Girls Impact the World

A few weeks ago I started on a documentary. I am entering it in the Girls Impact the World Film Festival held by an amazing organization called Connecther, which works to raise awareness about issues facing women today such as education, domestic violence, health care, sex trafficking, and many other topics.
 
To be honest, when I started this project I was only thinking about how much fun I would have interviewing and editing. I imagined the cheesy smile I would have on my face when I walked away with the grand cash prize. But as I sat into the project and started researching, I began to see that these issues are real and affect us women everyday more than we are aware. This project became something more.
 
Media: the shows, movies and YouTube videos you watch, music you listen to, games you play, magazines you read; it’s everywhere. If you’re an average person you consume 10hrs of media a day (yeah right, it’s more than that if you carry around your smart phone). In consuming this amount we have come to a time when we are no longer influencing the media, the media is influencing, shaping, and distorting our perceptions of the world.
 
This is when I asked myself – how am I represented in the media, how are women represented in the media? I looked around and absolutely hated what I saw and so my video topic “women and girls in media” was born.
 

“Today 78% of women by the age of 17 are unhappy with their bodies”

Do you realize that 100% of women you see in the media are fake! Look, I am not over exaggerating, if you flip through any magazine the women are stick skinny – but curvy. They are smiling – without smile lines. The only ads I could find that showed untouched/normal looking women were the Dove’s Campaign for Real Women ads and a Clarisonic skin care ad that proudly stated “non-retouched image” at the bottom.
 
As obvious as it may seem that these images are false, in the moment when women are flipping through these magazine pages they can’t help but compare themselves to these images. This is why today 78% of women by the age of 17 are unhappy with their bodies and 90% of all eating disorders are suffered by women. Something needs to change.
 

“The media doesn’t focus on the big speech she gave or the big difference she’s making - oh noooo - they are only concerned about how big her tits looked!”

But this issue of Media, it doesn’t just stop at body image. I watched a documentary called Miss Representation and  I was woken up to the fact that the  media really undermines us women. Women are portrayed as the ditz, bombshell, damsel, or bitch. We are sexualized and objectified, and the few times women are the protagonist or leader they are stone hearted and cold. And have you noticed that when a woman becomes a leader in our society, the media doesn’t focus on the big speech she gave or the big difference she’s making - oh noooo - they are only concerned about how big her tits looked, what she is wearing, what her hair is like, and how good her fashion consciousness is. 

How does this affect the everyday woman? Well from an early age we watch things like The Little Mermaid where Ariel, who is really little (probably a size 000) swims around showing her cleavage in her seashell bra. How about Cinderella, she’s a girl that’s chasing her dreams (except her only goal in life to marry the prince). I’m not trying to hate. I love these movies. However, my point is we girls are conditioned from early on to value prettiness, sexiness, and pleasing others over being a leader, being independent, and reaching our own goals.
 

“Media can be an instrument of change”

As a girl who wants to impact the world, through this video competition I will be working to produce a documentary featuring empowering women and discussing how women are misrepresented in the media. But most importantly I want to make people aware of ways in which our society can work to represent women as we truly are! Katie Couric said “media can be an instrument of change” and it can if we take back control and be the change. 

My documentary will be released here in a couple of weeks! When it is, do your part to make a difference by sharing - every share makes another aware! Also what should I title my video? If you have any ideas leave a comment!
 
For more info on this competition and women in media check out:
www.connecther.org
www.film.missrepresentation.org