#webleedredph

Last 09 October 2019, I had the honor of being invited to be a part of Plan International Philippines Open Forum, #ReWriteHerStory, wherein media practitioners, journalists, writers, filmmakers, and academicians were invited to discuss, and ultimately brainstorm, the alarming effect of women representation in film and other forms of media to girls and young women particularly its effect on their lives and leadership roles.

“Because usually when we talk about a leader I still come up with a man. I still think about a man. [This idea] It’s really popular… people think that men are more powerful” said a young woman from Vietnam. (Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, July 2019)

As a graduate student majoring in Media Studies Film, I am no stranger to news of women’s misrepresentation in media, or lack thereof. I have seen films, locally and internationally, more than I can possibly count and there are only a handful of films that does not objectify, pornify, and capitalize on women’s bodies or represent them as irrational human beings that function based on their emotions.

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media partnered with Plan International to conduct a research study on women’s representation and its effect on the minds and lives of girls and young women. This is their most comprehensive study to date taking into account the “attitudes and opinions of over 10,000 girls and young women across the globe.” It also has the “first global analysis of how women’s leadership is portrayed in the top-grossing films [2018] in 20 countries around the world”.

It has been agreed that film continues to be one of the strongest media and global artform that can have huge impact to its viewers and consumers. As a form of art, it has the power to “create reality and influence how we see each other”, film can also “create empathy, it can change perspectives and help us see things from others points of view” not just for women but for all of us—men included.

Here are three key findings that I personally want to highlight from the research during our discussion:

1. Male characters outnumber female characters by 67% and male characters speak twice as much as female characters

Their research show that male characters dominate the storylines and women leaders, if and when they do exist in the plot, may be portrayed as “intelligent, likeable, and effective” but they are often sexualized and objectified. It is as if a woman’s worth won’t be enough based solely on her intellect, competency, and rationality. She also has to be beautiful and sexy in order to be noticed, validated, and equal to their men counterpart.

Male leaders in films are much more visible compared to women and they are shown more effective compared to their female counterpart. Female leaders are far more likely to be shown wearing revealing clothes and are more likely to be shown as partially nude than male leaders. They [female leaders] are more likely to be sexually objectified than male leaders.

Also, it is worth noting that the overall make-up of the characters in the 2018 top-grossing films analyzed reflect the film producers rather than their audience: they are white, male, and middle-class.

2. Out of the 2018 top grossing films analyzed: none of the films were directed by a woman; only 1 in 4 films had at least one female producer; and only 1 in 10 films had at least one woman on the writing team

As a once-aspiring filmmaker myself, and if I can be completely honest, this finding hurt me the most. I truly believe that one way we can combat the misrepresentations or lack of misrepresentation, and harmful stereotypes in films and other forms of media is by involving MORE women behind the scene. Have more women PRODUCE films about women, have more women WRITE about women, have more women INVOLVED in making films about women. In that way we can combat and challenge patriarchal ideology on portrayal of women in films.

“It’s urgent that we no longer create stories that teach children to view women and girls as second class citizens—not when we’ve seen the level of sexism in our culture so egregiously put on display” Geena Davis, Founder and Chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

3. Percentage of Characters in terms of Ethnicity and Region: 46.6% are white, 14% are southeast asian, 10.7% are latin, 10.6% are black, 7.4% other asian, 1.5% middle eastern.

In their research report, not only are female characters less prominent than male characters, the study also reveals a “lack of ethnic diversity in the heroes, heroines, villains, and secondary characters” in screens.

The lack of diversity is further “compounded when it comes to the sexuality of characters in the top-grossing films of 2018”. According to this research, very few of the characters are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or queer.

“Knowing that young women need to see powerful females and more characters who look like them on the screen is the reason why I will never give up film making.” Ash Mayfair, 34, Filmmaker, Vietnam

Brainstorming Discussion:

During our discussion all the participants, guests and I, included, brainstormed on possible solutions on how we can make women leaders more visible, not just in films, but in any other forms of media. We came up with three main solutions:

To be it, they must see it.

We all agreed that in order to encourage girls and young women to take up leadership roles is by allowing them to see the involvement of more girls and women in media. We have to “make stories about female leadership visible and normal”.

Stop the sexualization and objectification of women and girls on screen.

As practitioners, writers, and overall responsible citizens of the world, we have to make it a norm, that a woman’s worth is not based on her appearance—how she carries herself, the clothes she wears, the color of her skin—but can be based solely on her intellect, leadership, competency, and moral standards. We have to show girls and young women that their validation should not come with the approval and permission of others, particularly men, but themselves.

Fund (and invest on) female filmmakers, program makers, content producers and address harassment and discrimination in the workplace to encourage girls and young women into the entertainment industry at ALL levels.

Women who aspire to create, write, produce, direct, etc. should be given a chance to do so, should they wish. Girls and young women should not be discouraged, at an early age, to stop aspiring to be who they want to be because of the belief that as “second-class citizens” they can be anything but. They should not be afraid to step out of their comfort zones, to aspire to be equal with men, and be allowed to function in a society without limitation.

Theories applied:

On a more personal note, during the discussion and after going through all the reports and readings of feminist theories, I do believe that Plan International Philippines’ Open Forum, #ReWriteHerStory, has one goal that has been reflected on all the theories, and the very root of feminism itself, which is the emancipation of women.

Liberal feminism aims to emancipate women from legal and state restrictions. Marxist feminism aims to emancipate women from capitalism particularly labor restrictions. Radical feminism wants to emancipate women from gender restrictions and sexist norms. Socialist feminism aims to emancipate women from capitalism and patriarchal ideology, believes, practices, and social construct. Ecofeminsm wants to emancipate women and nature from patriarchal subjection. Third World feminism aims to emancipate third world women from false-feminism of the first world women.

Emancipation. If we continue to misrepresent women where they are bounded and subjected by patriarchal laws, beliefs, and practices; where they are restricted and limited; where they are boxed and stereotyped, and where they are dominated by men, this will only keep going and will result to stronger patriarchal ideologies.