Miss Representation is a documentary that exposes mainstream media and culture that contributes to the under-representation of various women in positions of power and influence in America. The media are selling to the youth of today that girls and women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, magnificence, and their sexuality and not in their capability as to be a strong leader. While boys and men learn from a very young age that their success is tied to dominance at any means necessary, along with power, and aggression. We must value people as whole human beings that are not society’s puppets, not just gendered stereotypes. The film challenges the media’s limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
The film explores how mainstream media contributes to the belittling portrayals of women. This offers a powerful insight at how the media trivializes and sexualizes women. In the film it displays stories from teenage girls to provide their opinion towards media and the message it says about the objectification towards women. For example, this high schooler named Ariella she talks about how when it comes to a woman it is all revolving around the body and not their intellect. A symbolic figure in the film is a barbie doll is a representation of misrepresentation of how female is supposed to be “perfect” in everyway possible.
As a society we conform to males’ ideals and the concept of being “perfect”, having the looks, and body appearance because of that women feel scrutinized. We need “raunch culture” to be put into an all time close since woman are seen as objects of sexual desires and nothing else that they have to offer. In kids’ movies such as Disney the film provided brief clips of female princesses showing sex appeal. That particular image is what we show women to self-expose ourselves. Women need to more empowering and inspiring towards each other to stand against the media and to deter from the perspective of a puppet.
