SE Campus has partnered with an Arlington women’s group to host a special showing of the film Miss Representation.
“Miss Representation exposes how mainstream media contribute to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America,” said Amy Zucchero, campaign director for the film, in a press release. “The film offers startling facts and statistics that will leave audiences shaken and armed with a new perspective.”
Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film includes proclamations from adolescent girls and interviews with public figures such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, journalist Katie Couric, actress Rosario Dawson and Occidental College associate professor Caroline Heldman.
“We are thrilled to have so many outreach opportunities for Miss Representation,” Newsom said in a press release. “This film was made to be a change agent in our culture, to inspire both women and men to recognize women’s collective voice, leadership capacity and equal rights.”
The Women’s Alliance, an outreach of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, focuses on empowering and uniting women through business and community endeavors. SafeHaven’s Mary Lee Hafley serves as the chairperson for the committee regarding women’s issues, which is sponsoring this project with the college.
“TCC is a terrific community partner,” she said. “I think this particular documentary really forces us to look at how we are portraying women in the media — a conscious-awakening piece with action steps.”
Other efforts to curb this trend include advocating for students to discover innovative strategies to achieve success and impact the community through service, Hafley said.
“I think a lot of young women are experiencing self-worth issues and confusion on how to get ahead in the business world because of all of the sexism that goes on in our culture,” said Sarah Merrill Young of Merrill Financial, one of the event’s sponsors. “We see a lot of benefit with partnering up with the students and want to encourage mentorship opportunities within the chamber.”
This event is exclusively for women and will take place May 3 in the Roberson Theater on SE Campus. The evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by a showing of the film. A discussion panel for students and community members to talk about the topics and issues featured in the presentation will conclude the evening.
To register for this free event, visit www.arlingtontx.com/site/showevent/1721. For more information about the project, visit www.missrepresentation.org.
“I am hoping that students understand the widespread misrepresentation of women as primarily sex objects in mainstream media is both unethical and damaging,” Heldman said.
“[I am hoping it] will lead many young women to seek true empowerment and thoughtful young people in general to shift media content.”
