The internet can be a wonderful, magical, place. It provides us hours (let's be honest: many hours) of entertainment, helps us stay connected with others and know what's happening in the world around us, and allows us to express ourselves through different artistic avenues. It is also a place where we send and receive cultural messages -- often rapidly and sometimes unknowingly -- which can span from harmful to educational, depending on the source.
Alongside poignant articles discussing ways to think about the world differently and make it safer for others, we see advertisements with scantily clad women selling us things, telling us to look better, have more, be more. We are inundated with messaging from media sources in all areas of our lives. More often than not, these messages are of the "upholding stereotypes" persuasion. However, over the years, activists have been taking to media to put forth positive messaging, or at least to help take a critical lens to the problematic and widespread negative messaging.
Programs like Media Education Foundation, which has a library of videos (including one of my all-time favorites, "Tough Guise"-- that now has a part 2!!), use media to focus on some of the issues in our society, like masculinity, sexual assault, and oppression. And online sites, like Upworthy, help compile many great clips and stories from the many goings-ons of the internet and let's you search by topic that interests you. These clips are easy to share on social media, and therefore can be highly visible.
I came across The Representation Project on one excursion to the Upworthy world.
Their mission states that: "The Representation Project is a movement that uses film and media content to expose injustices created by gender stereotypes and to shift people’s consciousness towards change." Below are some clips they have put out, including a trailer for one of their videos entitled, "Miss Representation" (Warning: some potential Not Suitable For Work images).
By taking advantage of how media-heavy our world is, and with the internet being so visible to so many people, The Representation Project does a great job putting out some alternative messaging. These clips are engaging and make important points, and I look forward to what else they have to offer. Imagine if we were exposed to positive messaging about gender from a young age? Deconstructing gender norms (or the concept of a binary gender all together) is part of preventing interpersonal violence, and it's exciting to see media used as an agent for change instead of a mechanism for objectification.
Alongside poignant articles discussing ways to think about the world differently and make it safer for others, we see advertisements with scantily clad women selling us things, telling us to look better, have more, be more. We are inundated with messaging from media sources in all areas of our lives. More often than not, these messages are of the "upholding stereotypes" persuasion. However, over the years, activists have been taking to media to put forth positive messaging, or at least to help take a critical lens to the problematic and widespread negative messaging.
Programs like Media Education Foundation, which has a library of videos (including one of my all-time favorites, "Tough Guise"-- that now has a part 2!!), use media to focus on some of the issues in our society, like masculinity, sexual assault, and oppression. And online sites, like Upworthy, help compile many great clips and stories from the many goings-ons of the internet and let's you search by topic that interests you. These clips are easy to share on social media, and therefore can be highly visible.
I came across The Representation Project on one excursion to the Upworthy world.
Their mission states that: "The Representation Project is a movement that uses film and media content to expose injustices created by gender stereotypes and to shift people’s consciousness towards change." Below are some clips they have put out, including a trailer for one of their videos entitled, "Miss Representation" (Warning: some potential Not Suitable For Work images).
By taking advantage of how media-heavy our world is, and with the internet being so visible to so many people, The Representation Project does a great job putting out some alternative messaging. These clips are engaging and make important points, and I look forward to what else they have to offer. Imagine if we were exposed to positive messaging about gender from a young age? Deconstructing gender norms (or the concept of a binary gender all together) is part of preventing interpersonal violence, and it's exciting to see media used as an agent for change instead of a mechanism for objectification.
Laura Penney is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Safe Passage and the project director of the Say Something Prevention Initiative.
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