Miss Representation
I'm so excited about this documentary (which was picked up by Oprah when it aired at Sundance), Miss Representation.
Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from Miss Representation on Vimeo.
The trailer alone is enough to make you wanna grab your poster paints, craft a splashy banner, and take to the streets demanding a change for our girls. [Please understand that when I talk about empowering girls, I'm not at all suggested emasculating boys. Just the opposite. When we empower girls, we empower boys; raising our standards for all can only result in universal blessings. *Drops mic and steps off soapbox*] According to the film's official website, "The film accumulates startling facts and statistics that leave audiences shaken, armed with a new perspective, and asking the question, 'What can we do?'"
The timing could not be more perfect. Just when "Bikini Season" is over, we have Halloween to contend with, where a majority of the costumes marketed to little girls are too sexy even for adults. As Peggy Orenstein, the author of "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" says in her blog, "the problem is not Halloween. It's not Toddlers & Tiaras. It's the messaging that surrounds girls in much more mundane ways EVERY SINGLE DAY that reduce them and define them by their bodies."
The other reason the airing of Miss Rep is so timely is because it falls right in the middle of national Teen Read Week, when I will be giving several workshops for teens and tweens on finding your own voice and writing strong characters.
I hope you'll watch Miss Representation; get everyone you know together and have a party. I know I'm going to! I have a feeling I'll be on blog overload at that point with so much to say! It will be that much more inspiration for me to create strong female (and truly strong male) characters for readers to enjoy and celebrate; join me in person or by Ustream for my workshop and start filling the world with images and characters that inspire, empower, and encourage!
PS – When you visit Miss Representation, be sure to take the pledge!
