Over the past few years, the media has enhanced the number of stereotypes women face on a daily basis.
We see the same type of women portrayed on TV and in movies: the stay at home housewife who has to take care of the kids, the career-driven women who doesn’t have time for anything else, or the promiscuous “slut” who never actually gets a chance. Lead female protagonists are almost non-existent and when they are, their stories mostly revolve around boys (The Vampire Diaries, Disney Princess movies, Gossip Girl). Women in the news all have the same look as well: attractive, tall, skinny, and dressed more like they’re going to a fashion show instead of giving us the news.
In magazines, we see society’s idea of the “ideal woman”- skinny, tall, glossy, tamed-but-not-too-tamed hair, and a slender unblemished face. We see the illusion of perfect celebrities, and it leaves an impossible standard for women to live up to. It paints an unattainable image that damages girls who have to grow up with an unbelievable amount of pressure that weighs heavily on their shoulders to be perfect everyday.
The image of women in the media isn’t the only problem. Women sports are barely covered on TV with men constantly taking ESPN’s time slots. Newscasts and late night talk shows berate women like Hilary Clinton and Michelle Bachman daily, calling them names and putting them down far more than any man with their job titles.
How did society get to this point? How did a step in the right direction turn into two in the wrong one? How did this become acceptable? Sure, men and society are to blame, but we must take responsibility too. It has become the norm to turn on the TV or watch a movie and see the degradation of women. We accept it, put ourselves down, and then move on. We do nothing.
In 2011, a documentary titled Miss Representation called attention to these issues and called women to action. Notable commentators featured in the documentary include Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, and Geena Davis, who address women and the media. Jennifer Pozner, the executive Director for Women in Media & News states, “The fact that media are so derogatory to the most powerful women in the country, then what does it say about women’s ability to take any women in America seriously?”
Let’s show that women have flaws, emotionally and physically. Women have depth and are complicated. Women struggle and fight and inspire. Women are smart. Women are champions. Let’s show this side of women. Let’s stand up for each other and change the way women are perceived everyday. Our generation must be the catalyst. We must be the change.
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