It’s easy not to realize how severely underrepresented women
are in the media. But most of our culture is still incredibly male-dominated,
and women often end up taking a subservient role. Think about film and
television. How often do you see a female protagonist who is appreciated for
her intelligence and not for her looks? And behind the scenes, men drastically
outnumber women, especially in higher-level positions.
Let me begin by showing you a few statistics.
·
Women hold only 3% of high positions in the
mainstream media (telecommunications, entertainment, advertising, and
publishing).
·
7% of
film directors and 13% of screenwriters are women.
·
37% of newspaper reporters, photographers, and
editors are women.
·
Women make up 40% of the total television news
force, and 29% of the radio news force.
·
9% of sports reporters, writers, and editors are
women.
·
40% of all fictional television characters are
women.
·
In the 100 top grossing films, only 1/3 of
speaking characters are women.
Obviously there’s something wrong with this.
Considering women make up 51% of the US population, the
number of women in high-level professional jobs pales in comparison to the
number of men. Women represent more than half of journalism and mass
communications graduates, but not nearly that amount of the media workforce.
Onscreen, female characters in film and TV are usually not
portrayed in leadership roles, and are less likely than male characters to
achieve their goals. Also, female characters are typically white, younger than
their male counterparts, and more likely to have an “undefined” employment
status. Most female characters are underweight, and those that are overweight
are often the subjects of rude jokes and comments about their bodies (usually
made by male characters).
All this inequality is happening right before our eyes, yet
not many people notice it- and those who DO notice it seem to accept it as
normal. However, there is an effort to make people aware of inequality in the
media, and to make a change.
You may have heard of the film Miss Representation, which was created as an attempt to expose and spread
awareness about the inequality of women in positions of power. It premiered on
OWN, the Oprah Network, a year ago, and has received attention worldwide. You
can watch the trailer here,
or visit their website, www.missrepresentation.org,
to find a screening near you.
The film emphasizes the media’s impact on our thoughts and
decisions and focuses on how the media influences young people into believing
that the value of girls and women depend on youth, beauty, and sexuality. It
also features interviews and stories from teenage girls as well as politicians
and famous people such as Gloria Steinem, Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie
Couric, and Rachel Maddow. The startling facts and statistics in the film, some
similar to those mentioned above, leave audiences with a new perspective.
Young girls are constantly subjected to negative influences
from the media – it’s unavoidable. Take, for instance, a magazine like Seventeen, which targets young
teenagers. It’s pretty well known that the articles and ideas presented by Seventeen are not a positive influence
on girls. You only have to look at some of the titles of their articles – a lot
of the focus is either on how to look pretty or how to impress boys, rather
than anything of real substance, or real
topics that girls may be interested. Some examples of articles I found on their
website include “20 Things You Shouldn’t Say to Him,” and “How to Get Him to
Ask You Out.” In an article titled “13 Ways to Snag your Summer Crush,” one of
the options was literally, and I quote, “wear a tiny bikini.” I should also
mention that this magazine claims to have a “Body Peace Campaign” which
encourages girls to be comfortable with themselves no matter what their body
type is – yet they publish articles with titles like “Smart Weight Loss Tips”
and “What Diet is Right for You?”
Seventeen is not
the only guilty magazine, though. Nearly every mainstream magazine or website
directed at teenage girls is a negative influence – affecting girls’ body
image, self esteem, and inhibiting them from realizing their full potential as
human beings. This is not to say that makeup tips are a bad thing, but there
are so many other topics that should be available to girls. And the problem is
that girls continue to read these magazines and websites without realizing the
potential harm they cause.
Thankfully, there are people who see how outrageous this is.
Remember when, a few months ago, 14-year-old Julia Bluhm gained worldwide
attention when she created a petition asking the magazine to publish
non-airbrushed photos of their models? The
petition was successful and Seventeen
agreed to the terms, but only after several months and 84,000 signatures. As
for whether or not they’ll actually carry out their promise – we’ll just have
to wait and see. (I honestly can’t say I’ve picked up their magazine from the
newsstand to check…)
Also, there is an
alternative for those who want to avoid mainstream magazines (at least one that
I know of in particular). When 16-year-old Tavi Gevinson couldn’t find what she
was looking for in any existing teen magazine, she created her own. Rookie Magazine, an online publication (www.rookiemag.com), launched last
September and has since gained a readership of thousands of girls around the
world.
Though Rookie is
not very well known among teenagers, (I actually only know about it because I
know one of their writers…), I feel that their content appeals more to girls
whose interests range beyond those which typical magazines offer. Their
articles range from things like DIYs about how to make glitter shoes to advice
on how to deal with stress or depression or bullies; and it also features art,
music, and fashion. They also have a great feminist vibe that makes me very
happy. I would recommend Rookie to
every teenage girl ever, always. So go check it out!
Things like Rookie
may be a step in the right direction when it comes to influencing young women
in a positive way. But if you’re looking to change the way women are
represented in the media, (and you should be after reading this), you first
have to realize that nothing is going to happen overnight. Decreasing the
discrimination of women in the media, as well as in all aspects of life, will
take time and hard work. But you can start by supporting existing efforts, such
as projects and petitions. You can also write letters to people or
organizations that are discriminating. Visit www.womensmediacenter.com
for some ideas.
And don’t forget to realize the progress that is being made
right now! Tuesday’s election resulted in a record 20% of women being elected
to the Senate. It’s nowhere near equality, but it’s a start. And hopefully more
things like this will continue to happen. In the meantime, be sure to talk to other people about why this is
an issue, and help continue to raise awareness!
-Sarah
Sources:
www.missrepresentation.org
www.policymic.com
www.rookiemag.com
www.seventeen.com
www.womensmediacenter.com
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