MissRepresentation: Symbolic Annihilation of Women

There is something that is severly being under-represented in media: women.  Sure, we see a sufficient amount of women who are portrayed as the ideal object for a man.  However, that is the only version of a woman that is being shown.  When women are shown in media, they are exhibited as weak, dependent on men, needing protection, and oftentimes sexual objects.  Where are the powerful, independent women seeking societal justice?  Where are the women who don't need a man to rescue them? 

The answer is simple: they're almost nonexistent in the media.  These strong, powerful women pose a threat to the masculinity of the male population.  The 97% of media that is owned by men shy away from portraying liberated and self-sufficent women.  This sends the wrong messages to not only women, but also to males, mainly young boys who are developing individual thoughts and perceptions of the world and women.  The symbolic annihilation of women sends the message to the female audience that they should be congruent to the women who are portrayed in media, and if they're not, they're simply not good enough.  The message that is sent to young boys is that they are the powerful ones, and it is their responsibility to rescue and protect women, and women are here for sexualization.  Thus, the power dynamic between genders is perpetuated and enforced.  Will it ever be obliterated?  What would it take to do so?

Although there have been steps taken to minimalize the severity of the power dynamic, it would take a lot more to fully realize the meaning of equality between everyone. 

                            

Symbolic Annihilation Article