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  • Essay / Misrepresentation of women in today's media

    Close your eyes and imagine a doctor, a superhero, a CEO, a firefighter or just someone really strong. Who did you think of? What came to mind? What did he look like? The reason I say “he” is because most of you sitting in this room would think of a man. Why do we automatically view men as the dominant sex in today's society? The answer to this question comes from the media. The media spreads content that shapes our society into believing that women must look a certain way, dress and eat a certain way, otherwise they are viewed differently from others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayHello everyone and welcome to the annual Media Representations Conference. I will analyze two media texts to support my point of view and explore ways to overcome this stereotype that has persisted for too many years. To begin with, the first media analyzed is the documentary “Missrepresentation” which was broadcast in 2011. This documentary talks about how the media sends an unhelpful message to young women and men that a woman's value and power lies in her youth , his beauty and his sexuality and not in his quality as a leader. This stereotype can be seen in advertisements, magazines, video games, TV shows, movies, toys, and everywhere we look, women are misrepresented. For example, young girls are given Barbie dolls with painted faces and revealing outfits. They watch movies in which the same stereotype is repeated over and over again. The female waits for her man as a knight in shining armor to come and save them and provide for their needs. These films always end with them settling down, getting married and having children, living happily ever after. When the media sends girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, they feel powerless. They will grow up with the concept of this perfect woman in mind, and as a result, this prevents them from making a difference and becoming leaders. As high school student Ariella says, “It’s all about the body, not the brain.” » Every day, the average person spends 10 hours and 45 minutes on media. Whether it's watching TV, scrolling through Instagram, or just reading a magazine. We are constantly exposed to women who are misrepresented in the media 24/7. For example, take a look at the women we see in the news. What outfits do they see them wearing? How old are they? These women wear very low-cut shirts/dresses, their hair perfectly curled and on their shoulders with a made-up face. The fact that female journalists dress this way distracts viewers from the important news they are delivering to the public. The fact that the media continually shows these depictions of women creates the belief that women should always look presentable wherever they go. “Only 31% of Australian federal parliamentarians are women, ranking Australian federal parliamentarians 50th in the world for female representation. » The second media comes from Pursuit, which leads us to understand how women are poorly represented in politics. How can we expect our country to make executive decisions if Parliament is dominated by men? They do not have the perspectives, ideas and experiences of women. Women are told that Parliament is for men's activities, which makes them.”