Close your eyes and imagine a doctor, a superhero, a CEO, a firefighter, or just someone who is really strong. Who did you think of? What came to mind? What did he look like? The reason I say "he" is because most of you sitting in this room would think of a male. Why do we automatically think of males as the dominant gender in today's society? The answer to this question is because of the media. The media is spreading content that is shaping our society by making us believe that women should look, dress and eat a certain way and, if they don't, they are viewed differently from others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Good morning everyone and welcome to the annual media representatives conference. I will analyze two media texts to support my perspective and explore ways to overcome this stereotype that has been going on for too many years. To begin with, the first medium that was analyzed is the documentary "Missrepresentation" which aired in 2011. This documentary talks about how the media is sending an unnecessary message to young women and men that the value and power of a woman resides in her youth, beauty and sexuality and not in her capacity as a leader. This stereotype is seen in advertisements, magazines, video games, television shows, movies, toys, and everywhere we look women are misrepresented. For example, girls are given Barbie dolls with faces made up and wearing revealing clothes. They are watching movies where the same stereotype is repeated over and over again. The female is waiting for their man in knight in shining armor, to come to save them and provide for them. These films always end with them settling down, getting married and having kids, living a happy after all. By sending the message to the media that their value lies in their body, the media makes them feel powerless. They will grow up with the concept of this perfect woman in their head, and because of that it will distract them from making a difference and becoming leaders. As quoted by Ariella, who is a high school student "It's all about the body and not the brain." Every day, the average person spends 10 hours and 45 minutes on media. Whether it's watching TV, scrolling through Instagram, or just reading a magazine. We are constantly exposed to women who are portrayed incorrectly by the media 24/7. For example, take a look at the women who appear in the news. What clothes are they seen wearing? How old are they? These women are seen wearing very low cut shirts/dresses, hair perfectly curled and off their shoulders with a full face of makeup. With female journalists dressed in this way, viewers are distracted from hearing the important news they are addressing to the public. The fact that the media continually displays these portrayals of women creates the belief that women must always appear presentable wherever they go. “Only 31% of the Australian federal parliament is made up of women, ranking Australian federal parliamentarians 50th in the world for female representation.” The second medium is Pursuit, which leads us to the way women are misrepresented in politics. How can we expect our country to make executive decisions if parliament is dominated by men? They don't have the perspective, insights and experiences of women. Women are told that parliament is for male pursuit, which discourages them from becoming leaders. Even though women are seen in politics, the media sees it as a bad thing..”