Miss-representation

As I watched the Miss-representation video in class, I'll be honest. I felt a little sick to my stomach. Why? Because I felt like I had been convinced of a LIE my entire life. The video caused me to take a big step back and look at what kind of belief system I'd been subscribing to since I can remember. I mean, I knew that media is unrealistic for the most part, but little did I know what a huge impact it has on our society, in that I think it is a catalyst for perceived expectation. Here's a few ideas that I liked/thought were profound in the video:

• Media culture (and in extension, society) values the looks of women. How are we to rise above it?
• The media affects the brain on a subconscious level.
• Advertising is based on making people feel anxious, insecure, and therefore moves us to do things to feel more "powerful". 
• Women spend money on cosmetics instead of school--the rhetoric of this "empowerment" is that it completely dis-empowers you.
• Women are objectified in media. We think that they're empowered, so young women try to use their sexuality to become as empowered. 

There were so many more good points, but in short, I want to make sure that I'm a more conscientious consumer of the media, and that from now on, I look hard at the messages that the media is really sending.