Female Equality 2013?

                                                                                                                                                      

Christopher Gass

Professor Kelly Warren

ENC 1102

April 2nd, 2013

Female Equality 2013?

The beauty in Documentaries is you often either learn something you didn’t know before, or it gives you a different perspective on something maybe you’ve thought of before, but never really knew to much about. The documentary “Miss Representation” takes you on a journey through the eyes of a cast of character we know from mainstream media, and the double standards that women face still today. The film calls you to action on so many levels, and I recommend anyone from anywhere to watch this film at any time. ”Miss Representation” brings home a number of issues that need to be met at the dinner table. The double standard in the work place, over sexualizing of women, and the market of conditioning women to meet a picture perfection image are just a few of the highlights.

Short of turning this into a man bashing session, equality for women needs help. The expectations are completely different for the sexes, and women frankly have more roles they are expected to fill. You could be the smartest girl in the room, and be magical in many ways, but if you have “sex appeal” that still trumps most markets. Sex sells everywhere. When I asked a girlfriend about her feelings of female equality, she responded it’s a mental thing. I don’t think the media is doing a good job selling the idea of “it’s all mental”.

This problem we have with over sexualizing women is a product of media enterprises around the world that have sold ideas of women that aren’t really representing women. How do you stop a shift that has been consistently dominating media corporations for years. This snowball effect has now become a daily dose of what our minds are used to consuming. I’m sick of the young minds that are warped and dissolution with the exact opposite of what we should be teaching not only young girls, but boys alike. Mutual respect is the common place. This is pressure after pressure with foolish unrealistic expectations of what and, who women are. We say media, but we often take on character roles and reinforce this type of behavior without a second thought. To give you an idea, only seven percent of women are directors of feature films. Many times men are still making these decisions that paint women in a light where lets just say there not shinning their brightest.

If this continues we are destroying what it means to even be human. When image is the main attraction, and no appreciation of ones intellect or talent, that becomes dangerous, and the lines are blurred. Consciousness is partially made up of what we watch on a daily basis, no change will occur if the same groups of people continue to have the last say. In addition, and I’ll end with this, movies or film are most certainly nothing like the originals. Blockbusters run together, I feel like I’m watching the same thing on replay, where is the substance? I have not seen a better portrayal of the President of the United States of America than When Geena Davis led the country in Commander and chief. Perhaps this is a good time to consider multiple shifts in consciousness. Let’s start with mutual respect.

We the media have cheeped hooked women into objects of a haunting, and horrific nature. Misrepresentation exploits the abuse in a straightforward informative fashion, but more importantly inspires you to action. By the end of the film you want to stand up, stand tall and stand for something. This film made it to Sundance for good reason. Call yourself and the ones around you to action, let them know that equality has not yet been met.