On Thursday, February 27, four panelists and an emcee embarked on a challenging mission: dissect Miss Representation in roughly thirty minutes. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics and Her Campus Chatham, the screening encouraged dozens of Chatham students and community members to challenge the portrayal of women in the media. Armed with cups of water and positioned firmly in the spotlight, the group of five experts gave the entire audience in the Eddy Theatre a new perspective on Barbie, Google, and even stereotypes in opera.
L to R: Dr. Cruger, Dr. Chung, Ms. Brown, Dr. Sweet-Cushman, Dr. Boyd
Emcee:
Ms. Dana Brown
Director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics
Panelists:
Dr. Michael Boyd
Assistant Professor of Music
Professor Rachel Chung
Director of Business Programs
Dr. Katie Cruger
Assistant Professor of Communications, Her Campus Chatham Faculty Advisor
Dr. Jennie Sweet-Cushman
Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science
For those who couldn’t be there, here are the highlights of the conversation:
“Symbolic Annihilation”
Women’s voices are underrepresented, confirms Dr. Cruger, and that means females are excluded from much of the national conversation. “We need other kinds of people as producers of media,” she says.
Where’s the Diversity?
Though Miss Representation offers a thorough discussion of the portrayal of women in the media, Dr. Cruger was disappointed by the lack of attention to race and class issues. “I think humanizing difference is an important contribution people working in communication can make.”
Are Women Victims?
“I’m concerned that [Miss Representation] paints us as victims of the media,” says Dr. Sweet-Cushman.
Gender Roles Change
Dr. Chung recalled that growing up in Taiwan, gender-segregated schools were the norm. “I was raised to be a housewife,” she says. Now, as the Director of Business Programs at Chatham, she’s proven that anyone can go beyond their traditional gender role. “My son, until a month ago, has wanted to grow up to be a mother.”
Buying President Barbie
Ms. Brown recalled her own recent dilemma: she had to decide whether to buy President Barbie as a gift. Is the purchase a reaffirmation of gender stereotypes or an investment in one of the only existing portrayals of a woman as president?
Opera is Sexist, Too
Dr. Boyd pointed out that stereotypical portrayals of women are not restricted to TV shows and movies: opera is just as guilty. As he puts it, women who are hard to control end up getting killed. “It’s not really new,” he says. “It’s just reinventing things that have already been going on. Just go to the opera and you’ll find out.”
Don’t Feel Bad
Ms. Brown addressed the common response to complaints about media: just don’t watch what you dislike. “There’s a lot of buying power and you can change the channel, but it is pretty pervasive.”
Those Women
Though more movies are being made with female actresses in starring roles, there’s a catch. “We’re not making more movies with women at the center, we’re making more movies with those women at the center.” It’s not that we’ve suddenly taken to watching women’s stories – it’s that we’ve found a few women who we like to watch in a small number of (generally pigeonholed) plots.
What Boys Like
Dr. Sweet-Cushman has a wonderfully simple approach to parenting. Her boys, she says, “are allowed to like things” – from pirates to princesses.
Just Google It
The idea that sex sells is overrated, says Dr. Chung. “We do have a lot of progressive businesses that have built a lot of progressive models.” Take Google: “Google’s ads don’t even have images,” she says. They don’t need scantily clad women to attract attention: “what they sell is relevant.”
The Glass Ceiling
Dr. Cruger thinks that for real change to happen, our power structure has to be redefined. “Breaking through the glass ceiling is a good project, but I would like to see [us] redesigning the building.”
The Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics plans incredible, empowering events. You can find all of the information on upcoming opportunities by visiting their website, liking them on Facebook or following them on Twitter, @PCWP_Chatham.
Photo Sources
Cover: Miss Representation
Dr. Boyd: Chatham.edu
Ms. Brown: PCWP
Dr. Chung: Chatham MBA Insight
Dr. Cruger: her own
Dr. Sweet-Cushman: Chatham.edu