Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, the documentary Miss Representation has premiered on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and has been showcased in multiple cities and at universities nationwide.
Exploring how media misrepresent women and how it has led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence, the movie will be shown at the Women’s Center from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a discussion.
“I think the film does a really great job at showing the prevalence women have and how we can change our representation in the media,” said Jess Miller, a student-outreach coordinator for the Women’s Center.
This will be the third time the film has been shown at Ohio University. Previously, the film was shown at a Student Senate meeting, where Miller first saw the film, and during Take Back the Night. Despite its reoccurrence on campus, the Women’s Center finds it important that the film continues to be shown.
“The more times you see it, the better,” Miller said. “You can’t see it enough. I watched the trailer again recently, and watching the trailer alone, I was reminded of how powerful the film really is.”
In addition to the strong themes the film addresses, the film will also be shown to reach out to a wider audience. During the first screening of the film, Miller said he noticed that only three to six men were in attendance.
“It’s just as important that men see this movie, and that they see that the way that these images of women are not normal,” Miller said. “In today’s day and age, women need to be seen for their minds, not just their bodies, and for how they are changing and taking control of politics and leadership positions.”
Susanne Dietzel, the director of the Women’s Center, also feels that it’s important to show this film in light of the upcoming election, to illustrate how important women are and how much their voices matter.
“It shows: A.) the importance of women, and B.) it explores why they are needed in our country,” Dietzel said.
Dietzel also noted that the Women’s Center’s upcoming Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is already expecting 150 men to be in attendance.
The film, which was written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, resonated with Christine Wilcox, a representative of missrepresenation.org, who said she believes the film has the power to shift the mindset of communities and change the way the media portrays women across the country.
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