Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Talking The Talk In The Conversation: Miss Representation

Barbara: This is an extended version of the impressive video about how women are portrayed in the media in North America. I saw the shorter version on FB a few months ago and then Sean’a sent around the extended trailer. This is definitely apropos here this week. Take a look. Let us know what you think.

30 comments:

  1. This is a very informative video. I liked that people are creating awareness about this stuff!!
    I said it before, I say it again to all the women....KNOW YOUR POWER !!Thats all you have to do...and honestly dont give a FUCK what the world THINKS YOU SHOULD BE DOING.....and LOVE YOURSELF...!! YOU ARE PRECIOUS AND UNIQUE AND CAPABLE OF DOING WHATEVER "YOU" want! The media will keep doing what they do.....keep making us insecure about every single thing.But WE decide whether it affects us or NOT!

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  2. You said it, Shalaka! Keep spreading your enormously positive spirit!!

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  3. I agree with Shalaka!!!!!

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    1. (thanks for all the exclamation points, Madge, they made my day!)

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  4. AWWH YOU GIRLS !!!

    BTW THIS IS FOR EVERYONE, I'M sending POSITIVE THOUGHTS.....LEMME KNOW IF YOU NEED SOME ;)

    Oh and I forgot one thing to say in my comment YOU ARE EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL THE WAY YOU ARE, DONT CHANGE YOURSELF JUST BECAUSE SOME DUMBASS WANTS YOU TO...And I say it WITHOUT ANY RESPECT.....anyone who thinks you should CHANGE to be gorgeous or capable is A DUMBASS. You were not born to "PLEASE" anyone..and they werent born to please you either. So dont take their criticism seriously. Instead LAUGH at the fact that they are so blind that they cannot get even the WHIFF of you beauty....INNER OR OUTER :)

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  5. I'll be honest. First minutes made me angry. Then I started to think that I need to go to the gym more and maybe start using make up a bit more... Then I thought I need to get out more and went back to angry. By the end of the video I was ready to take over the world and change something. Then I remembered that I can't take over the world today or tomorrow as I have my school. So I will check back on that on... (*calculating and counting*) Thursday. Oh, wait! My aunt is coming over... So lets make that on Friday. On Friday I will take over the world and change the view of women!

    Well yes, I promised to be honest. That indeed was pretty much what went through my head. I was left to ponder why every time I see myself in the mirror I like what I see, untill I get a dose of the "real" world and I feel not up to par. I have been asked why I have a low esteem. I don't know how to answer that as I always have thought that I am fabulous and I look fabulous. Just because I feel down for a second because I am not main stream, doesn't mean I have low esteem, right?

    Like Shalaka said it earlier, I like that people are creating awareness too. Hopefully one day there will be more role models for everyone in the main stream.

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    1. I LOVE the play-by-play, Kasku!! So funny (and relate-able)!! Let me know when your schedule frees up and we can join forces :)

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    2. The most beautiful and lovely people I know are all most decidedly non-mainstream! Feeling blue isn't the same as a lack of self esteem. I think I've got pretty good self-esteem but I'm tired and very busy so I have my down times from stress nothing wrong with that.

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    3. Yes! I forgot to second this emotion. I have lots of days when I feel down and not so great about myself -- and I don't believe that's part of my "self-esteem" (which I think of as being general) as opposed to my emotional state in any given moment (which is pretty specific).

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    4. PERFECT EXPLANATION BARB!! xoxo :)

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  6. "I was left to ponder why every time I see myself in the mirror I like what I see, untill I get a dose of the "real" world and I feel not up to par." See, this is what the media does to us. You, Kasku, ARE the "real" world. Not those overly made up and slimmed down things on TV and such.
    I really think this film is an amazing tool for bringing these issues to light. Interesting fact, my university is showing this film on campus this week.
    I think that this film will do some good. Like Kasku, by the time the video was over, I wanted to take over the world, then realized I probably should finish my homework first.
    The statistics were mind-blowing. I knew that women held fewer positions than men, but seeing the numbers made it all so much more real.

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    1. Yes, I am the real word. (Unless there is some kind of a intelectual property protection against that type of word use, then I am the "real" world.) It is so funny that I do notice the difference between real and "real" but still they (ads, etc) are able to get under my skin. Now, I go back to class (online stuff, so I am able jump in here once in a while).

