"I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back."- Maya Angelou
How we can all make a difference:
parents, media literacy, and activism
There are a few things we can all do to change the cultural climate that creates inequality for our women and girls. The first step toward being able to resist cultural messages is becoming aware of them. Critically thinking should start early on, before girls hit puberty. Parents can serve as buffers helping their daughters to process unrealistic beauty standards and negative messages conveyed in the media (Crawford, p. 235). Parents can help their kids become media-literate by discussing what they see and how to not buy into stereotypes and beauty myths.
Media literacy can be an answer to a lot of these issues, and it should start in kindergarten. The US is one of the few developed nations in the world that does not teach media literacy in its schools (Kilbourne, p. 304). Media literacy is the "ability to read, analyze, and contextualize information in a way that looks at its accuracy, its 'framing,' and where it comes from (Zeisler, p. 141). Media literacy often looks at how race, class and political views are portrayed in popular culture, and how certain products are specifically marketed to specific demographics (Zeisler, p. 142). Americans receive an overwhelming amount of media and pop culture messages, and there's "real danger in simply absorbing them" (Zeisler, pp. 143-144). Media literacy makes every consumer more responsible and aware of what they are watching on a daily basis (Zeisler, p. 144). We should also insist that our schools be ad-free zones (Kilbourne, p. 304).
The media can also try to show a variety of diverse women in their programs, and ads don't need to show women and girls being sexually exploited and objectified. On a daily basis, we can change our language and conversations to value people's individual personalities rather than focusing on physical attributes. For example, next time we encounter one of our female friends, why don't we challenge ourselves to say "Good to see you! What's new in your life?" instead of "Have you lost weight?" or "I love your hair!" When you first meet a little girl, will you ask her what she's learning in school or compliment her on her new outfit? (Crawford, p. 243).
Little by little we can all make a difference. What's yours going to be?
Media literacy can be an answer to a lot of these issues, and it should start in kindergarten. The US is one of the few developed nations in the world that does not teach media literacy in its schools (Kilbourne, p. 304). Media literacy is the "ability to read, analyze, and contextualize information in a way that looks at its accuracy, its 'framing,' and where it comes from (Zeisler, p. 141). Media literacy often looks at how race, class and political views are portrayed in popular culture, and how certain products are specifically marketed to specific demographics (Zeisler, p. 142). Americans receive an overwhelming amount of media and pop culture messages, and there's "real danger in simply absorbing them" (Zeisler, pp. 143-144). Media literacy makes every consumer more responsible and aware of what they are watching on a daily basis (Zeisler, p. 144). We should also insist that our schools be ad-free zones (Kilbourne, p. 304).
The media can also try to show a variety of diverse women in their programs, and ads don't need to show women and girls being sexually exploited and objectified. On a daily basis, we can change our language and conversations to value people's individual personalities rather than focusing on physical attributes. For example, next time we encounter one of our female friends, why don't we challenge ourselves to say "Good to see you! What's new in your life?" instead of "Have you lost weight?" or "I love your hair!" When you first meet a little girl, will you ask her what she's learning in school or compliment her on her new outfit? (Crawford, p. 243).
Little by little we can all make a difference. What's yours going to be?