Miss Representation Extended Trailer

Summary

This transcript addresses the profound influence of media on society, particularly on children and gender roles. It critiques the portrayal of women as primarily valued for their appearance, perpetuated through advertising and media content. The speaker discusses the subconscious impact of media on insecurities, the need for more female representation in leadership, and the importance of media literacy education. The script also highlights the potential of media to drive change and the responsibility of those who control it to reflect diverse voices and challenge stereotypes.

Takeaways

• 🌐 **Media's Impact**: Media is a powerful force shaping society, politics, and national discourse.
• 📱 **Digital Dependency**: Young people are increasingly reliant on digital platforms for information, impacting their development.
• 👧 **Gender Stereotyping**: Media often perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes, focusing on women's appearances over intellect.
• 💔 **Objectification**: Women are frequently objectified in media, reducing their value to physical attributes.
• 🚫 **Media Limitations**: Media's portrayal of women is restrictive and derogatory, even towards powerful figures.
• 💼 **Political Economy**: Media's revenue model, driven by advertising, influences content creation and perpetuates harmful narratives.
• 📊 **Anxiety and Insecurity**: Advertising often exploits insecurities, fostering a subconscious anxiety in consumers.
• 📉 **Detrimental Effects**: The media's portrayal of women contributes to a culture of violence and inequality.
• 👶 **Social Conditioning**: From a young age, children are conditioned by media to adopt gendered expectations and behaviors.
• 🔄 **Breaking Stereotypes**: There's a pushback against traditional gender roles, with individuals rejecting hyper-masculine and misogynistic stereotypes.
• 🌟 **Representation Matters**: Seeing women in leadership roles on screen can inspire and empower young girls.
• 🤝 **Supportive Networks**: Women in positions of power are creating supportive networks to uplift and mentor other women.
• 🌈 **Diversity in Leadership**: There's a growing recognition of the need for diverse leadership that reflects the broader population.

Q & A

What is the significance of media in shaping society according to the transcript?

Media is considered the message and the messenger, and it is increasingly powerful. It shapes society, politics, national discourse, and children's brains and emotions. Understanding media is essential to understanding what's happening in our society.

How does the media's influence differ from other sources of information?

People learn more from media than any other single source of information, highlighting its unparalleled reach and impact on society.

What role does media play in the lives of children?

Media shapes children's brains and lives by delivering content through platforms like Facebook and cell phones, impacting them 24-7.

How does media affect the self-perception of girls and boys?

Girls are often taught that their value depends on their appearance, while boys are taught that their worth is determined by their power and control over women.

What is the impact of media on women's self-esteem and body image?

Media often portrays women in a derogatory and limiting manner, which can lead to insecurities and negative body image issues, as exemplified by the focus on physical appearance over intellectual achievements.

How does the media's portrayal of women affect the public's perception of them?

The media's portrayal can be so limiting and derogatory that it questions its ability to take any woman in America seriously, as seen with the treatment of powerful women like Hillary Clinton.

What is the political economy of the media as discussed in the transcript?

Most media revenues come from advertising, which is tied to capitalism. The exploitation of women's bodies sells products, and media companies are giving the public what advertisers want, often packaged to seem like it's the public's demand.

How does advertising influence the public's perception and behavior?

Advertising often makes people feel anxious and insecure, which can be subconsciously harmful and lead to a culture of violence against women.

What is the role of media literacy education in understanding media's impact?

Media literacy education helps people understand the political economy of media and how media companies and advertisers shape the content we consume.

How does the media's portrayal of gender roles affect children's aspirations?

Children's aspirations are influenced by media, leading to a gap in the number of boys and girls who want to be President as they grow older due to the reinforcement of traditional gender roles.

What is the importance of representation in media for women and girls?

Representation in media is crucial as it allows women and girls to see themselves in positions of power and leadership, which can inspire and motivate them to pursue their own goals.

How can media be an instrument of change?

Media can be an instrument of change by either maintaining the status quo, reflecting societal views, or awakening people and changing minds, depending on who is controlling the narrative.

Outlines

00:00

📺 Media's Influence on Society

The paragraph discusses the pervasive influence of media in shaping society, politics, and national discourse. It emphasizes how media technology delivers content that impacts children's brains and emotions. The script highlights the billion people using the internet daily and the 24-7 impact of diverse platforms on children. It criticizes the media's focus on physical appearance over intellectual value, especially for women, and how this demeaning portrayal affects women's self-esteem. The script also addresses the media's role in creating consciousness and limiting progress, particularly with regards to women's representation and the political economy of media, which is driven by advertising and capitalism.

