“You can’t be what you can’t see,” Marie Wilson, founder of The White House Project, explains in this powerful film. Yet the media preaches that a woman’s value is found in beauty and sexuality rather than in her leadership abilities. What can be done? This revealing documentary has some answers. It premieres Oct. 20th at 9/8 central on OWN. Filmmakers suggest hosting a house party to watch and discuss it together. The film’s site is packed with resources and ideas for empowering youth. Here are some some of the issues raised by Miss Representation.
Women hold only 3% of clout positions in the mainstream media (telecommunications, entertainment, publishing and advertising).
Women comprise 7% of directors and 13% of film writers in the top 250 grossing films.
The United States is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures.
Women hold 17% of the seats in the House of Representatives (the equivalent body in Rwanda is 56.3% female).
Women are merely 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.
About 25% of girls will experience teen dating violence.
The number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youth 18 or younger more than tripled from 1997 to 2007.
Among youth 18 and younger, liposuctions nearly quadrupled between 1997 and 2007 and breast augmentations increased nearly six-fold in the same 10-year period.
65% of American women and girls have an eating disorder.
