MissRepresentation (2011) and the Effects of Misogyny in Media

Gabriella Carcelli

The Ohio State University

ARTEDUC2600

Instructor Jasmine Floyd

10/06/2023
 MissRepresentation (2011) and the Effects of Misogyny in Media

It seems a major motif of today’s cultural media is harmful portrayal of women and the pieces

that critically analyze them. MissRepresentation is a Jennifer Siebel film combing through countless

media images which demonstrate “a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality”

according to the Kanopy abstract. In the age of the internet, women in films, media advertisements, and

television have been controlled by the male gaze, limiting a woman’s importance to sexualization and

desire. The current state of American national media in producing toxic misogynistic images has had

extremely negative effects on the public who consume it, creating a limited beauty standard, toxic cultural

climate, and mistrust in leadership.

Adhering to societal norms.

The notion that members of society have the same implicit standard of what makes a woman

beautiful is extremely alarming. You look at someone, and based on what society has told you about

what it means to be beautiful, you can automatically judge the value of this person. The visual images we

are force fed through social media, television shows, movies, and advertisements as well as messaging in

books and music all contribute to the unrealistic expectations of feminine beauty. The documentary

highlights this as “To be a woman meant constantly striving for an unattainable ideal of beauty and

approval in the eyes of man” (Siebel, 2011, 6:13). The male gaze is what directs media to oversexualize

women in visual images. Female characters historically are placed for the male audience’s ogling, which

has created the standards for women in film to be sexually desirable. This is also seen in social media

images and the trend to “Face tune” photos. Seeing image after image of perfectly edited female faces and

bodies creates feelings of inferiority in those who believe they are accurate. I too catch myself scanning

social media images and being upset when mine don’t compare. Growing up with the fad of social media

and the beauty product market creates the mindset of self-worth being determined by my looks.

MissRepresentation says “You'd never see the photograph of a woman considered beautiful that hasn't

been digitally altered to make her absolutely and humanly perfect. Girls are being encouraged to achieve
that ideal” (Siebel, 2011, 9:40). The danger of producing media like this is becoming apparent in rise in

crime against women and self-harm.

Toxicity in society.

The result of this unrealistic beauty standard is a toxic and unjust society which continues to

nurture the harmful expectations of women. The eating disorders, self-harm, and mental illness in teenage

years are excessively normalized in our society. Though it is the consensus to immediately seek help, it’s

as if these issues are something every girl goes through once. The documentary provides the statistics

“53% of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies. Their number increases to 78% by age 17. 65%

of women and girls have an eating disorder. 17% of teens engage in cutting and self-injurious behavior”

(Siebel, 2013, 7:09) as well as multiple accounts from young women who describe being unhappy with

their weight at ridiculously young ages.

The toxicity stems from American politics’ cling to capitalism. The laissez-faire system dares not

regulate profitable industries even if they are actively destroying the mental health of Americans.

Advertisements that promote the unrealistic beauty standard create the market for beauty products, salon

services, and procedures which alter appearance. “Advertisers spent $235.6 billion in 2009. 80% of the

countries in the world have GDPs less than that… US women spend $12,000 to $15,000 a year on beauty

products and salon services. The number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youth under age

19 more than tripled from 1997 to 2007” (Siebel, 2013, 12:23). Powerful corporations prey on

impressionable people who, because of the media they are fed, believe that they would be more fulfilled

and happier if they were to keep up with the beauty standard.

Congress makes no changes.

If the capitalist system weren’t enough, the American congress is failing to protect the public.

Broadcast corporations have made it clear that “To make money is our only objective” (Siebel, 2013,

1:09:54). The harmful system which influences society is not being addressed by the people in office.

According to MissRepresentation, we would expect public servants to oblige to the greater good, but

“their fortunes as politicians are dependent upon the media coverage as well as their ability to buy time in
those media stations when they're running for office” (Siebel, 2013, 1:10:57). It seems virtually

impossible to change the toxic climate of our media if those regulating it are being bribed to turn a blind

eye.

The work of MissRepresentation.

Siebel’s documentary addresses a range of issues, most notably defining “self-objectification as a

national epidemic” (Siebel, 2013, 13:36). The dysfunction in having an economy and media based on the

emotional harm of society who consumes it is inherently alarming. There is no shortage of internet videos

and clips from movies which the documentary plays to highlight the normalization of unhealthy ideals.

Thankfully there are works like this criticizing the system and bringing awareness to the injustice.

The Sexualization of Girls and Girlhood; Causes, Consequences, and Resistance.

This 2013 book explores the ideals pushed on girls from a young age to be sexually desirable

based on several research studies. There are a multitude of popular culture events displaying how these

negative phenomena are pushed into feminine minds. One example is the marketing of Halloween

costumes towards young girls, often 9 to 13 year old models in the catalog images (Roberts, 2013, 5). The

images that are provided particularly stood out to me as I have shopped for Halloween costumes from a

young age and never realized how promiscuous the costumes are, especially for girls that young. The

book notes that “’sexy’ has become synonymous with feminine in the media and advertising” (Roberts,

2013, 5). Another example that stood out to me was the “Girls Gone Wild” trope often seen in music

videos, which “emphasize service to boys and men, voyeurism, and performance… stripping equals sexy,

and sexy equals feminine.” In something as innocent as watching a music video, girls are taught that their

femininity depends on their worth to the male gaze.

One thing that the documentary fails to address is included in this book; the self-sexualization

that girls partake in. The societal values they have absorbed have caused them to “buy into their own

sexualization” and “treat themselves and their own bodies as objects of others’ desires” (Roberts, 2013,

16). It has become so normal that girls attribute their feminine value to all daily choices, especially in the
clothes they wear. The book explores many more harmful systems created by the gender binary in our

society and I would highly recommend reading it.

Counterarguments

Media companies claim innocence with the idea that it is the viewer’s responsibility to interpret

media correctly and appropriately. There is a notion that being “raised right” should prevent anyone from

being influenced by the toxic culture of media and unethical capitalist enterprises. Truthfully, the history

of this harmful culture has perpetuated throughout generations. Even if our parents raised us to be the

most emotionally healthy, secure people, it is unlikely that the media images we consume wouldn’t affect

us in some way. It is unrealistic that we would escape misogyny when it comes to us over the internet, in

what we watch, and in what we buy.

Conclusions

Critically analyzing how media and advertisements create an unjust environment for young girls

and boys is vital to progress towards change. Films like MissRepresentation and works like The

Sexualization of Girls and Girlhood; Causes, Consequences, and Resistance must be referenced and

promoted to challenge how our lives are shaped by harmful ideals. It is unrealistic to expect change to

happen legally, which is why as a society we have a responsibility to reject toxicity. Change stems from

our courage to break generations of trauma and start working towards a different mindset.
 References

Dietrich, C., & Costanzo, J. (Producers) & Newsom, J. S. (Director). (2011). MissRepresentation

[Motion picture]. United States: Virgil Films.

Kanopy. (2011). MissRepresentation (2011) abstract. Kanopy.

Roberts, E. L.-A. (2013). The Sexualization of Girls and Girlhood. New York City: Oxford University

Press.