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Miss Representation

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Question 1.

The information in the media today enables people to work cohesively. It acts as the

learning spot for all walks of life; children learn a lot from the media and understand society

through the media (Newsom 2021). The patriarchal system in our society lets men hold and

dominate the power in political roles and the privileges in the social arena. Male domination in

power ultimately causes misrepresentation of the female in decision-making and disparities; it

also compromises the political legitimacy.

Question 2 and 3

Today's US media depicts powerful women negatively. It portrays that women in how

they look and not their intellectual capacity. Females are scrutinized for how they look, which

goes all the way to the political respect they receive in front of men (Newsom 2021). Symbolic

annihilation is used to show how women are underrepresented in the media. A more significant

percentage of the female population in the US does not appear in the media. This fits well with

the conflict theory as it shows how women struggle to fit into the US's approved and acceptable

social class.

Question 4 and 5

Objectification is when women treat other women as an object in the society rather than

as humans. Women objectify other women because of the standards that the media sets for them.

The idea of a perfect woman is slim and beautiful, and whenever women are together, it is like a

competition and a kind of a catfight situation. Power is the capacity or ability of a person to

influence or have authority over others (Newsom 2021). The media portrays women's power as

defined by men. Looking at the outside beauty rather than what they have done and

accomplished, an example is when Sarah Palin ran for a vice presidency position, men were
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making quotes such as a 'true leader' and others terming her as a ‘good masturbating material.'

Question 6 and 7.

Women's self-objectification, discrimination, and negativity on the women in power from

the documentary are interesting. The fact that women can be made to see themselves as objects

to the point of ending up with eating disorders in an attempt to meet what the media calls a

perfect woman is unimaginable. Women in power are discriminated against and judged

negatively because of what the media has painted the woman to be.

Question 8.

Conclusively, the documentary has deepened my understanding of how the media has

painted the male as powerful, and their opinions are taken more seriously. The male seems to be

the final in approving how the female should behave and look. On the other hand, the female is

portrayed as weak and less respected, yet the few who are approved are viewed to use their

sexuality to achieve power. This is a misrepresentation, and the proponents of these ideas should

reconsider the impending consequences the media is causing to our society.

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References

Newsom, J. S. (2021). Miss Representation [Video]. Retrieved from

https://slcc.instructure.com/courses/741463/assignments/9628134?

module_item_id=15546730