Miss Representation Journal

The documentary ‘Miss Representation’ is about the influence the media and culture has on females and those around them. The documentary mainly talks about how the media portrays women and how that portrayal influences peoples’ views of women. The media tends to portray women merely as physical objects that are emotionally unstable.  

     The documentary talked about women in power or the lack thereof, both political and in the business world. On several occasions there were news articles on women in politics and the focus was on their looks. Interestingly, this documentary brought to light that women tend to not support other women, especially women in power. 

     The documentary followed a couple of young ladies in high school running for school government positions and the struggles of fighting the stigmatization that only men should hold leader positions. It also talks about the lack of role models for young ladies to look up to. One of the few females to have gained respect in the political arena and as a role model is Condoleezza Rice.

     There are quite a few topics that can be explored from this documentary. The physical and mental impacts on young girls from being bombarded by the media’s view of the perfect woman. What women earn versus their male counterparts. How the media uses computer technology to create the ‘perfect’ woman. A look at laws that promote equality, such as Title IX which provides equality in college academics and sports. These are just a few topics that could be explored based on this documentary.