Miss Representation

In this video, Jean Kilbourne sheds light on how the media's portrayal of women not only objectifies females, but leads them to feel disempowered. Kilbourne debates the topic of selling a woman’s figure and how that negatively impacts millions of impressionable girls. With the help of this video and various articles I am able to draw my own conclusions regarding the role of the mainstream media and its negative effects on young girls.

Ignorant to its detrimental effects on the minds of impressionable girls, the mainstream media takes solace in preying upon young women with demeaning images, making it a chief contender in the battle for gender equality. The ideals the media has instilled in young girls’ minds are adverse in their development, as shown by the American Psychological Association. The self-objectification that follows has become a national epidemic.  If the media persuades young girls that their value lies solely on their bodies’ exterior, these girls will feel disempowered and will ultimately be distracted from making a difference in our world and becoming tomorrow’s leaders. Consequently, young girls will allocate more of their time and money towards enhancing their physical appearance rather than their education, a decision that will harm them in the long run. Unfortunately, this mentality seems to be ingrained into our culture, and, if girls do not have strong female role models to look up to, the trends will continue.

The women of this generation have the responsibility of modeling a balanced society for those to come. However, as of 2014, women only make up the minority of the workforce, making it increasingly difficult for those in our generation to be motivated to succeed. According to the AAUW, “women make up just 25% of the computing workforce and 14% of the engineering workforce, and African American, Hispanic, and Native American women are especially underrepresented. When women are not represented in these fields, we’re leaving half our workforce out of innovation opportunities. We all lose.” As a result of the misrepresentation of women in the workforce, in conjunction with the role of the media, girls are straying away from pursuing fulfilling careers. I admire women who have had longevity in their careers such as Hilary Clinton and Tory Burch; self-made women who stand firm in their beliefs and go after what they want. Unfortunately, the media draws attention away from powerful women and focuses instead on today’s popular entertainers. This article verifies that in order to encourage girls to pursue ambitious positions, they must have a leader to guide them.

In what ways have you experienced or witnessed gender discrimination in your life and how did you respond?

Sources: 

http://www.aauw.org 
http://www.apa.org 
https://www.youtube.com