Today's media teaches our generation about society more than any other outlet. To understand today's society, one must look at the media and how it shapes our lives and emotions. Girls get the message very early on: all that matters is how they look, and their value and worth is based on that.
This message comes from all media sources. Women strive for an unattainable ideal of beauty and approval in the eyes of men. The media reaches women at all levels of society, including top government officials. Instead of judging them intellectually, they are judged on their physical appearance. Being strong, smart and accomplished is simply not enough. According to the documentary "Miss Representation", 78 percent of 17-year-old women are unhappy with their bodies, and 65 percent of women have eating disorders. How as a society did we digress so fast?
This isn’t 1973 anymore. We are worth more than our physical appearance. Women who highly objectify have lower political efficacy, which is the idea that your voice matters in politics and that you can bring about change in politics. Women who have body image problems are less likely to run for office and less likely to vote. This directly impacts the progression of getting women in leadership positions. According to the Center for American Progress, women make up 51 percent of America, yet they comprise only about 17 percent of Congress.
As a democratic society, it is important to have balance of representation across the spectrum, not only with women but other minority groups. Until 2008, our country chose our leadership from 6 percent of the country's population: white, male, married and heterosexual men. In order to achieve more diversity in leadership positions, our society needs to have a psychological breakthrough, not only in the eyes of men but in the eyes of women. Most opposition of women in power comes from other women. Politics and leadership is considered to be for men by most, and that can be directly correlated with how the media portrays people who are in power.
The majority of TV shows and movies have men playing the roles of major leaders, which doesn't show society that it would be OK if a woman were in that same position. It has become status quo. According to actress Geene Davis, who played the president on ABCs "Commander in Chief", a study showed 68 percent of viewers were more likely to accept a female president. But when it comes to successful female characters in Hollywood films, they are portrayed as a “bitchy boss” who sacrifices family and love to be where she is. Therefore, in many films where the woman is portrayed in a successful leadership position, she still gets a bad reputation and makes it seem that it is simply not possible for a woman to be successful, have love and raise a family, so she must pick one. Reality TV has become the backlash of women’s rights, showing them as enemies to each other. For example, in shows like "The Real Housewives", the plot is based around women fighting, backstabbing and confronting one another.
The media plays a giant role in disrespecting our nation's female leaders. Women are commented more on their appearance rather than the substance of what they are talking about. Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House, was asked when running for office, “Who will be taking care of your children if elected?” No man has ever been asked this question. The media paints women as more emotional than men. As a disclaimer, I am not writing this to influence anyone to vote for Hilary Clinton simply because she is a woman, or to undercut the success and process made by women in America, but rather, in order to make a difference and draw attention to the problems in mainstream society’s media. The cards are still stacked against minority parties trying to attain leadership positions. The glass ceiling still needs to be broken.
