Miss Representation & The Mirror

Commentary

 I watched a 2011 short documentary entitled Miss Representation this week. It gave me much to think about. I have noticed some negative things in our culture, but I had not noticed a few things. I will share a few things that I learned, and then let's think further about the message.

The first thing that struck me is how flagrant and explicit ads can be. I did not realize how little regulation there was on what ads can be aired nowadays. Compared to 2011, 2024 has even more availability of ads for young children. 

Another point that made me pause was the lack of normal women in TV and movies. I have noticed this before, but I hadn't thought too hard about it. The only women who are main characters in movies right now are unrealistically gorgeous and one or two dimensional. According to much of the media, women have to be size 0 or size negative one in order to be deemed attractive. They also cannot have body hair, have wrinkles, or any normal fat. All of which is preposterous!

Men also have unrealistic and toxic ideas pressed upon them. In the media, men are emotionally distant, brash, and domineering. Men are expected to have no pockets of fat and chiseled in every muscle. The most damaging of all, men are taught to objectify women.

Personal Views

No woman or man should look in the mirror and hate what she or he sees. 

No woman should feel an urgent need to spend thousands of dollars a year on cosmetic products or receive a body altering procedure for beauty's sake. 

A woman is beautiful just the way she is.

Media may say otherwise, but a real smile is more beautiful than a size-zero waist. Wrinkles from a life well lived is beautiful. Having a personality is a pro not a con.

I hope that we as a society can take stand against the current flow. I would love to see a day where actresses and actors can represent what we are actually like. I would love to see a day where I don’t have to be concerned what my child will see in an advertisement. 

I would love to see a day when each person can look in the mirror and think to themselves: 

“I am beautiful just the way I am. I’ll style my hair for fun and self-expression. I’ll put make up on since it is an art form I enjoy. I don’t need to prove to anyone I am worth it.”


Comments

  1. Domanique KempFebruary 29, 2024 at 9:36 PM

    Thank you for the following statement "No woman or man should look in the mirror and hate what she or he sees" " but a real smile is more beautiful than a size-zero waist" "Wrinkles from a life well lived is beautiful. Having a personality is a pro not a con." I too hope that as a society we can take a stand against the current narratives that are upheld by the media that falsely portray the men and women. Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Natalie PorterMarch 2, 2024 at 8:39 PM

    Beautifully said! I also was taken back by the Miss Representation video and thought about how I would want to teach my daughters what really matters.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lexi LindmanMarch 4, 2024 at 2:12 PM

    I thought this film was interesting as well. I was actually watching it as I was getting ready for my ballroom competition and found it sadly ironic to be actively conforming to the ballroom industry's standard for beauty, which is so much different and more extreme than what is natural for me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kimberly BarreraMarch 6, 2024 at 2:29 PM

    Thank you for your post! I think you did a great job highlighting the main takeaway from this film. Also, thank you for mentioning the ways are exposed to unrealistic and toxic ideas.

    ReplyDelete

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