In the past week I've received 2 invitations to a screening of Miss Representation. The invites were from opposite sides of the world. This movie is spreading faster than head lice at Kindergarten. Both invites were from smart, switched on women who also happen to have a couple of children the same age as mine. Both of these women are fantastic role models for young girls. I have not seen either of them dance in a wet bikini in front of a group of men while holding a snake between their legs.
When we first moved to Doha we stayed in a hotel. Each night when G came home from work I would escape for a run on the treadmill in the hotel gym. The gym was mostly full of men. There was the usual line up of treadmills and televisions with a constant stream of music videos. On one particular night I watched a group of men stop for a moment to look at the screens. I can't remember who it was, maybe Britney? GaGa? Ciara? Rhianna? I was a bit distracted. I was busy trying to work out why she was wearing a see through white bikini while dancing with a snake wrapped around her legs. She appeared to be very attracted to both the stripper pole in front of her and the snake. It was completely gratuitous and out of context with the song. One of the guys said something I couldn't hear, everyone laughed and I immediately felt uncomfortable. I felt like I'd accidently joined in on their party and their party was watching soft porn at the gym.
Is that an over reaction?
Should I be cool with watching a woman wearing a dog collar being led around the room? What's the line between sexy and sexism? Would I point to these women and then tell my daughters "one day if you work really hard at school...". "Keep practicing your trombone sweetheart and then we can pop you in a bikini, hose you down and see if you can earn a living".
Take a look at this:
You can't be what you can't see.
I've been over to Miss Representation and taken the pledge.
“I pledge to use my voice to spread the message of Miss Representation and challenge the media’s limiting portrayal of women and girls”
How about you? How do feel about how women are portrayed in the media?
Wow. No I have not heard of it but will now be on the lookout. Thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteI'm there in a heartbeat. The representation of young women in the media makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. x
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of a 9 yr old I am watching her holding onto her childhood by a thread. I sometimes feel that I battle against the world trying to keep a balance of what I'd like her to aspire to and what she sees. I can restrict her exposure to some media, but obviously not all. Keep being 'not cool' with this Kirsty. X
ReplyDeleteWorking with teens this is what I fight with everyday , what I say to them and what they see and here on social networks and the media.I will share this on my FB page. Thank you Nx
ReplyDeleteThanks - I love some of their suggestions for conversation starters with your kids. I'd never asked my guys who they admired in the media, the answers were really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThink it's being screened again on "O" but there are also screening locations for the states listed on the site. Not sure about Oz?
ReplyDeleteThe thing that rocked me was that young women spend the equivalent time of working a 50 - 60 hour week or more, educating themselves to be body obsessed by studying the media portraying them in this manner! Surely as women we can spend our time better by focussing on using our lives in a much better cause.
ReplyDeleteYou would hope so wouldn't you. I had quite the conversation with my 11 year old last night about the school social. I have been sworn to secrecy but it was quite disturbing to hear that at age 11 girls were crying in toilets about boys. Our guys don't have access to mainstream media - they have 3 channels on their tv in the playroom, and all are cable so no commercials. They get barely an hour of computer time (webkinz/club penguin) but still I can see the effects of TV. I don't think it's alarmist to be worried about this - it is sooooooooooo different than anything we had to deal with. Just social media in itself is a minefield, texting, facebook, instant messaging- I'm so glad I'm not a teenager right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nathalie. I'm currently reading Queen Bees and Wannabees (the newer edition with the social media section). Reading the comments from teens about what they deal with the social media has given me so much food for thought. Cheers. Kx
ReplyDeleteI thought that I had commented this morning (whilst waiting to see the Queen - seriously)... but maybe using the phone to do so was a bit ambitious. However, what I think is that you should continue to be 'not cool' with the portrial of girls in the media.I am a mother to a nine year old and I see her hanging on to her childhood by a thread. I try and restrict and check what she is exposed to, but unfortunately the world is bigger than our living room! I also work at a Uni and see too many young girls who are so consumed by their appearance and how they think they should behave that it takes over life sometimes. If we keep talking to our children we can at least keep the positive messages coming through.
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard of Miss Representation here in Australia.
x
Wow - great post. Will definitely sign up and spread the word.
ReplyDeleteI visited my new freshman college daughter last weekend and was slightly surprised to see her wearing her "uniform" of jeans, t-shirt and sweat-shirt despite being surrounded by cute guys. She's not particularly over-confident, but somehow she's got the message that it's not all about make-up and cleavage. (I suppose years of seeing her mother in jeans pays off?)
Saw this last week on OWN. Thought about it a lot, then life got in the way and I didn't give it the attention it truly does deserve. Thank you for revisiting this topic (for me) and bringing it to the attention of others. I have pledged. (mum of 4 girls)
ReplyDelete"While waiting to see the Queen" - okay, we need to know more.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about hanging on with a thread. I think Miss Representation is just about to explode - I hope it gets huge coverage in Australia.
You mean you weren't wearing a see through white bikini with a snake wrapped around your legs? How was it saying goodbye to your freshman? Kxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Kirsty - the importance of this message CANNOT be underestimated. I have posted the film on Fb and added my name to those pledging.
ReplyDeleteThis is for the children we are trying to bring up with a balanced world view...
That is so brilliant, I would like to share it on my blog too. That is so freaky about the paper bag princess, I hope that means a chain reaction is happening and a movement of change. I ment to come back to your blog after reading your post about 'Do you think he's gay". But obviously got side tracked. So glad to be back.
ReplyDeleteI'm super glad I hopped over because you are damn smart and funny. The rub for me with media representation of women these days is that the terrible stuff is usually done with the woman's consent, as part of her Plan for Success. I feel like the Britney Spears of the world have gotten to a point where they could put a stiletto down and insist on a powerful portrayal...yet they cop to a plan that has them in a bikini with a snake between their legs. It's as if we women have fought for power, and now the post-feminist movement is happily tossing it away.
ReplyDeleteI took my daughter to see the Queen in Brisbane on Monday, however the Queen decided that she didn't want to see us!
ReplyDeleteI blogged about it if you want to know the details...
http://awelshgirlinaus.blogspot.com/2011/10/did-you-see-queen.html
x
I was catching up on a few blogs, been away from blog reading for a few weeks - so glad I read this post. I am positively terrified of raising two girls - I remember what it was like to be a teenager 20 years ago, and then I found it challenging - now it is even more complicated. I have taken the pledge, and will share this message on my blog too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cat.
thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I so want to see this.
ReplyDeletefab! You know it's interesting, when I taught in qatar, there was a debate amongst young women about the role of girls and women in a modern feminist context, about what it means to be a muslim woman and to have choices about whether to wear a headscarf. It's a debate that doesn't happen as much in the Uk where girls take their rights for granted but do not, necessarily, question the patriarchy. In Qatar, I think it's interesting that massive investment is being made into education, for girls and boys whilst in the UK feminist has become a dirty word, time to reclaim it.
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