Why is this important to me?
When I was in high school, I was aware of the fact that women were unfairly represented in various types of media, but I dismissed this representation without hesitation. Like most, I felt that advertising had no effect on me.
Had I been more media literate in the earlier on, I feel that personal insecurities would not have had such a subconscious and detrimental effect on me. Comparing oneself, time and time again, to images and personas in the media eventually wears on you.
I want to provide the opportunity for more young women, who typically would not choose to access this information, to become educated about how they are represented in the media. I want to provide this information through a feminist lens, which I hope will create a sense of community. I believe that one of the best parts of being a feminist is knowing that you have many other women behind you who have invariably shared the same experiences.
Who am I directing my message at?
The audience is particularly important to this project in its specificity. I would like to target 15-18 year-old females, who attend public school. Possibly even more specified into certain suburban areas, such as the one I grew up in. This audience typically does not actively seek out information regarding these topics.
It is important for me to directly connect with members of this audience in order to better understand their opinions on these subjects, where they get information, and what they are interested in learning about.
I hope to communicate this information without being paternalistic or condescending. I especially want to communicate that their individual selves are important and that they do not have to give up anything they love or appreciate about the media in order to be more educated about it’s shortcomings.
What will this look like?
My goal is to have a 20-page, 5 X 7” magazine supplement. I say ‘supplement’ because these small publications will be able to be fit inside magazines sold on newsstands (such as Seventeen and Cosmo). This is the most important aspect to the project because these publications will have nothing to do with the magazines they are being put inside, except to spread the message that the way women are being represented on the pages is inaccurate.
Like I said before, this publications’ goal is to connect with the audience and ultimately inform them about media literacy and feminism. It can’t sound like a mom or dad giving a lecture, because who would want to hear that?
If you have any questions or would like to be involved in this project in some way, click the Ask button or e-mail me! I am looking for specific written contributions.
Thanks for reading!
