For generations, Jean Kilbourne’s documentary film Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women has been transforming consciousness by revealing how the advertising industry promotes impossible beauty norms to make women insecure so they will buy products. To mark the 40th anniversary of the film, feminists across the generations gathered at Smith College to celebrate Kilbourne’s legacy.
Tag: Media Sexism
Killing Us (Not) So Softly
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Jean Kilbourne’s pioneering film, “Killing Us Softly,” which examined how images of women in ads influenced how society views women. At a recent event at Smith College, she explored the impact of her work, and the fights that remain in ending media sexism.
The Ms. Q&A: What Ursula Macfarlane Learned by Investigating the Harvey Weinstein Scandal
Macfarlane’s latest documentary, “Untouchable,” rewinds the clock on the #MeToo movement’s viral explosion—exposing the institutions and individuals who enabled Harvey Weinstein’s career of sexual misconduct, and mapping its impact on women’s lives.
Why Sexist Coverage of Women in Politics Matters
When media outlets treat women politicians as women first, and politicians second, they are feeding into an already sexist culture where many voters believe that men make better politicians than women.
An Open Letter to Playboy From Black Women
“Playboy, we don’t believe that you deserve the best parts of any of us. We don’t believe that you deserve our Black girl experiences and our dances as fodder for consumption by a readership which often has little to no regard for Black girls and are often the buyers of Black girls.”
The UK Just Banned Sexist Advertising
Any ad “which implies an idealized, gender-stereotypical physical appearance” or shows “a man or a woman failing to achieve a task specifically because of their gender” will now be banned in the UK.
Less Money, Less Media: How Female Athletes are Undervalued
Whether in a paycheck, on television, in print media or on social media, we need to do better to recognize the value and power of women in sport.
The Media’s Gender Gap Isn’t Improving
What will it take for news organizations to realize women’s voices matter? It’s the question resounding in the wake of new research from the Women’s Media Center which found that, across all platforms, men receive 63 percent of bylines and credits, and women receive only 37 percent.
Spoiler Alert: Oscar is (Still) So White and Male
Despite a year of reckoning and rabble-rousing in Hollywood, the Academy Award nominees this year are disappointingly familiar.
Tuning in to the World in Full Color
When he made history in 2018 with his Academy Award win for Get Out, Jordan Peele described the work of his peers at this moment in our culture as a renaissance. But my mission is to create a world where sharing the diversity of our experiences is less of a moment and more of a permanent expectation of inclusion—so the work isn’t done.