Impossible Standards
One of the topics discussed in the movie Miss Representation that we watched in class was how the media affects teenage girls. I have seen at school and in my personal life how girls constantly judge themselves and others around them, but I never really understood why they do that to such an extent. The movie discussed how there is a lack of females in the media and in politics. Even with the women that are in the media, they are very skinny and what is shown in TVs and ads are fake because of photo editing. This holds unattainable standards for girls because boys start to think that girls in their lives should look like that if they are on TV. Also with women in politics, instead of talking about the different policies that they support, they are degraded by the media because the media will only talk about if their dress is too short or what they are wearing.
As a guy, I've always wondered why girls are so mean to each other. Why do girls always hate on what another girl is wearing? But I think after watching this video I see why they do this. I think the media is to blame for this. Because girls are held to these impossible "beauty standards" that are portrayed by the media, they want to look as much alike these women as possible and when they don't meet these standards they look to other people.
The media, especially for guys has portrayed the idea that it is ok to objectify women. Like not just even media, but the culture surrounding school and everything in our society has caused men to objectify women, and women to have to be a certain way. In TV and movies and everywhere we turn media is apparent. If media is telling us that women have to be a certain way, and boys should only look for that, what kind of impact does that have on the children of today?
The solution to the add the voices of women into higher position in the government and in media. If our country is a "democracy" we need to have the voices of the people in our government. How can our government represent the people, if there isn't a fair ratio of women to men in congress. How come there has never been a woman president? These questions are answered by the toxic sexism that is apparent in our society. If we look at how many women serve as high up corporate heads of companies we will see most of them are men. Why not have a women as CEO? These barriers that we face with sexism need to be pulled away because the sooner that happens, the sooner these impossible standards that women are held to everyday can end.
As a guy, I've always wondered why girls are so mean to each other. Why do girls always hate on what another girl is wearing? But I think after watching this video I see why they do this. I think the media is to blame for this. Because girls are held to these impossible "beauty standards" that are portrayed by the media, they want to look as much alike these women as possible and when they don't meet these standards they look to other people.
The media, especially for guys has portrayed the idea that it is ok to objectify women. Like not just even media, but the culture surrounding school and everything in our society has caused men to objectify women, and women to have to be a certain way. In TV and movies and everywhere we turn media is apparent. If media is telling us that women have to be a certain way, and boys should only look for that, what kind of impact does that have on the children of today?The solution to the add the voices of women into higher position in the government and in media. If our country is a "democracy" we need to have the voices of the people in our government. How can our government represent the people, if there isn't a fair ratio of women to men in congress. How come there has never been a woman president? These questions are answered by the toxic sexism that is apparent in our society. If we look at how many women serve as high up corporate heads of companies we will see most of them are men. Why not have a women as CEO? These barriers that we face with sexism need to be pulled away because the sooner that happens, the sooner these impossible standards that women are held to everyday can end.
I totally agree. Because the limited amount of women in media only show stereotypes and unrealistic standards, we all expect everyday women to be the same. Guys expect the girls in their lives to be extremely skinny and essentially perfect, while the girls believe they themselves should be perfect. This is very toxic to a society, because everyone's expectations are very unrealistic, and our opinions towards women are usually objectifying. I think the solution of adding women's voices to higher positions would help a lot, because there would be a wider range of representation for women.
ReplyDeleteI really love how you included the fact that you've never understood why women were so hateful towards one another. It's interesting to see that guys notice that, because I think a lot of the time, women also do not notice how hurtful their words and actions towards one another can be. I think our society has molded us into these self-critical, judgmental, insecure beings, and this just shows that it effects everyone, not just men or women.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the media has influenced not just the main target but also everyone to say that objectifying woman is ok. The media influences the world drastically and sometimes to the extent of stereotyping gender and appearances. Guys especially expect for every girl they meet to be like what the TV or movies portray. In reality, they are not going to find that. The media creates an illusion in one's mind, thinking that these stereotypes about women and what men desire are the norm. I doubt that one man has found that perfect girl that is depicted in TV shows or movies. Girls are expected to live up to these "beauty standards" as you mentioned. But if they can't meet them, then they will not be accepted, which I think is so provocative. Women are constantly put down and I think that media defies more than just sexism. Women are demolished just because of how they are portrayed in the media. Media should not be used to support these stereotypes and the judgment of women.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a lot harder for us guys to understand why girls do the things they do. I think this highlights something my dad always said to me, which is that boys’ and girls’ brains are wired differently. When I was little, I interpreted this as being a completely natural phenomenon. In actuality, this isn’t necessarily an inherent trait of each gender, but an acquired trait from what we are taught by the media.
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