I'm not going to lie, it was pretty discouraging to see such low percentages of women in pivotal leadership positions across the board. The fact that congress is comprised of the fewest women in 30 years is mind boggling. As a progressive society, one would think America would be much further along. There are times it seems almost disheartening, but I believe as a woman, we can't give up the fight for equality. I actually graduated high school in Wasilla, Alaska during the time Sarah Palin was governor of Alaska. I remember playing basketball against Wasilla High and Palin would randomly be at a game. I've always had a lot of respect for her. As a governor, she did so much for the state and people of Alaska. I could not believe how sexualized and criticized she was during her campaign with McCain. The media blew her up into something she was not, magnifying her weaknesses and down sizing her strengths. It's not a matter of whether or not you agree with her, she's one of many women scrutinized by the media and it's not okay. It really upsets me how the media manipulates a physically beautiful, intelligent woman into something sexual and dumb. It seems like a woman cannot be beautiful and intelligent. The media has portrayed beautiful women as not being taken seriously and intelligent women as not being as desired by men. It's a lose-lose situation where women are left striving to be "enough" in a society where they don't fully belong.
It really hit home for me in the beginning, when the high school girls were talking about the pressures of their generation to be considered "beautiful". It breaks my heart to think about these young girls cutting themselves and not feeling like they are worth it. The statistic showing that 20% of girls have sex before the age of 14 is really eye opening to the current state of our society. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10-24. The media has a massive influence on young girls and oftentimes prey on their vulnerability. The media needs to throw out the agenda that "sex sells". There is a whole industry thriving off of sex-slavery in the United States and I would blame part of that on the media.
Also:
http://www.polarisproject.org/
Sources
Suicide Prevention. (2014, January 9). Retrieved June 23, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/youth_suicide.html
The sex sells mindset seemed to be behind most points made in this documentary! The biggest issue with everything now is how sex can be marketed by digital means. Needs to change..
ReplyDeleteYou were absolutely spot-on with, "It seems like a woman cannot be beautiful and intelligent. The media has portrayed beautiful women as not being taken seriously and intelligent women as not being as desired by men. It's a lose-lose situation." I am really glad you mentioned Sarah Palin. I remember that the only information I got of her was through news sources that completely ridiculed her on the simplest of things such as appearance or her accent. Now, I didn't follow the news very much back then, but I remember that what little I did pay attention to never focused on her position on political subjects.
ReplyDeleteI was also so heartbroken by the way those teenage girls felt about their self worth. I thought that high school was hard for me, it seems that it has only become worse. Something needs to be done to save this young generation of girls.
ReplyDeleteMedia has created a negative impact on teenagers and we as college students need to make a difference, so on my free time I try to talk to as many of my teenage family members and make them aware of the bad things that are out there. We should all do the same and if possible on social media as well.
ReplyDeleteI feel like every woman or young girl would have a hard time watching this. I know I did. I have always struggled with my body image and I know the media plays a large role in this. It breaks my heart that these younger girls have it even worse that me and others bak when I was in highschool and middle school.
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