This 2011 documentary observes how today's mainstream media has contributed to the decline of women in positions of power and/or public office. It includes in-depth interviews with Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Condoleezza Rice and Gloria Steinem. More importantly, in my opinion, we also need to take the time to speak with ordinary women living ordinary lives, of diverse origins and ages. There are serious attempts to show why there should be more positive female role models in the media. As well as exploring the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America and challenging current media's limited representation of what it means to be a strong AND positive woman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The film made several points about the importance of media and visual representation in our current times. Including several startling statistics such as “Today, children and young adults watch more than 10 hours of media per day.” In today's climate we have a 24 hour news cycle, something is constantly happening or being shown in one way or another, in a hundred different formats; that's available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year...that's a lot of information and influence being hammered into young, impressionable minds. After demonstrating how much media influences our daily lives, some real world statistics were provided and, for me personally, they were staggering. Even adding prejudice or skepticism, the idea that “about 65% of American women and girls suffer from an eating disorder.” “The number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed on young people aged 18 or under more than tripled between 1997 and 2007.” Both of these situations are horrible and should concern both young girls and boys who are directly influenced by a "perfect" cultural image of people who are not average or what is achievable. We currently live in an insular society where our popular media forms are becoming a persuasive and pervasive influence affecting cultural norms. We are bombarded by the common message that a woman's value and power lies in her youth (ability to bear children), her beauty (as defined by those who set the standards), and her sexuality (this is not is not interesting either) and not in his capacity as leader (whatever his effectiveness). Women have made great strides in leadership in recent decades: “The United States still ranks 33rd out of 49 highest-income countries when it comes to women in the national legislature. And it's no better outside of government. Women make up just 4.6% of S&P 500 CEOs and 17% of directors, executive producers, writers, cinematographers and editors working on the nation's 250 top-grossing films. » Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayIn conclusion, great strides have been made in the right direction. However, everyone must do their part. Men and women need to stand up and make themselves heard that they want to be represented and they want it done accurately. I felt that the other, most important, underlying message of the entire film was not just about being "the least and the most ».”