Today I came across a TED Talk about the unrealistic portrayal of women in today's media. This talk would have been powerful for any audience, but it was especially influential over me because it's closely tied to the struggles that Girls on the Run tries to combat. Jean Kilbourne performed this speech, titled "The Dangerous Ways Ads See Women", in 2014. Over the course of the 16 minutes that she was speaking, she was able to captivate my attention and demonstrate how ads create an artificial "ideal" that is impossibly thin and overly sexualized.
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| Jean Kilbourne- The Dangerous Ways Ads See Women |
Kilbourne was so effective in communicating this idea because, for one, she was clearly passionate about it and "stayed in her lane". She began by telling a personal story, revealing her interest in the topic: she worked in the media business and modeled on the side, but quit because she felt objectified and alienated. However, this sparked her fire in the concept of beauty. She's been collecting ads and speaking about the portrayal of women since the late 1960s! Clearly she is very passionate about this topic, and her powerful spirit was contagious. This also enhanced her "conversational quality", simply because the audience felt so connected with her. She didn't talk too fast or too slow. She didn't walk around, but wasn't still. She talked with her hands but didn't overdo it. She had a presence on stage that made her worth listening to.
Secondly, Kilbourne cleverly used a presentation aid to enhance her talk. The PowerPoint was only images of ads that supported her point, so it wasn't distracting or confusing to follow. There were "jaw-dropping" moments within these images, as some were so blatantly sexual or insulting that it was shocking. In fact, some of these disturbing ads were published in Teen Magazine, targeting 12 year old girls. It was heartbreaking to realize that at such a young age, girls are already feeling like they have to be thin and sexy in order to be beautiful.
In order to lighten the mood from these loaded ads, however, Kilbourne also skillfully incorporated humor into her speech. She used humorous comments to point out how photoshopped and ridiculous the images were. At one point, there was even a photo of someone's body with little clothing on. The photo got national attention via media - to which she commented, "Well, at least it got some coverage!"
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| Kilbourne's audience laughing at her humorous comments. |
Her passion, use of images, and humor were enough to make the speech fly by. Although it was 2 minutes shy of the 18 minute rule, I didn't feel like she left anything out. The time frame was effective in creating a multi-sensory experience. Her message was not only heard, but was also felt tugging at the hearts of her audience.
Particularly, I got a lot out of this TED Talk because it made me realize just how vulnerable the GOTR girls are. The media puts such high pressure on women to look young, thin, and hot. Subconsciously, these girls are comparing themselves to the impossible standards seen in ads. Self esteem often plummets when girls reach adolescence. The girls I work with are in ages 3rd through 5th grade; they are right about to enter the puberty stage where confidence is most vulnerable! It is our job to make sure that they know that they are beautiful just the way they are, in hopes that ads (like those presented by Kilbourne) never bring girls down.
Particularly, I got a lot out of this TED Talk because it made me realize just how vulnerable the GOTR girls are. The media puts such high pressure on women to look young, thin, and hot. Subconsciously, these girls are comparing themselves to the impossible standards seen in ads. Self esteem often plummets when girls reach adolescence. The girls I work with are in ages 3rd through 5th grade; they are right about to enter the puberty stage where confidence is most vulnerable! It is our job to make sure that they know that they are beautiful just the way they are, in hopes that ads (like those presented by Kilbourne) never bring girls down.
This is a very important subject that faces debate on numerous fronts, many, but not all, agree with these points. The largest problem that seems to exist is that such images work which is why advertisers use them. The thought that everyone should conform to society's "ideals" is not a new one, however it seems to be facing more scrutiny recently. Did Jean Kilbourne propose any solutions to the issue she identified in her TED talk. I know your organization is primarily focus on young girls, but what is your take on the other side of the issue, why do males seem to be ignored when they are often portrayed in a similarly unrealistic way?
ReplyDeleteSo true, Noah! In this TED Talk, she more just focuses on educating the audience about these unrealistic images. I think her goal was to make us realize that there is no need to compare ourselves or feel pressure to look like these images, and challenges us to think for ourselves rather than falling into media's trap. And you're right, men also are portrayed unrealistically! They have pressure to be muscular and sexually advanced. However, I think that women are more worried about their looks and thus are more impacted by images like these, whereas men don't take it to heart as much. That's just my take on it though!
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