to believe that their voice doesn’t matter in politics and that they will not be the ones who can bring about a change in politics – it’s a sad consequence of the media.

What we need as a society is “media literacy education,” an ability to decode and understand what the advertisers are trying to accomplish through specific portrayals of woman as sexual objects.  Being able to identify derogatory messages regarding women in the media is the first step in rejecting that discourse. In order to being about change, we need to first be aware. We as the public have a duty to stop young girls from growing up believing that their only power lies in their bodies.

I loved this film – so captivating and informational. The format of the piece was very well organized, making the content cohesive. Transitions from one topic to another flowed and smoothly detailed all the different facets of our lives that have been affected. Overall, amazing and very intriguing piece, I hope the message spreads! I was astonished to hear all of the facts and how this phenomenon  is already affecting girls’ lives. I want to educate as many people as I can; so glad I watched this!