Response to Miss Representation by Dakota Peschel

Miss Representation is a fantastic documentary which highlights the startling inconsistencies and discriminations that exist between women and men in contemporary society. Paying special attention to politics and the double standards that women are subjected to in the world today, this documentary aimed to point out the flaws that consist and how women need to be strong in order to fix them. Whether it be body image issues, fashion disasters, or femininity, girls of all ages are subject to the constant pressure the media places on all women, whether they be celebrities or political leaders, which in turn causes a new generation to be image obsessed.

Powerful women are seen portrayed negatively because they threaten the white, male heterosexual power scheme that dominates our society today. Kids see these images of women in power getting media coverage covering their outfits and come to understand that vanity is more important than politics. They can see women politicians getting heckled over the most ridiculous things, whether it be breast implants or household chores they “should” be doing. This discourages women from becoming politicians; they feel that as women, being pretty and obsessing over their personal image is more important than making a difference in the world. The filmmakers make a point to stress the fundamentally bad image and objectification that this nation's media places on women in general.

Women are constantly upheld to the highest standard of beauty, even if it means photoshopping models in their pictures. Disturbing images of a models being photoshopped skinny are apparently common place, and when the actual image of their figure is compared side by side, the results are astonishing. Young women are seeing these incredibly fake images and fake standards of beauty, and they feel inadequate. The magazine ads are then placed in order to engender insecurities in these young women, and in order for them to feel adequate, they suggest that they must purchase their product. Advertising is quite an evil industry, as it essentially preys on everyone's insecurities in order to sell products.

In the end, the main message that was sent out is that our society is still incredibly biased to males. Males have most of the power, get paid more, and are less apt to conform to the standard image of masculinity, although in some ways there are more pressures on them to succeed. Women need to be educated to lead, and this documentary aims to point out the flaws within our society that bring women down.