Chattanooga may celebrate Women's History Month by viewing Miss Representation, a Sundance Film. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, said officials.
There will be a local screening of Miss Representation on Tuesday, March 28, form 5:30-8 p.m. at the Walden Club, 633 Chestnut St. 21st Floor. Reservations are available at Eventbrite.com: “Celebrate Women's History Month with ‘Miss Representation,’ a Sundance Film”. Reservations are required no later than 2 p.m. on March 28.
There will be community discussion led by Denise Reed, moderator for Lean In WomenGroundBreakers Chattanooga Circle.
Sponsors include A Step Ahead Chattanooga, which provides information about and free access to long-term, reversible birth control; Chattanooga Women's Leadership Institute which provides opportunities for women to increase their leadership capabilities through educational series, inspirational programs and multiple opportunities to associate with a diverse group of women leaders; and Lean In WomenGroundBreakers Chattanooga Circle which are events about in-depth conversations and difference making.
Miss Representation includes stories from teenage girls and interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Jackson Katz, Jean Kilbourne and Gloria Steinem. The film offers startling facts and statistics to leave audiences enlightened and empowered with a new perspective, said officials.
“I made Miss Representation because we live in a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, and the collective message the media send to our young women and men is that a woman’s value lies in her youth, beauty and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader,” Ms. Newsom said. “I wanted to shed a light on this problem, because if we don’t question that thinking and work to change it, we are going to continue to be marginalized.”
Ms. Newsom opens the documentary with facts about how much media teenagers are consuming. It states that teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching T.V., 17 hours a week listening to music, three hours a week watching movies, four hours a week reading magazines and 10 hours a week online which all adds up to 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption a day.
Jackson Katz, PhD, author of the book The Macho Paradox and filmmaker of the documentary Tough Guise says, “People learn more from media than any other source of information.”
Ms. Newsom then begins discussing her daughter’s future in a society harsh to women. The society she speaks of is a patriarchal hierarchy in which the dominant group (white men) enforces the ideology that women are objects for sex, childbearing and cleaning. The media are therefore hegemonic tools in reinforcing these ideas. The media are, “…shaping our politics, they’re shaping our national discourse, and most of they’re shaping our young people’s brains and lives and emotions.”
In response to demand for ongoing education and social action in support of the film’s message, Ms. Newsom founded the organization that has become The Representation Project in April 2011.Using film as a catalyst for cultural transformation, The Representation Project inspires individuals and communities to challenge and overcome limiting stereotypes so that everyone, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation or circumstance can fulfill their human potential, said officials.
Learn more about The Representation Project, including its second film The Mask You Live In and guidance on how to join the movement, at: www.therepresentationproject.org.
For more information about documentary screenings, contact Jessica Lee:
Jessica@therepresentationproject.org