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Documentary "Miss Representation" to Screen on Campus Nov. 15 Impact
Fairmont State News

Documentary "Miss Representation" to Screen on Campus Nov. 15

Nov 11, 2015

Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the documentary “Miss Representation” addresses how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America.

A local screening of “Miss Representation” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, in Multi-media Room A of the Ruth Ann Musick Library on the Fairmont State University campus. Admission is free and open to the public. After the screening will be a faculty panel discussion led by Dr. Francene Kirk, Abelina Suarez Professor of Communication and Theatre.

“Miss Representation” includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Condoleezza Rice, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Jackson Katz, Jean Kilbourne and Gloria Steinem.

“I made ‘Miss Representation’ because we live in a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, and the collective message the media send to our young women and men is that a woman’s value lies in her youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in her capacity as a leader,” Newsom said. “I wanted to shed a light on this problem, because if we don’t question that thinking and work to change it, we are going to continue to be marginalized.”

In response to overwhelming public demand for ongoing education and social action in support of the film’s message, Newsom founded the organization that has become The Representation Project in April 2011. Using film as a catalyst for cultural transformation, The Representation Project inspires individuals and communities to challenge and overcome limiting stereotypes so that everyone, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation or circumstance can fulfill their human potential.

For more information about The Representation Project, including its second film “The Mask You Live In,” and for guidance on how to join the movement, visit www.therepresentationproject.org. For more information about screenings, contact Jessica Lee: Jessica@therepresentationproject.org.

Francene KirkMiss RepresentationSchool of Fine Arts