The Representation of Women in Media

How we can do better – and change the view

I recently re-watched a documentary film called Miss Representation, after flipping through my Netflix account and seeing that it was available. Throughout my time studying as a student at the University of Guelph, I found myself intrigued and moved by the classes that focused on feminist and ethical issues, as well as dystopian studies. These classes often focused on the voicelessness of the Other – which is actually a big reason for my getting into the field of journalism and communication. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about – the Other is usually a minority, or someone who is deemed less than by those who are dominant in society.

…its primary focus is on the ways in which women are represented in the media…

I found myself feeling very connected to Miss Representation, as its primary focus is on the ways in which women are represented in the media, in addition to why this representation has caused detrimental effects to women all over the globe. Women have been, for quite some time now, represented as highly sexualized objects. Those in the spotlight of Hollywood are judged on their image – rather than their intellectual ability. With the rapid growth of technology and the increased closeness of the relationships shared between our devices and our lives, we have become concerned with things that should not be our primary focus.

Beginning in grade five, I developed image issues – I felt insecure and ugly. Looking back, I can recognize that the reasons I likely began feeling that way was because of the toys I had played with as a child, and the advertisements and television programs I saw when flipping through television channels. I loved Barbies – they were always so pretty, with perfect features, long straight blond hair, and a trim figure. I didn’t fit that category, and so I felt like I was less. As I reached my teenage years, I read all sorts of teen magazines – I loved looking at all of the pictures of celebrities, seeing who was dating whom, and learning about the upcoming style trends. As a teenager, I didn’t understand the media the way I do now, and I didn’t see how harmful it could actually be.

…I didn’t understand the media the way I do now, and I didn’t see how harmful it could actually be.

Once I reached my 20s, and began studying representation in media, I started seeing the ugly truth behind the pretty images. I began realizing that the way advertising works, especially for beauty projects or selling fashion, is by feeding off of people’s insecurities in order to make them feel like if they buy this product or that outfit, they’ll be prettier, more desirable, or fit in better. The sad part of all of this is that it took me until my 20s to understand all of this. By the time I had understood it all, it had already left me in an uncomfortable place – insecure and working on it.

I want to be able to help people understand what they are seeing isn’t the truth – I want people to understand that to accept the media, we need to understand the media. The following list should enable a deeper understanding about our media and will hopefully encourage some acceptance in ourselves:

1. Advertising is meant to do one thing: be persuasive. I am not saying that all advertising is bad, I am just saying that, when it comes to products, advertising is used as a tool to sell you something. The way people get hooked in is by believing that a certain product is something they need. Beauty products are directed primarily at women – women who have, from a young age, been shown what “ideal beauty” is from a media outlet. Everyone is beautiful, and in unique ways – this authenticity is something we should all strive to explore and accept.
2. The “role-models” young women have to look up to are those they see most often. What is seen most often in the media are women who are filling one of two roles – the sex symbol or the hopeless romantic. Again, there is nothing wrong with being sexy or romantic, but it would be beneficial to see more women in leadership roles in the media who are role-models because of their brilliance and not their physical attributes.
3. Strive to be a role-model for the young people you know – encourage them to embrace themselves with positivity. Teach them the ways in which the media doesn’t show the importance of the female mind in every way, but, rather, focuses on the physicality of the woman. Teach the young women that they are just as qualified for the job as their male counterpart, and that they should push themselves to be the best they can be intellectually. Teach them that hard work really does pay off.

Finally, in my late 20s, I began to think hard about ways in which I can help make a difference in my life and the life of others – to use my voice to enable young people to accept who they are for what they are and to make themselves better from the inside out. I am not perfect – no one is. However, I hope that these words will help someone feel like they are not the only one struggling the self-image issues – it may not go away immediately, but it gets better with time.