What has the media done for you? Has it made you feel good about yourself? Probably not. Has it given you unrealistic expectations about how you should look and act? Most likely.
On Tuesday, I attended a documentary and panel discussion event put on by the Health Communication Class here at WSU. I went to the event originally to support my aunt who was on the panel. But now I am so glad I did because I learned so much and got a whole new perspective on media.
The documentary, Miss Representation, asks powerful women in today’s society to explain how the media represents women. Their conclusion? Basically everything’s “about the body, not the brain.” The media places photos everywhere of women that have an unattainable beauty because of the way we use photo-editing tools. Thus America is presented with a limited portrayal of women: skinny.
And did you know that 8-10 year old kids have the same mental capacity as a 24 year old? Neither did I. The brain doesn’t fully develop until well into your 20s. That means that images we see at a young age imprint into our brains and affect us into our later years. Girls see skinny, scantily clad women and learn to see themselves as objects. Meanwhile, boys see these same images and learn to see women as objects too. It’s a vicious circle that we all want to stop but don’t know how.
Well, the panelists had a few ideas on how to break the cycle. President Olsen said the shows that portray women in a derogatory manner are the shows you don’t need to watch. The Kardashians, Toddlers in Tiaras, The Bachelor and shows of the same content all show women in a manor that make women feel like they need to be pretty in order to get anywhere in life. Other ideas are to boycott magazines, make better choices about the entertainment you watch, read or listen to and choose media that has strong female characters instead of the mainstream nonsense we buy into.
A student at the event asked, “How are we meant to change this when women and men receive backlash for doing what they love or express themselves in a way that others don’t like?” The brilliant response to this question: “You are going to receive backlash in everything you do. The only thing you can do is to allow your passion to push you through to do what you want to do.”
Remember how I said my aunt was on this panel? Well, she was there because she is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who works in the WSU Health Services office. There she sees patients and answers the many questions people have about their bodies. At the panel she spoke up, saying “I receive many girls in my office who ask me if they are ‘normal.’ Everyone is normal. We are all different but that doesn’t mean that our differences are not normal.”
This goes for guys as well. Men are conditioned to be hard-faced and to shield their emotions from everyone around them. They are taught that in order for them to be successful they need to have a nice car, dress a certain way, make a ton of money and be smarter than everyone around them. But, guys, do you really want to be that way? Having no one know what you are actually feeling and striving for a life you really don’t want?
As President Olsen said at the end of the panel: “College is a time for self discovery, so go find yourself.” That’s definitely what I plan to do. Will you?
