Manipulated by the Media

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We live in a world where media pushes us to be empowered by our sexuality and image, what about being empowered when we are GREAT at something we love?
This is something that has haunted me my whole life and will continue to be prevalent until there is change. What I'm talking about is the media manipulation that happens and how it is not regulated and just getting worse. Hollywood sells us images, music videos, and TV shows that tell us who we are and what to buy. The message is basically you are not worthy.

When I see big budget movies/music videos and how the media portrays females, how can I want to be an actress? Roles are limited for women: What viable career is there for you when you're over 30? Or if your body isn't bikini-perfect?

This may be a reason why I will be focusing more on filmmaking and writing, I want to write what is REALLY out there in world. No more archetypes but females that are smart, have dreams and passions; women who's lives don't revolve around a man or finding love.

PLEASE, I urge everyone, male or female, to watch "MISS REPRESENTATION", a wonderful documentary that really shows how we are being manipulated by the media to believe we aren't worthy.




This has far reaching consequences as we are more connected than ever and we are being bombarded by the media more than ever. I want to address what exactly the media does and the two people it affects, which makes up 100% of the population: Women and Men.

Let's start with a little Hollywood blockbuster known as Thor: The Dark World, starring superstars such as Chris HemsworthNatalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. This movie was extremely entertaining and visually stunning, that's where my praise ends. I can complain about poor dialogue, story structure and archetypes that need to be broken but let's go with the sociological view.

"Thor" is everything that is wrong with Hollywood today and it is a formula that is constantly repeated.



Let's start the far reaching effects of this film, what is everything solved by? Violence. Take away a face of an entire race/gender/species of people and it's alright to commit genocide. Yes, I get it, they are 'evil' and this is a Marvel movie but if you look closely, these films glamorize war and make the enemy 'aliens' or faceless entities that are cannon fodder. What can we directly correlate this into in the real world/politics? War.

It's ok for troops to be deployed and bomb villages full of cities because they are the 'enemy'. We are so used to seeing violence on screen that we are desensitized to the real world violence that happens. As long as it's a terrorist, Al Qaeda, blahlbahlbah .... see what happens? They all blur into the same line and we think it's acceptable because they are faceless. Just like the movies you watch today.

What a lot of responses will be to this is that people can tell the difference between reality and fantasy but when it bombards you everyday you begin to relate the two. Especially when they are both given to you be the same source: the internet, cable television, movies, the news. And what about children watching? They grow up desensitized to the violence and without education or awareness they can reach teenaged or adult aged and still think it's OK for rampant war/murder/rape/killings etc.

Now, it may seem I'm shitting on Thor and I really don't mean to. I loved the first one... well it was directed by Kenneth Branagh who has a way better understanding of storytelling - look, I'm on a tangent.

Let's get back to Thor. Ok, so we've covered violence and desensitization. Let's take a look at one of my favorite topics: portrayal of women in film and media.

Thor is a great example because it's not your usual 'tits-and-ass' hypersexualized objectification of women. Thor hides it's gender bias underneath a glean of having four leading females and no gratuitious sexuality/nudity (I'm looking at you Star Trek: Into Darkness).



I'll make this short and sweet to try and illuminate the subtle and not-so-subtle degradation of women roles that appear in film:

  • Jane Foster, someone has three master degrees and is an actual astrophysicist. So watch the above scene and tell me if you see an astrophysicist or a scene from The Hills?
  • Janes' dialogue throughout the film is atrocious
  • the other female role is the Norse goddess Sif and of course she and Jane are pitted against each other in rivalry over Thor
  • The women in this film need a man and play secondary roles, ex. why couldn't the intern be another young woman who offers great advice?
  • Jane has a powerful universe-destroying mythical ether inside of her and all she really cares about is kissing Thor 

It's just so frustrating to see big budget movies like this not create anything NEW or exciting. MANY females go to see big budget theatre films and life reflects art, art reflects life. So how are women supposed to feel empowered and good about themselves if all we are shown is ads telling us we aren't thin enough, boobs aren't big enough, face isn't flawless enough etc.

And this leads into how media manipulates men, young and old, into thinking sexism is ok. Men are consistently told to be "more masculine", to excel into positions of power and to "own" nice things... and those things? They can be women. Look at some of these ads and tell me what you see.

Along with that are the expectations the media perpetuates. Women are told they are only useful for their hot bodies and pretty faces. Men are told they must 'get bitches, get money'. They are burdened with being emotionally cut-off and told that being sensitive is a bad thing. I know many men who would love and prefer to stay at home with their children but they are expected to bring in the dough. If we look at the animal kingdom, the lioness goes and gets food while the lion stays and guards the territory.

With young boys and girls growing up looking at ads like this how can we not be worried about the future? My sister just turned ten years old and she wanted to join cheer because she was 'getting fat'. My little brother wanted to look at some of my makeup but then said 'no, it's for girls!' and ran away.

The media manipulates us into thinking we fit into these boxes; it dehumanizes us regardless of gender. Men are dehumanized into being working, insensitive and 'macho'; women are dehumanized into sex slaves.

Let's start a movement and change what we see reflected back at us, let's be the change we want to see.


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