Over the years, the media has oversexualized women, enabling more people to appreciate the physical rather than the intellectual importance of a woman. Despite increasing feminist efforts, I still ask myself the question: will the media ever change?
Recently I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Miss Representation," which demonstrates the continuing cycle of sexism through the portrayal of women in the media, especially those with political backgrounds, such as Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and Condoleezza Rice.
Because I have many feminist friends, I wanted to become more educated on various ways that women are being oppressed and what can be done to create a change, whether it is within myself, with friends or for a whole group of people.
After watching this documentary, I was appalled to see the amount of demeaning, sexual material that we are exposed to everyday in ads or television that we never stop to think about until we are forced to. One prime example is the magazine ads that we see for different clothing lines. One ad in particular was advertising for a new pair of jeans, but the way the models were set up made it look like it should be an advertisement for orgy safety. There were five male models in the photo, all without a shirt on and their jeans unzipped and pulled down toward their crotch. They were all standing except for one, who was lying down on top of a female model who had no pants, no shirt and no bra on. The man’s body covered her chest, but the picture eluded a sense of masculine control and sexuality. Maybe this is just me, but what the hell does men gang-banging a girl have to do with jeans? If that image is supposed to make me want to go out and buy jeans they are going about it the wrong way, because the first thing I wanted to do when I saw it was try to help the girl out.
We hear it all the time—sex sells. OK, but look at the impact it has had on society’s views. If women do not look like the sexy models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or Kate Upton from the "Game of War" commercials, then we are doing something wrong. You should be thin so you can be healthy, but if you’re a bigger woman and healthy, then you should be thin so you can be completely beautiful. You are fabulous the way you are, don’t change! But I bet you would look amazing if you lost a few pounds. You know, you have such a pretty face for a big girl!
What the hell? No wonder why girls are so insecure! We are constantly receiving mixed messages in the media telling us to embrace who we are, but also urging us to do fit challenges so we can look hot naked, which will eventually lead to us pleasing men the way they want us to. Screw you, "Cosmopolitan," I do not need to lose 20 pounds to be amazing.
It is so tiring. Sure, we hear jokes all the time about girls asking their friends if they look fat in their outfits, or whether they should put more makeup on in order to impress the guy they like. But all jokes aside, this is becoming a serious concern, especially for the young women who are growing up in today’s society.
According to the "Miss Representation" documentary, there has been a significant increase in young girls who have developed eating disorders or have begun cutting themselves due to a lack of self-confidence. How are we helping these girls by carrying on the idea that there is a “perfect woman?”
This article is not meant to blame men for all of the issues involving the oppression of women, because women oppress each other every day with superficial judgements and putdowns. However, as a young woman who has the same lack of self-confidence as many young women of today, I am only speaking about what I know personally.
In order for there to be a positive change in society and the respect that women receive, we all need to support each other and remember that we are more than what we see on television or in the magazines. Even the models we see are not perfect; they have beautiful flaws just like any other human being in the world. We cannot relent to false perceptions.