05:01

🚹🚺 Challenging Gender Stereotypes

This paragraph explores the impact of media on gender roles and stereotypes. It discusses the pressure on individuals to conform to hyper-masculine or misogynistic behaviors and the resulting gap in women's representation in leadership. The speaker points out that countries like Cuba, China, Iraq, and Afghanistan have more women in government than the United States. The paragraph also touches on the importance of visibility in media for women and people of color, sharing personal experiences of support from women in power in television. It concludes with a hopeful note on the potential for media to be an instrument of change, reflecting a more diverse leadership that includes women and people of color.

Keywords

💡Media

Media refers to the various channels and platforms through which information and messages are disseminated to the public. In the video, media is described as a powerful force that shapes society, politics, and national discourse. It is noted that media is not just a messenger of information but also a powerful influencer, particularly on children's brains and emotions.

💡Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. The script emphasizes the importance of understanding media literacy to navigate the complex world of information that media presents. It is highlighted as a crucial skill for making informed decisions in a society heavily influenced by media.

💡Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes are generalized expectations about the roles and behaviors that are considered appropriate for men and women. The video discusses how media perpetuates these stereotypes, particularly through advertising and portrayals in various forms of media, which can influence how boys and girls perceive their own and each other's worth and roles.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. The script mentions that media revenues often come from advertising, which is a capitalistic approach where the exploitation of women's bodies sells products. This highlights the economic motivations behind certain media content.

💡Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. The video points out that advertising often relies on making people feel insecure to sell products, which can have subconscious and harmful effects on self-esteem and body image.

💡Body Image

Body image refers to a person's perception of their own physical appearance. The script discusses how media's focus on physical appearance, especially for women, can lead to insecurities and negative body image from a young age, as illustrated by the speaker's own experiences and observations.

💡Violence Against Women

Violence against women encompasses physical, sexual, and psychological harm by men, including acts of abuse, harassment, and trafficking. The video suggests that media's use of violent or demeaning images can contribute to a climate of increased violence against women, reflecting and reinforcing harmful attitudes and behaviors.

💡Leadership

Leadership is the act of leading a group of people or an organization. The script argues that media's portrayal of women in leadership roles is limited, which can affect women's aspirations and the public's perception of women's capabilities. It also emphasizes the importance of visibility of women leaders to inspire and empower others.

💡Representation

Representation in media refers to the depiction and inclusion of different groups in society. The video discusses the importance of diverse representation, particularly of women and people of color, in media to reflect the true demographics of a country and to provide role models for all.

💡Misogyny

Misogyny is the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. The script uses the term to describe the negative attitudes and behaviors towards women that are sometimes promoted or normalized by media, which can perpetuate harmful gender dynamics and limit women's opportunities.

💡Change

Change, in the context of the video, refers to the potential for media to either maintain the status quo or to act as an agent of transformation. The speaker highlights that media has the power to awaken people and change minds, suggesting that it can play a crucial role in societal progress and the advancement of gender equality.

Highlights

The media is a powerful messenger shaping society, politics, and discourse.

Understanding media is crucial to understanding society in the 21st century.

Media technology delivers content that shapes society, politics, and children's lives.

Over a billion people use the internet daily, a reach unprecedented in media history.

Children are heavily influenced by media platforms 24-7 without traditional restrictions.

Girls are conditioned to believe their worth is based on appearance.

Boys receive messages that value women for their looks rather than intellect.

Media's portrayal of women is limiting and derogatory, even for the most powerful.

The media's focus on physical appearance over achievements is harmful.

Media literacy education is essential to understanding the political economy of media.

Media revenues are primarily from advertising, which exploits women's bodies to sell products.

Media companies and advertisers dictate content, not public demand.

Advertising often relies on inducing anxiety and insecurity in consumers.

The media's subconscious effects on insecurity are harmful and pervasive.

The pressure to conform to hyper-masculine and misogynistic stereotypes is significant.

Boys and girls start with equal aspirations, but societal conditioning creates a gap.

Lack of female representation in government is a significant issue in the United States.

Seeing women in leadership roles on screen is crucial for young girls' aspirations.

Mentorship and support from women in power in media is essential for progress.

The media has the power to change societal views and challenge the status quo.

