Miss Representation takes on the problem of media and girls

We learn more from media than any other single source.  By the time girls are teenagers, they spend about 10 hours a day watching tv and movies, reading magazines, and online. What do girls learn from the way girls and women are represented in the media right now? In the words of a teenage girl:

“It’s all about the body, not the brain.”

Girls are valued for being cute,  beautiful and sexy. Men are valued for having power over women. The few truly powerful women who do exist are subjected to inappropriate comments about the way they look. Hillary Clinton is “haggard”. Condoleeza Rice is a “dominatrix”. If this is how the most powerful women in the world are treated, what does it say about how our society views ALL women?

This is why the representation of girls in the media matters.  Not just because this media climate fosters bad body and self image.  Because like it or not, these are the tools that are teaching our daughters what is possible. And our girls need more possibilities.

You can’t be what you can’t see. That’s the message behind the  new movie Miss Representation, premiering on OWN on October 20th. If you have a daughter, or a son you’d like to raise to respect women,  you need to see it.

See the trailer after the jump.

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JC Penney pulled this shirt when parents complained.

It’s been a banner year for inappropriate girlswear. Padded “push up” bikini tops. Butt-perking shoes. Tops declaring the importance of beauty over brains. Now Halloween season is upon us, with girls’ costume options ranging from (sexy) alien to (sexy) zombie. This trend is horrifying — but it’s not really surprising.

Attractiveness has always been the prized virtue of females in our society. It’s been a constant struggle for girls to get as much credit for being smart as being pretty. But this has been complicated by the triumph of the “bad girl” archetype. As explicit sexuality (i.e., porn) has become more accessible and accepted, its aesthetic has seeped into the mainstream. In the past, there were demure “girls next door” and prim “ice queens.” Now, nearly every female celebrity works an overtly sexy look.

Little girls want to look like big girls — especially the ones they know are celebrated by the world at large. They are eager to define their identities according to what is expected and appreciated. Which is what makes the increasing flow of messages that oversexualize girls and undermine their intelligence so disturbing and so dangerous. When a mom on the TV show Dance Moms complained about her 9-year-old gyrating on stage in fishnets, the coach countered, “But she loves it!” How can a parent combat the flow of products AND a daughter’s appetite for them?

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Miley Cyrus, Age 16

It’s not your imagination. 8 year olds today really do dress like 12 year olds did when you were young. There’s a name for this phenomenon: Age Compression. Its why clothes that used to seem semi-scandalous on 16 year olds are now marketed to girls in middle school. It’s why Miley Cyrus’ stage outfit, at left, barely raised an eyebrow, except for the eyebrows of concerned parents, which fled to the backs of their heads.

Sexualizing young girls is nothing new. Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby. Carroll Baker in Baby Doll. Lolita. But what’s happening here is different. Those were fictional characters in adult movies, not real girls with legions of other girls idolizing them. Their styles were defined by girlhood, with trappings like school uniforms, braids and lollipops. Miley Cyrus doesn’t dress like a girl, or even a teenager—she dresses like a woman trying to look as jaw-droppingly hot as possible. Continue reading »

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Ask parents what they worry about when their girls spend time online, and predators are at the top of everyone’s list. Immediate threats to our kids’ welfare are obviously every parent’s primary concern. But there is more to worry about online than a predatory attack—and there are fewer controls in place protecting our daughters from these more subtle threats. Several experts recently revealed their biggest worries about girls using the internet. Here are the 5 biggies:

1. Online predators

The internet can encourage a false sense of trust and connection.  There are many technology tools available to help filter questionable content, but parent education and monitoring is a must.

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Tinker Bell strikes a pose

I’ve always been a fairy fan. I loved fairies as a kid, and since my daughter was born, I’ve tried to subtly steer her toward the winged cuties over the crowned beauties.  At least fairies have magical powers. Princesses don’t seem to have much power at all—except the power to entice.

When we’re talking about fairies these days, we’re mostly talking about Tinker Bell; 50 years after the original Peter Pan movie, Disney has built a universe around the beloved pixie. The new Tink has evolved quite a bit from her formative self. But she has retained some of her fundamental characteristics. They just might not be the ones you’d be happy about your daughter emulating.

But it seems that Tinker Bell wasn’t necessarily designed with girls in mind.

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Little girls dolled up with fake eyelashes, caked on makeup, fake teeth, spray-on tans and synthetic hair extensions may be inappropriate, but is it child abuse?

Some critics say TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” is exploitative and that the contestants’ parents are verging on abusive.

Personally, I can’t bear to watch the reality show, which just launched its third season, because I find the whole kiddie beauty pageant thing disturbing. I wouldn’t want my young daughters to be judged on their appearances and to be sexualized at such an early age. But, then again, I can’t stand bikinis on babies and hesitated before letting my girls playing with makeup, so I’m probably not the demographic for the show.

Based on the ratings, clearly, someone is tuning in to watch — the second season of “Toddlers and Tiaras” averaged 1.3 million viewers each week. Continue reading »

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Forget about babies in bikinis controversy. The pre-pubescent girls who strut their stuff to Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies” in this racy viral video make Madonna look downright quaint.

Dressed in skimpy two-piece costumes that emphasize their non-existent curves, the 8 and 9-year-old girls gyrate like pole dancers rather than 3rd graders. The video, which was shot at the World of Dance Competition in Pomona, California last month, has been viewed more than 1.7 million times and has created quite a stir.

Critics say the video exemplifies the sexualization of young girls in popular culture.

“These lingerie-laden girls, who are said to be about seven, bumped, grinded, shimmied and shaked their way through the hit dance song. Suggestively lip synching that ‘he liked it so much he put a ring on it’,” Famecrawler wrote yesterday.

Most of the people commenting on the video are appalled. Someone called it a “pedophile recruitment video.” But Famecrawler points out that a few commenters defend the sexy moves. One woman wrote, “The choreographer went a bit far, but it’s a dance… nothing else. These girls are obviously pretty professional and dedicated to dance at an early age. They will spend their lives in a dance studio training for competitions, not on a street corner.”

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