Hall of Shame - Amateur International Boxing Association

For the first time ever, women will be allowed to box in the 2012 Olympics, which is wonderful.  I wish I was writing a "Hall of Fame" post for this milestone.  But we can't celebrate because the Amateur International Boxing Association wants female boxers to wear skirts.  Really!?!  Wearing skirts to box...  

And the most ridiculous part is their reasoning.  They  are "asking female boxers to wear skirts because it will make the women easier to distinguish from the men."  Do we really need a skirt to distinguish men from women?  Isn't the sports bra and hair enough to tell that they are women.  Some advocates for the skirts wants female boxers to wear them because they are "elegant."  When I look at this picture, elegant is not the first word that comes to my mind.  

I see two strong and proud women.  Why can't we accept and celebrate their strength?  This is just sexism once again rearing its ugly head and forcing these women to conform to society's idea of femininity.  

For the full article: Female Boxers Forced to Wear Skirts

Miss Representation

Last night, I attended a screening of the documentary "Miss Representation," which (according to their website) "explores how the media's misrepresentation of women has led to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence."  The aspect of this movie that I found the most compelling was their discussion of the way in which the media portrays female politicians, focusing especially on Hilary Clinton ("the bitch" and "a nutcracker") and Sarah Palin ("masturbation material").  I was so moved by the documentary and found myself having goose bumps at several points throughout.  I have included a trailer for the documentary and encourage everyone to see it.    

This documentary served as the inspiration for creating this blog.  For awhile I have been passionate about working with girls and women to help themselves feel empowered and to understand the influence that media has.  One way that this passion is expressed in my life is through my job as a social worker running groups with middle school girls.  This blog is based on a media literacy activity that we do in our groups - Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame.  Media sources that portray women in an positive and empowered manner deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, while those that portray women in a negative and degrading way are in the Hall of Shame.