We interrupt this series of inspirational (and I hope empowering) messages on creativity for some thoughts on what is going on in politics right now: specifically the fact that the war against women is hitting a new high.
The media has long and regularly made a mockery of women and now we are all going to pay for it by women losing every important right we have ever fought for.
I am angry and disappointed in the way the media portrays women. I believe that their lack of respect now threatens to undermine all the strides that women have made in my lifetime.
Because of the way women are depicted (or not paid attention to at all) in the media, as trivial, throw-away objects of either sexual desire or mass ridicule, I now have to drop everything to fight for rights that should be universally granted to all women as long as we are the rightful owners of our bodies.
Going forward, I am ONLY going to give my attention to media resources that portray women as empowered, equal members of this democracy, and portray us with dignity and respect.
I invite all of my friends, whether Democrats or Republicans, to join me in withdrawing attention and funding from media that undermines women’s rights and dignity and join me in rallying around and sending money ONLY to media outlets that treats women as equal players in this democracy.
And here is my message to the media: Get powerful women on your radar, media, and start writing intelligent news about us as though we were equal players in this democracy.
Because guess who writes the checks in most families? We do.
And we are not going to support major media outlets who trash women, no matter what our political affiliations.
Our daughter’s rights to govern her own body are now on the chopping block and this will, very much, affect our daughter’s day-to-day equality in the future.
What this means to me as a mother is that the depth and breadth of our daughter’s future rights as women are being written in the halls of government right now.
Do I want my daughter to have the same freedoms, I have had?
Then I have to act.
Do you? If so, then you need to act, too.
Please join me in writing an equal future for our daughters and boycotting media that trivializes women in any form of coverage.
And let’s start paying more attention to media that eschews sensationalism and throwing the dirt of the day against a woman in the spotlight for thoughtful, intelligent, equal coverage of women in world issues.
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Amen! We need to voice our concerns with our checkbooks, with our voting ballots, and in our writing. I would hate to think that my great-nieces might have to break the same glass ceilings I had to break in the 1970s.
Thanks for affirming, Janet. I’ve given myself a lot to think about and weigh.
Can you give some examples? Or tell us exactly what you’re referring to? It sounds like you’re angry over something in particular, and though I’m with you on empowering women, generalizing ALL the media doesn’t really help us move forward. (Says a member of “the media” and subscriber of your blog.)
It is way past time. if any of these new laws that have been proposed, We women are in deep shit.–back to the 1700’s we head. Not a pretty thing.
Yes, I’d really love to hear more specifics about what you mean. I know that can be difficult in this kind of forum…
One example I can think of is that in one major news network (which I don’t like anyway), when I have been exposed to it, I have noticed that all of the female newscasters look the same. The women have been “dressed up” with a much less professional image than the men. That seems like a very basic aspect of programming that I thought we got over a long time ago. I’d love to hear what you have been noticing.
Whew–them’s fightin’ words. Right on, Sista Friend!
Thank you, Christina, for issuing this clarion call to all of us. I’m right there with you.