After directing the award-winning Sundance documentary Miss Representation in 2011 - which premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network and exposed how the misrepresentation of women in the media is leading to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power - Jennifer Siebel Newsom created MissRepresentation.org to empower ordinary individuals to continue challenging sexist media in their own lives.

The Facts:

American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching TV, 17 hours a week listening to music, 3 hours a week watching movies, 4 hours a week reading magazines, 10 hours a week online. That’s 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption a day.

The American Psychological Association estimates that teens are exposed to 14,000 sexual references & innuendos per year on TV.

In 2011, women comprised 18% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films.

Males outnumber females 3 to 1 in family films. In contrast, females comprise just over 50% of the population in the United States. Even more staggering is the fact that this ratio, as seen in family films, is the same as it was in 1946.

Eighty percent of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner.

Men occupy 80 to 95-plus percent of the top decision-making positions in American politics, business, the military, religion, media, culture, and entertainment.

Mission and Vision:

MissRepresentation.org is a social action campaign and media organization established to shift people’s consciousness, inspire individual and community action, and ultimately transform culture so everyone, regardless of gender, age or circumstance can fulfill their potential.

We envision a world in which boys and girls, men and women are not limited by stereotypes and where every person has equal opportunities to succeed, have their voices heard, and realize their full potential.

Goals:

Education: Ensure every person ages 13-24 see Miss Representation. Bring the curriculum to 10,000 schools by 2016.

Consumer Action: Build a base of 1M+ followers who use consumer action apps and social media tools like #NotBuyingIt to pressure media and advertisers to better represent women.

Change the Leadership/Behind the Scenes: Ensure that women comprise 30+ percent of leadership across the media, and other industries that influence culture.

Shift the Conversation to include Boys and Men: Through the creation of a two part film series, The Mask You Live In, we will expose the high cost to individuals and society when we, as a culture, value extreme masculine traits such as power, dominance, and aggression while devaluing empathy, care, and collaboration. The goal of the film series is to spark a national conversation that will re-define masculinity, and in doing so, promote a healthier, more equitable society.

Our Impact and Reach:

Through our online community of 100,000+ we are using consumer pressure to encourage more positive images of women and girls in advertising and marketing. Wins include:

Disney Store removes “I Need A Hero” Shirt for Girls in response to #NotBuyingIt petition.
Spirit Halloween’s pledge to change the advertising of girls’ costumes.
Amazon and Amazon UK pull t-shirts condoning sexual violence from site due to public outrage via #NotBuyingIt.
Hallmark’s apology and pledge to stop selling a sexist greeting card, which came just hours after our online community brought it to their attention
Public renouncing of photo-shopped beauty from Seventeen Magazine.

Join the Miss Representation community today.

Over 3600 schools and colleges across the U.S. and Cananda are using Miss Representation curriculum to teach gendered media literacy to the next generation of leaders. Bring the curriculum to a school near you.

Miss Representation has screened thousands of times in over 38 countries around the world. Host a sceening in your community.

Our Community:

"I cried with relief for an hour after seeing the film. It has changed my life." - Year-end donor

"Thank you SO much for being completely awesome and challenging our culture when sexism is the norm. Thank you for #notbuyingit. Thank you for being empowering in a time where it feels like sometimes no one cares or can see the problem. - Hannah, Facebook Supporter

"I am a single mother and get by on food stamps and child support and odd jobs. This $5 is a very large contribution for our family. I happily contribute to your organization because I am the mother of two young daughters ages 11 and 9." - Year-end donor

"Too many men like myself have gone far too long without seeing both sides of the themes brought forward in Miss Representation. Time for us to wake up." - Attendee, Charles Schwab screening Denver

MISS REPRESENTATION

MissRepresentation.org is a social action campaign and media organization established to shift people’s consciousness, inspire individual and community action, and ultimately transform culture so everyone, regardless of gender, age or circumstance can fulfill their potential.

Fundraising Campaigns

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