Miss Representation

My last post was about a feminist book that just missed the mark for me. And now I bring you: a feminist documentary that I completely loved. It's primarily focused on the representation of women in the media and how that reflects/shapes women's role in society. The title is Miss Representation (as the post title indicates), it's available on Netflix, and you should definitely go watch it right now.

For those of you that don't know, there's actually a test to gauge the gender equality in works of fiction. It's called the Bechdel test, and it seems like every single time a movie or show passes the test, no one shuts up about it. What  requirements are there for passing the Bechdel test?
1. There are at least two women (generally they have to have names)
2. who talk to each other
3. about something other than a man.
Now, how sad is that? The fact that fiction which passes the Bechdel test is so highly praised implies that it's a feat; that it's difficult. It really shouldn't be, but if you look at the number of top-grossing movies that pass (roughly half for 2013, although some calls were dubious) you might appreciate it a bit more.

This just goes to show that women aren't shown as complex human beings in popular works of fiction. They're objects, they're sidekicks, they're there to stand and look pretty while the lead male saves the day. On a side note, go watch Orphan Black if you want to see the standard roles completely reversed. It's my favorite show and Tatiana Maslany is an incredible, badass actress.

Miss Representation conjures up an important question. What responsibilities fall to content creators? So much in our culture revolves around the media and the media helps shape attitudes on many fronts. Should content creators be held responsible for cultivating equality? The documentary seems to swallow that fact readily. I'm not so sure. Yes, it's important and I'm not going to deny that I would love for content creators to be more socially conscious-- even if the consciousness were legislated. But not everyone has the same drive for equality. It's a job, not necessarily a soapbox. So as much as I think that corporations and the media should use their power in the name of equality, I'm not sure it's entirely right to demand it. However, I'm not a demanding person in the first place.

In what I thought was an amusing turn of events, the movie addressed some traditional Men's Rights Activist (MRA) concerns. Proving, once again, that women's rights are human rights and feminists aren't man haters whose dying wish is to enslave or kill all men. Women's rights and men's rights are closely linked; as annoying as it is to type the phrase 'men's rights'.

The movie ends by strongly advocating leading by example. Show people that you're a complex woman. Raise your children to question the way they see women represented. An overall, just be the change you want to see. If generations of children are raised to respect women and view them as equals, there shouldn't be a problem. Gender equality will be just another fact of daily life.