1/10/19
I am a girl living in this messed up society. One where I feel compared or pressured to feel or be perfect in a world of imperfections. Many of my friends and other teenage girls in general feel this expectation that weighs down on their life and makes them feel worthless of like they are less of a human. In "Miss Representation Gavin Newsom talked about how when women are looked at a certain way or when opportunities are withheld from them, women are dehumanized. Second class citizens. Objects to look at, but not to have much more meaning than that. I am certainly not generalizing men saying that they are all misogynistic and disrespectful of women. Some men have a certain image of a woman, some preconceived standards per say. Men too have their insecurities, but the level to which it has progressed for women is very concerning. People recognize this concept and know it is prevalent, people make movements and activity, but barely anything ever changes.
Even in my World Literature class we learned about Catholicism which only reinforces the idea that women are inferior to men and that they are meant to passively obey and be present. The religion says that women who are most saintly are those we passively obey the male character. Another example is that Eve was the one to fall to temptation of the tree, not Adam. This then gave the impression that women are unstable or cannot control themselves. In addition to this, woman was created from the rib of Adam. So therefore there is the idea that man created woman and that she is therefore inferior. Another fact I learned was that the women guardians do not have power over their actions or those of the Church. This continues the idea that women have no power in higher up positions, also shown by nuns, which is a wrong a presentation of reality.
The media has forced women into a box, forcing them to think a certain way, and almost feel excluded from the general population when reality is that we make up 50% of this nation. Young girls grow up in a world where they feel pressured to look a certain, unrealistic way. To be a Victoria's Secret Model, to have the face or body of somebody unrealistic. Girls have learned to see themselves as objects and people have accepted them as such. Media is the main source of this problem, but the question is how can we truly address this issue?
How do we just get the media to simply stop sexualizing women? The media thinks it is our own fault for being consumers of their content. But the media is the source shoving it down our throat. This content of dehumanizing women is their source of profit. So, yes we need to address the issues of society. Stand up for ourselves and all women. Don't fall into this trap and continue with constant activism. Our generation is hurting, and honestly, it begins and ends with the media.
I am a girl living in this messed up society. One where I feel compared or pressured to feel or be perfect in a world of imperfections. Many of my friends and other teenage girls in general feel this expectation that weighs down on their life and makes them feel worthless of like they are less of a human. In "Miss Representation Gavin Newsom talked about how when women are looked at a certain way or when opportunities are withheld from them, women are dehumanized. Second class citizens. Objects to look at, but not to have much more meaning than that. I am certainly not generalizing men saying that they are all misogynistic and disrespectful of women. Some men have a certain image of a woman, some preconceived standards per say. Men too have their insecurities, but the level to which it has progressed for women is very concerning. People recognize this concept and know it is prevalent, people make movements and activity, but barely anything ever changes.
Even in my World Literature class we learned about Catholicism which only reinforces the idea that women are inferior to men and that they are meant to passively obey and be present. The religion says that women who are most saintly are those we passively obey the male character. Another example is that Eve was the one to fall to temptation of the tree, not Adam. This then gave the impression that women are unstable or cannot control themselves. In addition to this, woman was created from the rib of Adam. So therefore there is the idea that man created woman and that she is therefore inferior. Another fact I learned was that the women guardians do not have power over their actions or those of the Church. This continues the idea that women have no power in higher up positions, also shown by nuns, which is a wrong a presentation of reality.
The media has forced women into a box, forcing them to think a certain way, and almost feel excluded from the general population when reality is that we make up 50% of this nation. Young girls grow up in a world where they feel pressured to look a certain, unrealistic way. To be a Victoria's Secret Model, to have the face or body of somebody unrealistic. Girls have learned to see themselves as objects and people have accepted them as such. Media is the main source of this problem, but the question is how can we truly address this issue?
How do we just get the media to simply stop sexualizing women? The media thinks it is our own fault for being consumers of their content. But the media is the source shoving it down our throat. This content of dehumanizing women is their source of profit. So, yes we need to address the issues of society. Stand up for ourselves and all women. Don't fall into this trap and continue with constant activism. Our generation is hurting, and honestly, it begins and ends with the media.
In relation to Catholicism I believe that the number of inequities between men and women are ridiculous. The idea that you must be passive in order to be respected only hurts both women's self esteem and their opportunities in life. Also, and in no way am I attempting to comment on the catholic community as a whole, but I wonder what this kind of rule results in. What I mean is, similar to in the documentary, when it says that dehumanizing is the first step to abuse. Constantly being obedient is near impossible, so what is justified when someone naturally makes the "mistake" of speaking up? The Catholic church is still a major institution today, so how does that play into gender stereotypes and inequities as society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the church I know that there are many women out there who do believe it is their duty to be passive and listen to men. I realize that these women are living their lives the way they want to and that is their choice they can do whatever they want, but at the same time, I feel bad. They are living their lives as second class citizens yo their fathers, husbands and sons.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this is a great summary of Miss Representation as a whole. I definitely agree with you when you said that the media is shoving these ideas down our throats and then placing the blame on us. If we could make the choice to only consume the media that we wanted to we would all be very different people, and often the media that we are seeking out, media where women are thoroughly and accurately portrayed, either doesn't exist or is very difficult to find.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know if my comment is going to work, my last two I don't even see show up. I agree with your post on so many levels and what you mentioned about men really stood out to me. How not all men are these awful beings but they do have an image of woman, and image that was unfortunately shoved down their throats by the media. The media hurts all levels and its up to both men and woman to break aware from the standards and ideas that were forced upon us.
ReplyDeleteaye it worked
DeleteThe way that women are portrayed in the media is subconsciously changing the way we see ourselves. It is very defeating to see this image being sold that we are objects for other people's amusement. I think one of the most important points you made was that companies are profiting off of dehumanizing women. This is concerning to me because I don't see how we can fix the problem as long as companies continue to reinforce it to make money.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you brought up the part about how the Catholicism enforces the ideas brought up. Throughout history I think one of the major reasons for this under representation is the impact that religion, most notably Christianity due to its large following, had and the ideals they taught, many of which the effects of are still being seen today.
ReplyDelete