After watching the documentary "Missrepresentation" in class, I have been thinking about the incredible role that media has in influencing women's representation in government and positions of power. I do believe that the media is not solely to blame, however, I believe that the media plays a significant role in the misrepresentation of women through degrading women to sell products, objectifying women to attract male viewers, giving an outlet for the patriarchy to work through, and so on. Things have never been perfect for women, but there has been progress; more at sometimes than others. However, that progress is constantly hindered by the portrayal in media. For example, women’s accomplishments are often portrayed less than men’s, especially in sports. The documentary showed this as well as how women are often stereotyped, pitted against each other, and overall misrepresented as one-dimensional figures that are used as props or objects. Even many powerful women are still tied to a love story or reliant on a man. I have seen the influence of this in my life. I notice it most often when a gender comes to mind when I think of a certain role because it is what I have seen. When I think of doctors, lawyers, CEOs, or politicians, I think of men at first. Clearly, I don’t believe that only men should be in these roles, and I know many powerful women in these roles, yet I have had the most exposure to men in these roles. The media has a certain power to show us what they want us to believe and know, or show us inaccurate pictures of the world, and that shapes our view of the world in a way that isn’t always accurate. When it comes time for a woman to be elected into office or put into a position of power, opponents will turn to this derogatory and negative image of women that has already been generated. The media portrayal of women and the subconscious and conscious effect that it has is used as a weapon to keep women out of power.
Yes, many of the current gender disparities are due to institutionalized and societal problems, but the media is a representation of that—media is a means of communication that determines what we buy, what we watch, what we listen to, who we want to be, and who we are. And yes, many things are better than in the past, and media has assisted in the growth of many movements, but there are socially acceptable parts of media that continue to degrade and lower women, and that hinders progress. However, in order to make the media change, we must also actively work toward change, so the media will reflect it. There is a slim chance of change beginning in the media, but there is a decent chance that change in the people will be eventually reflected by the media.
After watching the documentary "Missrepresentation" in class, I have been thinking about the incredible role that media has in influencing women's representation in government and positions of power. I do believe that the media is not solely to blame, however, I believe that the media plays a significant role in the misrepresentation of women through degrading women to sell products, objectifying women to attract male viewers, giving an outlet for the patriarchy to work through, and so on. Things have never been perfect for women, but there has been progress; more at sometimes than others. However, that progress is constantly hindered by the portrayal in media. For example, women’s accomplishments are often portrayed less than men’s, especially in sports. The documentary showed this as well as how women are often stereotyped, pitted against each other, and overall misrepresented as one-dimensional figures that are used as props or objects. Even many powerful women are still tied to a love story or reliant on a man. I have seen the influence of this in my life. I notice it most often when a gender comes to mind when I think of a certain role because it is what I have seen. When I think of doctors, lawyers, CEOs, or politicians, I think of men at first. Clearly, I don’t believe that only men should be in these roles, and I know many powerful women in these roles, yet I have had the most exposure to men in these roles. The media has a certain power to show us what they want us to believe and know, or show us inaccurate pictures of the world, and that shapes our view of the world in a way that isn’t always accurate. When it comes time for a woman to be elected into office or put into a position of power, opponents will turn to this derogatory and negative image of women that has already been generated. The media portrayal of women and the subconscious and conscious effect that it has is used as a weapon to keep women out of power.
Yes, many of the current gender disparities are due to institutionalized and societal problems, but the media is a representation of that—media is a means of communication that determines what we buy, what we watch, what we listen to, who we want to be, and who we are. And yes, many things are better than in the past, and media has assisted in the growth of many movements, but there are socially acceptable parts of media that continue to degrade and lower women, and that hinders progress. However, in order to make the media change, we must also actively work toward change, so the media will reflect it. There is a slim chance of change beginning in the media, but there is a decent chance that change in the people will be eventually reflected by the media.
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