“Miss Representation,” documentary on sexism in the media, at Temple Beth El

May 18, 2012
by Susan Pecker, Sheila Bernson and Jennifer Mebes Flagg

The League of Women Voters® of New Castle and Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester will co-sponsor a screening of the documentary, Miss Representation, on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Beth El, 220 South Bedford Road, Chappaqua, N.Y. A discussion led by Martha Zornow, Principal of Seven Bridges Middle School, will follow.

Premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Miss Representation challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself. In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader.

Women make up 51 percent of the U.S. population but only 17 percent of Congress. That puts the U.S. at 94th in the world for the percentage of women in elected office. The film exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. Miss Representation includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow and Gloria Steinem.

Tickets for this event are $10 (student price: $3) and available online at bethelnw.wufoo.com/forms/miss-representation-a-documentary-film/ or at the door for $15 (student price: $3). Parents may want to look at www.commonsensemedia.org for age appropriateness.

For more information regarding the film, please go to www.missrepresentation.org. For more information regarding this event please contact Sheila Bernson at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Susan Pecker is Vice President of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester. Sheila Bernson and Jennifer Mebes Flagg are Co-Presidents of the League of Women Voters® of New Castle.