Miss Representation
PO Box 437
Ross, CA 94957
Ross, CA 94957
To whom it may concern,
I want to start by thanking all of
you on the team for standing up for the beauty of womanhood. There was much in
the film that inspired and uplifted me. But, I will admit, there was also much
that brought great concern. While I agree there is a negative view on women in
the media, I feel that this documentary had the same negative view towards men.
I feel there was a lot of bias in this film that was closed minded to how men
are also portrayed.
Human males and females are
incredible! Each has natural traits that complement and complete each other. I
feel this film encourages competition between man and woman as opposed to using
those skills together to make the world a more full and complete place. Men
have God-given abilities to provide and protect the family, and women have
God-given ability to nurture. Please do not get me wrong, I believe that God
blesses both genders with both traits, but men and women are truly fulfilled as
they pursue these roles.
This documentary encourages women to
go out of the home and be leaders in the community and country. In my opinion,
the best way to do this is to be leaders in the home. So many women have left and
pawned their kids off to babysitters or just leave them at home allowing for
all sorts of mischief. Who are teaching the children? Rarely the mothers. Think
of how much our nation has increased in sexual promiscuity, gender confusion,
crime rates, and lack of faith in God since women have left the home to go out
to the work place. I strongly believe a huge factor in this is because mothers
have left the home seeking to make a difference in the world. Well, they have
made a difference in the world, but it’s not good.
I love the quote by Margaret Nadauld, eleventh
president of the worldwide young women’s organization: “The world has enough
women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who
are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we
need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need
more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have
enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more
purity” (“The Joy of Womanhood,” Ensign,
Nov 2000). This push for competing against men in the world creates friction in
marriages that can lead to divorce. Husbands and wives should work together as
equal partners—not seeking for power over the other.
This film accentuates pride and
selfishness in women. A true woman is not one who seeks fame and feels
fulfilled because the world tells her she is intelligent or beautiful. A true
woman is one who quietly knows she is intelligent and beautiful because of who
she is as a woman. She knows she can be an influence for good in the home. She
knows true leadership and power is raising a healthy and happy family. She is a
good neighbor and citizen. Being at home gives a lot of opportunity to make
positive change in the world. It gives time to be involved in many different
things.
Women and men alike need to be
taught that they are incredible—not because of how “smart” they are, how
“pretty,” “skinny,” or “talented” they are, but just because they are a man or
a woman. My faith and belief in God is what has taught me my value as a woman.
This is what should be pushed for in the media. This is what will make a
difference for our sons and our daughters. We should all seek to complement
each other and not compete against each other.
I don’t understand why those
actresses were complaining about the stereotype of women in the media when they
are the ones who create it. We are always seeking to blame everyone else. No
one seems to take personal responsibility any more. Why don’t the actresses
stand up together and choose not to participate in degrading films? If they all
did it, the directors and producers would have no one else to use, and that
destructive media would dissolve.
My strongest desire is for parents
to return to being parents. Parents are the biggest force for good in their
children’s lives. Parents are there from the very beginning. They are able to
teach correct principles about who we are and what is appropriate. Then my next
desire would be for the media to change and to portray these healthy
relationships between and roles of men, women, and children.
Again, I want to thank you for your
efforts to help girls and women understand they are more than sexual objects.
Thank you for your time reading this letter. I hope our efforts combined will
make a brighter future for the next generation of men and women alike.
—Melissa Andersen
School of
Family Life
Brigham
Young University
