NAME: Tera Lovelady
COURSE: Socio 154
REVIEW #: 10
TITLE : REVIEW – Miss Representation
A) ABSTRACT OR THESIS SUMMARY – Miss Representation is a film written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It began with statistics of average U.S. media consumption, and discussed media's view of women. A multitude of photos, videos, and graphics were shown that placed women in positions that were mostly sexual, and all inappropriate, showing that media does not take women seriously. Then the topics moves on to women in politics and how that is negatively affected by media. The film then moves on to the topic of women in movies and television, and how the majority of movies made either revolve around men, or are for the pleasure of men. There is incredible denial in the media industry regarding the status of women.
B) PRESENTATION MEDIA– Miss Representation was a documentary that was filmed in color. Upbeat music was included throughout the film, which kept the viewer enthralled in the film. The dialogue was academic, showing that the women and men who spoke were intelligent and knew the subject well. Many famous women were included in the film, such as Hillary Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres, Dolly Parton, Katy Perry Oprah Winfrey, and Sarah Palin. Overall, the film was well-presented. C) CONTENT– The first scene when statistics were shown of how much time Americans spend on media consumption. It turns out that each day Americans spend 10 hours and 45 minutes on media. “The media is the message and the messenger.” Media shapes our society. It does not take women seriously. Another scene that was important was the discussion of women in Hollywood. Even films that are created “for” women mostly revolve around a woman finding, dating, or marrying a man. Any film that has a strong female lead either portrays the woman as angry and love-less, or hyper-sexualizes the woman. This is an important point to be made because watching film and TV makes up a large portion of the time that Americans spend each day. In one of the final scenes, Siebel begins talking about how men have been victims of this as well. From the time they are young, boys are taught to be “emotionally constipated.” They are taught that emotion is weakness. This then leads many of them to violence which not only harms women, …show more content…
One was simply that it was personal. Siebel decided to pursue directing, producing, and writing this film because she found out that she was pregnant with a girl. Seeing the misogynistic society that has been present for decades in America, she recognized that she did not want to raise her daughter in a culture that is toxic to women. She did not want her daughter to grow up thinking that she was less-than because of her gender. This made the film relatable. I am not a mother yet, but I will be one day. Thinking about my children growing up in this society makes me want to something to change it. The film also brought up a lot of ideas that I had not considered before. One was the notion that the majority of films are either being created for men, or about men. I am noticing this more and more as I go about my daily life and it is shocking. Miss Representation has caused me to re-think what I watch, and to carefully consider the advertisements of the products that I
COURSE: Socio 154
REVIEW #: 10
TITLE : REVIEW – Miss Representation
A) ABSTRACT OR THESIS SUMMARY – Miss Representation is a film written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It began with statistics of average U.S. media consumption, and discussed media's view of women. A multitude of photos, videos, and graphics were shown that placed women in positions that were mostly sexual, and all inappropriate, showing that media does not take women seriously. Then the topics moves on to women in politics and how that is negatively affected by media. The film then moves on to the topic of women in movies and television, and how the majority of movies made either revolve around men, or are for the pleasure of men. There is incredible denial in the media industry regarding the status of women.
B) PRESENTATION MEDIA– Miss Representation was a documentary that was filmed in color. Upbeat music was included throughout the film, which kept the viewer enthralled in the film. The dialogue was academic, showing that the women and men who spoke were intelligent and knew the subject well. Many famous women were included in the film, such as Hillary Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres, Dolly Parton, Katy Perry Oprah Winfrey, and Sarah Palin. Overall, the film was well-presented. C) CONTENT– The first scene when statistics were shown of how much time Americans spend on media consumption. It turns out that each day Americans spend 10 hours and 45 minutes on media. “The media is the message and the messenger.” Media shapes our society. It does not take women seriously. Another scene that was important was the discussion of women in Hollywood. Even films that are created “for” women mostly revolve around a woman finding, dating, or marrying a man. Any film that has a strong female lead either portrays the woman as angry and love-less, or hyper-sexualizes the woman. This is an important point to be made because watching film and TV makes up a large portion of the time that Americans spend each day. In one of the final scenes, Siebel begins talking about how men have been victims of this as well. From the time they are young, boys are taught to be “emotionally constipated.” They are taught that emotion is weakness. This then leads many of them to violence which not only harms women, …show more content…
One was simply that it was personal. Siebel decided to pursue directing, producing, and writing this film because she found out that she was pregnant with a girl. Seeing the misogynistic society that has been present for decades in America, she recognized that she did not want to raise her daughter in a culture that is toxic to women. She did not want her daughter to grow up thinking that she was less-than because of her gender. This made the film relatable. I am not a mother yet, but I will be one day. Thinking about my children growing up in this society makes me want to something to change it. The film also brought up a lot of ideas that I had not considered before. One was the notion that the majority of films are either being created for men, or about men. I am noticing this more and more as I go about my daily life and it is shocking. Miss Representation has caused me to re-think what I watch, and to carefully consider the advertisements of the products that I