Have you ever wished you were beautiful? How many times have you wished you looked differently? Have you even compared your body or appearance to others? Do you ever look down yourself or question your abilities?

This evening I went to a screening of a film called Miss Representation. It was a film by Jennifer Siebel Newsom that explored the issues of women being misrepresented in the media and how that has caused an underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence. It has a great message for women and men about how women are represented in the media and should be seen by everyone. It talked about how women are objectified in the media and are usually represented in a sexual manner. It is not their power that gives them attention, but their bodies. Being a communications major and a women, this information really hit home. This is the kind of stuff I study in most of my communication classes and is an issue I am passionate about. I have struggled with body image issues in the past because of the images I have seen in media. Magazines are constantly displaying unrealistic and airbrushed models. Television programs and movies are constantly hiring skinny women as the female leads. This is sending a message to young girls everywhere that the ideal body is being skinny. Women are also often shown as dumber and weaker than men in the media. This is telling women that they should not be smarter or stronger than men and that man should have control over them. It is also sending a message to men that women should be skinny and that they have the right to control them.

Not only is the message something that everyone should be aware of, but it also made me think more about my own life. It made me think about the little girl I babysit. I do not want her growing up in a world where she doesn’t think she is beautiful enough, smart enough or skinny enough. I don’t want her to compare herself to the women that are in the media, because those are unrealistic representations of what women are really like in society. And I don’t want my little brother growing up in a world where he thinks he has control over women. I want him to treat women as equals and believe that they can have jobs that are stereotypical viewed as “male jobs.” Women can do anything they want if they set their mind to it. Women can be powerful, they can be smart and they can make a difference. Someone just needs to stand up and make a change.