When we think about feminism within mass media, certain preconceptions tend to be repeated. Mainly, that a feminist is a man-hater, or that feminists want advantages over men.
Here’s the reality…
Sexism is still widespread in media representations of women. Things have improved over the last ten years, but we still have a long way to go before we reach gender equality.
Indeed, sometimes we forget how far we’ve come. Feminism has done a lot to give women the same opportunities as men, but if you look at feminism and mass media it almost seems like a dirty word.
It’s certainly the cause of a lot of negative emotions from people who would like to maintain the status quo.
How does media portray feminism?
Well, that might be a question that never crosses your mind, but if you pay attention you’ll notice that the depiction is often reduced to a negative stereotype. At the Women’s Code, we like to use the phrases “balanced leadership” or “gender balance” instead.
It’s time for all of us to have a critical eye to ask, how is feminism portrayed in the media? We want feminism to be a balanced reflection of women that looks beyond our roles as wives, mothers, and sex objects. Women should be celebrated as the whole human beings that we are, not just for how we might serve men.
It’s time for a new relationship between feminism and the mass media. Women have more opportunities than ever before to have our say on how the media portrays feminism, and it’s up to us to ensure they do so in a way that honors our strengths and individuality.
Like this video? You may also want to check out the other videos in my Successful Women playlist. Watch it here.
Beate Chelette is the Founder of The Women’s Code and serves as the Programming Chair for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-LA). Once $135,000 in debt and a single mother, she successfully sold her business to Bill Gates in a multi-million dollar deal.
Beate’s supports organizations two-fold. Beate provides leadership development programs for organizations that want to implement the ROI of Balanced Leadership through The Women’s Code, her signature system that educates leaders and helps companies achieve gender equality. The Women’s Code creates and implements programs that improve organizational culture, foster productive work environments and help companies improve their people ROI.
As The Growth Architect she creates outreach and sponsorship programs through customized Entrepreneur skills training following the 5 Star Success Blueprint that shows step-by-step how to grow, build and scale businesses.
Beate is a respected speaker and mentor and is the author of the #1 International Amazon Bestseller “Happy Woman Happy World – How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome”, a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.”
If you’d like to book Beate as a speaker on Leadership or Entrepreneurship for your next event please connect here.