We are sending a big shout-out to the New York Film Academy for taking a closer look at women in film and what, if any, advancements women are making. In a study of how women are portrayed in the top 500 films of the last five years, they state, “After reviewing the data, it is clear that Hollywood remains stuck in its gender bias. Of course, it’s not all disparaging news and there are a number of female filmmakers, characters, and emerging talent challenging the status quo…By shedding light on gender inequality in film, we hope to start a discussion about what can be done to increase women’s exposure and power in big-budget films.”
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YES, YES, YES. The millions of images of women and girls we see in media reflect back a super distorted version of reality. In this warped universe, females are only visible if they fit very narrow beauty ideals and when we do see them, they are valued solely for their sexual appeal. It’s time to shine a light on this gross distortion of reality, speak up, and fight back. These messages, found in the most “innocent” of children’s programming and the biggest blockbuster movies, are stalling our potential and putting a serious halt on our wellness and happiness.
In the largest study of its kind, the Institute on Gender in Media found the more hours of TV/movies a girl watches, the fewer options she believes she has in her life. And the more hours a boy watches, the more sexist his views become. Of the female characters in G-rated movies, the majority are highly stereotyped and/or hypersexualized. It turns out the female characters in G-rated movies wear the same amount of sexually revealing clothing as the females in R-rated movies. And it’s probably a no-brainer that they found the overwhelming majority of female characters in animated movies have an “ideal” body type that cannot exist in real life. Now the NYFA has given us more awesome information on what it looks like to be a woman in film. Check out the full graphic below, but take note of a few crazy stats: Women on screen are way more likely than men to not have speaking roles and be naked or half naked. The highest-earning woman in Hollywood makes about as much as the lowest-ranked men. The percentage of female teens depicted nude or semi-nude increased 32.5% in the last five years. YIKES. There’s some good news in this graphic, too, so check it out for all the highlights and the lowlights.
THIS is media literacy. This is what Beauty Redefined is all about. We know girls and women are capable of much more than being looked at and we are dedicated to helping you recognize and reject every profit-driven lie that would convince you otherwise. We deserve so much more than believing we are bodies to be looked at, fixed, and judged. Want to get more involved in our awesome nonprofit? Check out this list of ways to join our team here.
