Miss Representation Journal Entry

Having watched this documentary once, I was not thrilled to have to watch it again.  I watched Miss Representation for an extra credit assignment in ENC 1101 and was appalled at what I saw.  Women and girls are so sexually exploited in the media that is sickens me to my very core.  I have a stepdaughter who is 11 and she is already body conscious.  She really shouldn't be but she watches a lot of television and reads magazines that portray the ideal image of what a woman is supposed to look like.  She is very worried about what other people think of her and it comes out in how she chooses to dress to the way she wears her hair.  I do not think it is fair to women or girls in today's society to be viewed as objects rather than human beings.  Women are often objectified and made out to be less than they are especially if they are ones with above average intelligence.  I do not think that women are by any means inferior to men. In common society, women are responsible for keeping retailers in business as they make up an approximate 86% of the purchasing power.  I laughed when I heard the statement, "You have to look like Miss America, have sex like Samantha on Sex and the City, and think like June Cleaver."  To me that premise says you have to be a beautiful, sex-kitten, domestic goddess that will not be confrontational.   Many women and girls suffer from Body Dsymorphic Disorder as a direct result of the way they are portrayed in the media.  BDD is an obsessive disorder that many develop when they see what the media conveys as the perfect body type from their hair to their weight and as far as the way they dress.  Many women suffer from severe depression and have self-esteem issues as a direct result of BDD.  A size 2 is not the normal size for women in today’s society.  Being healthy should be more important than the size on the clothing labels in your closet.  Be who you are and do it on purpose.