Women 'MissRepresented' in the Media

They appear half clothed and constantly arguing on episodes of Gossip Girl, emaciated and ill-formed on magazine spreads, and clad in three sizes too tight Herve Leger dresses pumping their fists on MTV programming.

Who am I referring to? None other than, the XX chromosome wielding female species of the human being.  Many of the images of women the modern media has surrounded young people and even adults with are anything but positive. Based on what is often depicted in high fashion ads (which, trust me, I greatly appreciate) and on television, it's a God given miracle that I'm not walking down West Orange High School's hallways with stilettos, a crop top, and skin tight skirt, yelling about how angry I am that someone stole my man or is wearing the same outfit as me (which wouldn't come as much of a surprise).

I'm in no way a self proclaimed feminist, nor do I truly judge people on how they're dressed — besides the occasional off-handed joke — yet I can't help but take notice of what the media, as well as many of my peers, deem attractive or womanly. 

Am I not considered beautiful because I don't dress a certain way? Is my body unattractive because I am unable to meet the incredibly unrealistic standards of body image that some of my favorite fashion magazines and models have? Who decided what's beautiful and what's not beautiful in the first place?

I was brought to all of this self-reflection after watching the trailer for a new documentary written, directed and produced by Stanford University alum and business woman, Jennifer Siebel Newsome. In this incredibly thought-provoking documentary, that I greatly suggest young women and young men watch, Newsome interviews famous and accomplished men and women in the media, from the likes of Lisa Ling to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and raises pivotal questions about the depiction of women in various media outlets. She also raises almost scary questions about the fate of the depiction of women if the industry is left to be controlled by men. In a country where woman make up about 51 percent of the population yet comprise only 17 percent of Congress, it comes as no surprise that women are seen in such and exploitive light. 

I'm not going to go into a tirade about the mistreatment of women in America, because frankly, women in this country have it unfathomably better than women in other nations, but I thought it was a worthwhile enough trend to bring to light. Yes, a lot of people believe radical feminism encourages annoying women to burn bras and protest Miss America pageants, but in all honesty, if the trend of the negative depiction of women on television, magazines, and other forms of media in America goes unnoticed, that doesn't say much about this country or the people living in it. 

One of the major points brought up by the documentary was that it is vital for women to increasingly gain positions of power in the country, especially in multimedia industries. Perhaps if women are the ones running nightly news programming, it won't be filled with stories and segments about whether or not Sarah Palin got breast implants, if Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is a dominatrix, or whether or not the first lady wears a weave. 

It is really exciting, especially as an aspiring journalist, to learn how much the media can be a tool for change in all social issues including women's rights. 

But in the end, I suppose it's up to those ingesting the information and images to decide whether or not they'll allow it to become intimidating reminders of a feminine standard they must fulfill, or turn into the inspiration needed to rise above these standards and decide who they want to be for themselves. 

For all of the young men reading this, I apologize for seemingly placing the blame on your gender for the modern depiction of women, but we both have a lot to learn from one another. Hopefully this article and the documentary discussed in it can help change the way you see the female peers you socialize, work and attend school with. 

For the young ladies not much dissimilar to myself reading this, I'm not judging you or telling you how to live or dress, because of course I think its never negative to embrace your shape and have the confidence to wear certain clothes, but after a while we all need to stop and really think about who we are doing it for and why. We're partially to blame for how women are seen in America today because we allow ourselves to succumb to it.  

**To check out Miss Representation's trailer, and look for screenings in our area visit www.missrepresentation.org.**