Unpopular girl is reached out to by a popular classmate who then gives her a make over. And voila. Everybody loves the once unpopular girl.
I'm surprised Hollywood is still doing this little gimmick in their shows and movies. And I really don't think that it works in real life.
And what kind of message is this sending to little girls? That they have to be pretty to be liked?
It's ridiculous.
This reminds me a little bit about a docmentary I recently watched, which was recommended by a fellow blogger. It's called Miss Representation. I'm not typically a fan of documentaries, but this one hit home with me. I've copied the blurb on the Miss Representation website (missrepresentation.org) which gives a little info about the film below:
"Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, Miss Representation (90 min; TV-14 DL) uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.
In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades, the United States is still 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, women hold only 3% of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have disordered eating behaviors.
Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics, like Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave the audience shaken and armed with a new perspective."
It's a really moving piece of film, and I recommend all to see it. Because as women, we are constantly bombarded with these messages and images of women who need to be "pretty" to get ahead in life. And undermined as leaders. It bothers me, and it especially bothers me when certain shows like Degrassi (my guilty pleasure) buy into these messages. I'm currently watching an episode where the quirky theatre girl goes through a make-over. I haven't actually gotten to the part where others see her in her new look. But I have a feeling it's like past shows and movies like "She's All That"... or even "Drive Me Crazy" (which actually had a guy going through a make-over and gaining popularity). I'll be pleasantly surprised if the show veers onto another outcome of this make over.
I wonder what would happen if I got a makeover? Would my classmates suddenly like me?
I actually don't really care to find out. I'm not going to change myself to please others. What you see now is what you get.
I suppose part of it comes from our biology in terms of looking for the best mate or preening to be the chosen one. Nowadays, most of comes from advertising and media. If they did portray women as more than the sum total of their looks, even when they are trying to promote intelligence, wit and other finer qualities, they, we, still let looks play a major factor in how we perceive and deal with each other.
ReplyDeleteYou do make a great point there.
DeleteI should probably add that I was pleasantly surprised by the episode last night. The quirky girl gained popularity for about a second, and then they all turned on her. She ended up going back to the way she dressed and looked before, claiming she didn't care what people thought of her anyway.