To often have the media—magazines, music videos, celebrities, etc.—praised women who fit a certain mold.
Tiny waists, big busts and bums, flawless complexions, luscious lips and tight abs are some of the qualities worshiped on our TV screens, in our magazines or in advertisements (remember those Carl’s Jr.’s misogynistic commercials?), while notions of being “lady-like,” having a soft voice and being delicate are reinforced though shows, movies and other forms of entertainment. Unfortunately, these “ideals” portrayed in the media have negatively impacted society’s views of women.
Thankfully, instead of using women to reinforce the belief that “sex sells,” celebrities, companies and music artists nowadays are utilizing the entertainment world to protest against society’s warped view of females. And it needs to continue.
Here are some of the best examples we've seen recently:
1.Colbie Caillat's Notion of Beauty: Recently, singer Colbie Caillat took on the physical constraints that are placed on women of all ages and ethnicities. She stood against Photoshop in the entertainment world with her latest music video for “Try." With her music video, singer-songwriter Caillat reveals how the media creates an unrealistic standard of beauty with makeup and Photoshop.
2. Jenny Lewis, Kristen Stewart and Anne Hathaway Dress as Men: But most recently we have singer Jenny Lewis, who revealed the double standard women face of being a mother and a “chick who can hang” in her new music video for her single “Just One Of The Guys."
The video begins with Lewis’ Hollywood friends: Kristen Stewart, Anne Hathaway and Brie Larson are dressed in all-white pantsuits, while Lewis dons a purple and pink pantsuit. The video then shows Stewart, Hathaway and Larson dressed in drag with obnoxious tracksuits and fake mustaches.
With the lyrics:
"No matter how hard I try to be just one of the guys
There's a little something inside that won't let me!
No matter how hard I try to have an open mind
There's a little voice inside that prevents me!"
...one can analyze the song as a statement against the biases and expectations women face as they continue to get older.
3. Always' "Like a Girl" Commercial: The phrase “like a girl” is far too often used as an insult. So, the pad, tampon and pantyliner company Always used one of its commercials to prove that doing anything “like a girl” isn’t a real thing.
The commercial begins with an interview asking adult men, women and young boys to act out what it means to run, throw or fight “like a girl.” As expected, these participants performed these actions in an “overly weak and flouncy” manner. The interviewer then compares these physical displays to the realistically powerful ways pre-teen girls act out the phrase, proving the societal belief that women are too weak to carry out any physical activity is just ignorant.
4. Verizon's Gender Roles Examination: Verizon also released a commercial to prove how parents discourage their daughters from pursuing science and math, while encouraging boys to continue studying those subjects.
This commercial follows a young girl’s life in which she’s constantly told that she’s “pretty” instead of “pretty brilliant,” which seems like a harmless comments. Her parents tell her not to get her dress dirty, and she’s told that her solar system display is getting out of hand. As the girl ages, she’s told that she’s better off exploring makeup tips rather than science projects. As harmless as these comments might seem, the commercial eventually exposes their longtime effect: “While 66 percent of 4th grade girls say they like science and math, only 18 percent of all college engineering majors are female.”
These videos and commercials are coming out around the same time, but this is no coincidence; it’s an indication that in this day and age, Hollywood—the root of all insecurity problems—and the media need to continue challenging the way women are portrayed and the biases placed upon them.
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