Do you have an hour and a half to spare? Are you looking for a powerful and interesting documentary on Netflix to watch? If so, watch Miss Representation! In this documentary, the interviewees attack the issue of standards of feminine beauty portrayed within media. In today’s world, people are glued to their electronics and constantly checking out various sources of media. Media has an enormous impact on the brains, lives, thoughts and emotions of everyone on this planet. Over time, through media, feminine beauty has become a social construct to which girls feel pressured to conform. Because the concept of a perfect woman is nearly impossible to obtain, many girls have low self-esteem. Media represents us within our world of skewed ideas and makes us ask ourselves why and what we as humans find most desirable to be or to become.
Everyone in this world is different from one another in looks and personalities, however; we have set up certain standards and looks that we consider to be good and “right.” How can people feel emotionally healthy and fulfilled when the media is constantly telling them that they are not good enough? The media fills the minds of many people with low self-esteem issues. If you take a look in almost any magazine in the world, you will see at least one ad in which a woman is being objectified. The world has become obsessed with appearance because of the media, which is causing many people to fall into self -objectification. This is leading many people, especially young girls, to be depressed and to have lower self-confidence.
In the documentary, Miss Representation, the producers focus mainly on the negativity brought upon women through media sources. Many of the speakers are encouraging women to ignore the media and to have the courage and strength to love themselves and fight for what they want. Sometimes in this world it is hard to love yourself because of the media or the effects of the media that have altered people’s minds. This documentary offers numerous statistics showing how the media affects people in a negative way.
Media is and will always be a major source of receiving information. Currently, the world is too caught up on being in style and being “normal.” The media should be a place of encouragement to learn how to love and accept everyone for the way they look. Stereotyping is in our nature, however; through media many stereotypes affect the lives of so many people in powerful ways. Miss Representation does a great job of presenting the ways people are affected by the way media portrays each type of person. This documentary is a reminder to love yourself for all that you are!