Women and Children... Second?

     Women have not been accurately portrayed or represented in the media throughout its entire history. Minority women specifically have been purposely left out of many films and under represented in all types of media productions. The biggest problem is not even the fact that women are not represented accurately but that "movies do not merely offer us the opportunity to reimagine the culture we most intimately know on the screen, they make culture" (Hooks 9). Having more female, (minority or non) filmmakers might help the products to more realistically portray women. Movies, and many other types of media such as television shows, commercials etc. tell us, even if it is subconsciously, how we should behave and look. When we go to a film we don't even realize that we are absorbing the messages given to us without much thought other than 'this is entertainment.' No. As Bell Hooks also states about the filmgoers experience "they have power over us and we have no power over them" (Hooks 3).

     Judith Redding and Victoria A. Brownworth write about Debra Zimmerman, executive Director of Women Make Movies in their book "Beyond the Director's Chair." Zimmerman wanted to create an outlet for women filmmakers and did just that with her festival. It is not just important to have better representations of women in film but to actually have more women filmmakers actively participating in the industry. "... Women Make Movies wants to see more women working professionally in the motion picture industry..." (Brownworth, Redding 262). It is important to get women participating in all forms of media in order to get their opinions heard and start to steer away from the male gaze permeating absolutely everything.

     This exact logic is why I decided to showcase Time magazine's program "Time for Kids." It is a sector of the successful magazine that allows young girls and boys to participate in journalistic endeavors. This includes interviewing people, writing, reporting, researching etc. When young people are encouraged to do something like this that they are passionate about and interested in it sets the tone for how they will be able to work hard and accomplish things later in life. The program is really great for all kids, whether they are participating or simply visiting the website or reading the magazine. An interesting fact about the little journalists that participate is that there are more female participants on the kids staff than male! When I looked at the kids' bio's I fully expected there to be more little boys but I was very happy to be proven wrong. One ambitious young girl, Storm Bria- Rose Brookhard, from New York City (the staff is located all over the country), says that an interesting fact about her is that she watches the news every morning before school. How many twelve year old kids do you think watch the news before school instead of Cartoon Network or MTV? The number is low, thats for sure.
     "The children are our future" is the phrase we always hear. It's true though. These kids are being trained with valuable skills that they will be able to use throughout their lives. There should be more programs like these. When little girls are taught that they can do whatever they set their minds to it sets a standard for others around them and society as a whole. It all starts when we are young. If they are not exposed to news, writing, ideas, people etc. at a young age they wont know what they are fully capable of. These kids actually interview famous figures who they can aspire to be like. Two of the people that were recently interviewed and are on the main page of the site are Dav Pilky, of the Captain Underpants series, and R.J. Palacio, of the hit book Wonder. How cool is that?! Interviewing awesome authors who you idolize.

Works Cited

Hooks, Bell. Reel to real: race, sex, and class at the movies. New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. Print.

"Kid Reporters." Time For Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.timeforkids.com/>.

Redding, Judith M., and Victoria A. Brownworth. Film fatales: independent women directors. Seattle: Seal Press,           1997. Print.