I had the pleasure of hosting a screening of Miss Representation last night, and my brain is still buzzing from the experience.
We gathered together over 20 women/girls (and one man) for the movie, and over 15 stayed for the discussion. It was my second time watching the film, but the first time with a large group.It was a powerful evening.
Listening to girls (10 - 15 years old) talking about what they saw in the movie and in their own lives served to fire me up even more than I already was (and let me tell you, my first viewing fired me up quite a bit) and underscored the sense of responsibility I feel towards this next generation.
Listening to my peers talk about what they're willing to do, moving forward, to make a difference in how women are viewed in society was heartening. We stayed focused on the positive changes we can each make...changes we WILL make, and everyone was able to commit to something.
The actions we came up with were varied, both in scope and size. From building and strengthening the lines of communication between mother and daughter to encouraging girls to strive for holding high-profile political positions, everyone in that room is ready to DO SOMETHING, and that is something in and of itself.
For my part, I've committed to doing the following:
- Starting the Women's Business Empowerment Workgroup, to empower, support, and encourage women business owners towards greater success.
- Holding regular discussion groups for those interested in making change happen in terms of how women are portrayed in media and our communities.
- Scheduling another screening of this powerful film that is open to all genders to get the discussion happening in a broader way.
- Starting a scholarship fund to expand the accessibility of Hip Circle Studio, exposing more women and girls to our particular flavor of supportive health & wellness activities.
- Actively saying POSITIVE things about (and to) myself around body image and self-worth, and doing so where other people can hear me.
How about you? What can you do - what WILL you do - to change the story of how women are portrayed in media and our society at large?