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    2. You too are adorable! THIS is my favourite "real world", right here.

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  8. As proof with my deleted comment above I have so many thoughts running around because of this video that I can't even get them all out and communicated properly! I can't stand the setrotype that the media shows women to be. I am no where close to that sterotype and damn proud of that!
    Totally agree with you all above too : )

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    1. Aww, you shouldn't have deleted the post, but as you did I won't comment any further. Except, It was a good one. :))

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    2. Just getting here now. And, yeah, Kelly, I have your deleted post on my email -- and while I completely respect your decision to remove it -- it was a really good comment!! Thank you.

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    3. aww thanks guys....I am always quick to act and then think later. I wasn't sure if it would be read as the same way I meant for it to be. I am still getting used to opening up to people and being ok with it all. <3

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    4. Its ok Kelly!! Wouldve loved to read it though. But you know it and thats important !!! You make the decision whether to observe the media and prove them right or believe in yourself AND PROVE THEM WRONG!!...:) <3

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  9. This is a great video and makes me really glad that me and my family are very light media consumers. This video just emphasizes for me how important it is not to change my ways. When you really stop and think about what mainstream media is showing to those who are big consumers it's actually quite shocking and rather disappointing. It seems the big steps foward made by the women's movement is undermined more and more each day. Sure my kids may not have to fight their school district for the choice to take shop instead of home-ec when they reach high school but thanks to the messages they see everywhere would it even occur to them that it is a choice?

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    1. It doesn't "occur to them that it is a choice" -- there's a shudder of a possible reality, huh?

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    2. My sis tells her children that they can become what ever they want when they grow up. I will also tell this to my children (if I ever have any). We have been told by few that we can't tell girls that. We actually have made a game of it. When someone is saying that "but girls can't do that" to my niece (no other opportunity has been available), we say that yes she can. She can be what ever she wants, as we do not know what the future brings. We have told her that she can be an astronaut (we do not have that kind of a program here, but maybe in the future), president, cook, cleaner, pilot etc. depending what she wants to do. I just hope that when she grows up she will remember that there always is a choice. Also what she can't learn in school we will teach her at home. (This goes to my bother's children as well, but they have so strong willed mom that there is no problem.)

      Oh, and yes we are doing this to my nephew as well. But there just doesn't seem to be same kind of a problem as boys can do everything. And FYI, my other nephew is going to be Santa when he grows up... So if you need to get a good word in, I can help you out in oh... when he grows up. :))

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  10. This brings up something that has been on my mind a lot lately. There are so many tv shows that really do present women in a bad light. I'll refer to the American ones on our screen: Drop Dead Diva - every women (except the lead) is either bitchy or stupid; Two and a Half Men - (this one is one of the more seriously damaging which is worrying because of popular it is) the women are either soul-sucking bitches or stupid and no woman on the show is not sexually involved with the characters in some way except the mother and Berta (who, surprise surprise, does not meet the current "ideal" of beauty); Big Bang Theory - hurts guys and girls by dressing everyone who is intelligent as unattractively as possible and by making the attractive characters stupid. That last one especially makes me sad because I love Big Bang Theory and I think the jokes are both intelligent and funny.

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    1. I haven't seen Drop Dead Diva (it is shown here, but I don't have digibox) and never been fan of 2 1/2 men. My friend has the BBT box set, so I have seen it (also I have seen it on tv as we watch it with my friends). I haven't seen the last one or two (?) seasons (not sure how behind we are), but what you said about the characters has been bugging me too. But still I continue to watch in and hope that maybe one day there will be a change.

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  11. Aimee, wow, I couldn't agree more! And I love BBT too! But, man, it's frustrating about the stereotypical images. Have you seen Girls yet? Just started on HBO -- all the girls on that show look and act like regular people (with 21st century real-girl issues -- although definitely city girl stuff). Might be a bit racy for everyone's tastes, but I appreciated the honesty.

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    1. I haven't seen it,but if it's only just started then it may still come to New Zealand. Although now I really hope it does so I can see what you're talking about =)

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  12. Miss Representation also has a website that I forgot to link to: http://www.missrepresentation.org/

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