Blog #3 -Chris Anderson- Miss Representation Analysis

This was the first time I had seen Miss Representation so many of the statistics and views taken were surprising. The statistics or ideas stated that I found the most interesting however were not the ones included for mere shock value. Instead, I found the comparisons coupled with examples to be the most eye opening and relatable.

The first instance of this type of data was the relation made by Paul Haggis to the cinema of the 20's. He describes stronger women characters and their immense diversity in roles. I have the same opinion that Haggis expresses. In high school I was fortunate enough to be part of film program that included an English course taught through the use of both classic and contemporary film. One of the main things, even then, that I noticed in classic films were the dynamic and complex roles played by females. Double Indemnity is one of the best examples of the use of a strong femme fatale character. Barbara Stanwyck does an amazing job playing a deep and cerebral character with more motivations than to just be pretty or find love in the big city, as many films today do.

The second claim I found interesting was the tendency described by Senator Dianne Feinstein to attach negative verbs and representations to women in written media while at the same time attaching neutral or even positive verbs to the men. It took no more than 5 minutes for me to find an example of this in current news. The video news broadcast can be found here http://news.yahoo.com/video/condoleezza-rice-impact-sequester-cuts-133911405.html and the tagline for the video is "Former secretary of state sounds off." I would hope this is merely my own misunderstanding of their phrasing, however my speakers were, in fact, playing sound. The dictionary defines the phrase as:
sound off

vb (intr, adverb)

1. to proclaim loudly, as in venting one's opinions, grievances, etc.

2. to speak angrily

which seems fairly emotionally driven. The former secretary of state they were referring to was Condoleezza Rice, ironically a participator in the documentary herself. In other articles around the site, I found descriptions of male politicians, celebrities and writers "telling," "saying," and "describing" their ideas and opinions rather than merely "sound[ing] off."

The documentary as a whole was very eye opening for me and has made me more aware of the current situation with female equality. It has also made me conscious of my actions and thoughtful on how I act and how I write.