MissRepresentation: Women are labeled as Speechless in Society
Yesterday, Disney's new live-action remake of their beloved original film, Aladdin, comes out. I have seen so many posts promoting the movie. Although I have not seen the movie, I have to say that from what I have seen and read, this movie is definitely one for the books. This version of the movie is taking one into a whole new world. Growing up, I longed that one day I could turn into a Disney Princess. I dreamt of living in a castle and being swept of my feet by a Prince. But, look at where I am now. In reality, these icons that I once respected as a child are really being distorted. They are being utilized as objects to pass on different assumptions or stereotypes and to grab the attention of the viewer. This prevents woman from being greater within society.
Actress Naomi Scott, who plays Princess Jasmine in the movie, is redefining the role of Disney Princesses. In Scott's view, she said, "'I saw her (Jasmine) as a young woman, not a teenager, with a mature strength that can cut you down. So I said to them, 'Just to let you know, I want to play her strong, and if that’s not what you’re looking for, that’s OK, but it’s not for me.'" Scott is trying to reemphasize that women possess just as much power as men and should not be seen or used as objects to get attention. She does not want her character is be misrepresented, as she says, “My girl’s a politician, do you know what I mean? She’s not just there to look pretty.” To show this change, Jasmine's wardrobe has changed and she is given her own song titled, "Speechless". It explains how she will not be silenced by her peers in continuing to fight for her justice for her society. Scott's aspiration to change the fact that woman are downplayed within the media reminded me of how derogatory the media is towards women.
I was always aware of how much bias, judgment, and degradation is made towards women in the media. But, it was not until I watched MissRepresentation that I finally understood how sexist media is. It is like the movie said, "Media is the message and the messenger, shaping everything in society". by that they mean that the media shapes one's position, role, and importance in society. It gives the impression of how one should ideally act, behave, and look. The movie concluded that females are weak and that media consistently objectifies females, never recognizing or acknowledging them for who they really are. Media portrays women as sexual objects because they are what grabs the attention and make the money. Yet because of this, that is all women are seen as to people. It is almost as if a woman's looks is all society wants to see. Women have fought so hard, defying all obstacles and barriers to get where they are today. But no matter how hard they have persevered, they continue to be degraded and seen as inferior to men. The media caters to men and sets up everything for men to succeed. There are currently a minimal amount of women active in politics or in the entertainment industry because they are said to be unsuitable for the job. How can one generalize women and label them as unsuitable in pursuit of big ambitions by their gender? Media sets these impossible standards for women, in which they are judged by. Women are constantly discouraged and disempowered from making a difference. The media silences women.
Media has gone so far as to show not only how men judge women, but also how women judge women. Women comparing themselves to another can lead to a lower in self-esteem. 65% of women dislike their bodies and 17% of women suffer from depression, eating disorders, or suicide. There is without a doubt that these numbers have doubled within the recent years. As a young woman myself, I can say that this issue hits close to home. For years I have felt so unconfident and think differently of myself because I followed with what was portrayed in the media. I compared myself to those I follow, especially celebrities or models. Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner, or Gal Gadot, all have smooth skin, perfect hair and make up, and are all skinny. Their appearance is so flawless that I desire to be as beautiful or skinny like them too. This made me feel self-conscious because I began to believe that I should look like them in order to be considered beautiful. Media creates this image that makes one inhumanly perfect. Girls receive the message that it is all about looks and that looks are what determine the value of a person. They spend more money on beauty products than on education, making it harder for their voices to be heard.
I think I speak for every girl in this world, that we all desire to be perfect. We desire to look beautiful and attractive. And what we see in the media, encourages us to take some risks in order to achieve those goals. But like Naomi Scott said, we need to realize that only our true selves will help us move forward. We don't need to lose weight, wear tons of make up, or rely on a guy or our appearance to achieve want we want. Media has caused all of this negativity towards women to happen, which we have fallen into believing since the assessment of women has practically become a norm in society. Women must become more self-confident in themselves and in other women too, rather than believing in media's degradation of women, so that we can lead our own vision of rising up in power and let one know that we will not go speechless.
I think a large problem that women face is that the role models that they have to look up to when they are growing up are often in search of a man. The most prominent examples are the original Disney princess movies. All of those movies had the princess in need of a prince to protect her and save her from some type of evil. In the end, they would live happily ever after because they had each other. When girls grow up looking up to role models like this, they believe that they will always need men to save them. Now movies are evolving to take a more empowering approach to women, especially the newer Disney princess movies, although there is still a large amount of degrading movies.
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