Transcripts

I

the media is the message and the

messenger and increasingly a powerful

one

people learn more from media than any

other single source of information so if

we want to understand what's going on in

our society in the 21st century we have

to understand media if you think about

medium technology they're delivering

content that is shaping our society

they're shaping our politics they're

shaping our national discourse and most

of all they're shaping our children's

brains and lives and emotions we asked

me there's somewhere north of a billion

people who use the internet every single

day that's just a reach that hasn't

existed before in terms of media our

kids today live on Facebook and cell

phones the diversity the platforms means

that those images are impacting your kid

24-7 and whatever restrictions existed

when we were growing up simply don't

exist today girls get the message from

very early on that what's most important

is how they look that their value their

worth depends on that and boys get the

message that this is what's important

about girls we get it from advertising

we get it from films we got it from

television shows video games everywhere

we look so no matter what else a woman

does no matter what else your

achievements their values still depends

on how they vote there is no

appreciation for women intellectuals

it's all about the body not about the

brain you all saw the famous photo from

the weekend of Hillary looking so

Haggard and what looking like 92 years

old breast implants did you have them or

not because that's all over the internet

about you in mainstream media I think if

you waterboarded Nancy Pelosi she

wouldn't admit to plastic surgery the

fact that media are so limiting and so

derogatory to the most powerful women in

the country then what does it say about

media's ability to take any woman in

America seriously you get a woman in the

Oval Office most powerful person in the

world what's the downside you mean

besides the pms in the mood swing

the media treats women like and it's

horrible and it's like I don't know how

we survive it I don't know how we rise

above it

media creates consciousness and if what

gets put out there that creates our

consciousness is determined by men we're

not going to make any progress an aspect

of media literacy education that I think

many people aren't aware of is the whole

political economy of the media most

media get their revenues from

advertising this is all about capitalism

the exploitation of women's bodies sells

products magazines etc this notion that

these media companies are just giving us

what the public wants no they're giving

us with the media companies want they're

giving us what the advertisers want and

their packaging it in such a way as to

make it sound like it's our fault and

it's not a lot of advertising is based

on making people feel anxious and

feeling insecure the effect is primarily

subconscious it is very harmful but for

the most part we're not really aware of

that as a culture women are brought up

to just be fundamentally insecure I

remember fifth grade I was worrying

about my weight and now I'm in ninth

grade I'm still worrying about my weight

I have like close friends that like in

between a like break periods they will

go to the bathroom and put on like 10

pounds of makeup you know and you're at

school to learn

in a world of a million channels people

try to do more shocking and shocking

things to break through the clutter they

resort to violent images or sexually

offensive images or demeaning images it

creates a climate in which there's

widespread and increasing violence

against women when is it gonna be enough

we're socializing boys to believe that

being a man means being powerful and in

control being smarter than women are

better than women or our needs get met

first in relationships with women that's

not genetically predestined that's

learned behavior I definitely am NOT one

to conform to the we need to be hyper

masculine and we need to be misogynistic

stereotypes I'm and it really puts a lot

of pressure on me when I have relatives

who have grown up with this phenomenon

who attempt to put me on that path but

I'm not ready for it little boys and

little girls when they're 7 years old an

equal number want to be President of the

United States when they grow up but then

you ask the same question when they're

15 and you see this massive gap emerging

we're short changing voices that are

urgently needed in public forums from

ever getting to the table if people knew

that Cuba China Iraq in Afghanistan have

more women in government than the United

States of America that would get some

people upset no wonder we are in such

trouble in this country we've been

choosing our national leadership from

six percent of the country as the most

powerful country in the world you're not

standing with the right values and for

the right principles that's a loss for

the world you can't be what you can't

see growing up was nobody who looked

like me on television so I never dreamed

that I could be in television to see

women to see women leadership and

reality and on the screen and television

is huge for women huge I got cast in a

league of their own and I had 13 or 15

year old girls coming up to me but oh my

god you have no idea that movie changed

my life I play sports because of that

movie and it really struck me how few

opportunities we give women to have that

kind of experience watching a movie

there's such a hunger among young women

for the mentorship it is far overdue

that we women say Alleluias sister

whatever gets you through I'm marissen

for you one of the things that really

surprised me was the number of women in

positions of power in television who

reached out to me and said can I take

dr. breakfast can I take you out to

lunch can I make sure that you have my

phone number my email address so that if

anything comes up and it was definitely

wasn't like the gender mafia going on in

the media but there was an overt effort

to both welcome me and make me know that

women who had gone before me who had

fought to get where they were were both

happy that I was there and wanted to be

resources to me and there's an

expectation that I will be a resource to

other women

we're creating new leaders and they're

going to not look like how they always

did an older white male you're going to

look like a woman and they're going to

look like people of color and that is

the true reflection of this country and

of this world the media can be an

instrument of change it can maintain the

status quo and reflect the views of the

society or it can awaken people and

change minds it depends on who's

piloting the plane

[ __ ] keeps beating like a hammer

you