Media’s Tipping Point
In newsrooms (and many living rooms) across the country, discussion about our media’s portrayal of women is front and center. Rampant through out TV and radio with live streamed shows, on air talent’s physical “Barbiefied” looks have become standard, if not required upon hiring, and not surprisingly of her male counterparts. Age, size, height, bust, skin color, legs, face, and hair style leads her vetting process, shamefully placing her journalistic prowess behind, “but does she look good??” Sadly bowing to misaligned decision makers keeps the lights on, at least for now.
Case in point, Vanity Fair’s cover of Caitlyn Jenner’s cleverly publicized and celebrated transition not only took our nation by surprise this week but her highly manufactured physicality is being lauded to become a fashion icon in her own right, complete with a new reality show on E! What?! Despite my support of Caitlyn Jenner’s decision, I’m forced to ask, “is this another even more unrealistic beauty standard being set for us? Or are we to take a page from AWM to “engage a dialog about the need for greater diversity and representation in the media industry and related professions”? I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of caught between two sides of this coin!
Despite, there’s an undeniable shape shift between the power of the media vs. millions of good women sitting in their living rooms and in home offices no longer engaging with traditional news/entertainment media looking for better news sources committed to delivering qualified and content rich media from individuals they admire, can relate and tune into by a click of a button. These women are a threat to the “system” by opting out of drinking the cool-aid given to them since they were young about a woman’s beauty, brains, and bodies as are the new college graduates claiming their own in the vastly segmented dot com world. Together, they’re the millions of new female small business owners and economy boosters choosing destinations on line that complement all aspects of their diverse lives and lifestyle. Anything outside of that is of no concern to them, next!
I see it as an awakening of the self, thanks to the freedom the Internet provides, leading us away from the consistent pressure to be and look like something that we’re not. In the newsroom such an “awakening” would lose us our jobs, but at home, women are asking, “why watch programming that dismisses you when you have alternatives offering similar if not smarter, more cutting-edge programming?” This shift away from watching and consuming traditional media is making and will continue to make a huge impact on how media looks like and is presented in the future.
Print media, specifically women’s fashion magazines have come a long way when I began modeling in the early 90’s. Never would you see curvier models or celebrities on the cover of ELLE, VOGUE, or HARPERS but today body diversity are more frequently seen than ever due to the pressure from those lovely women at home and the work place. Without subscribers, you definitely can’t keep the lights on! (100 million women are above a size 12 in America, NPD.)
There is one thing I know to be true having been a women’s body image and body acceptance advocate on national TV, radio and print media for over two decades: no matter what kind of body we may have, it’s up to us to embrace it, protect it, bless it, honor it, take care of it, and allow ourselves to see our own uniquely beautiful reflection as acceptable, because a life in conflict with one’s body is a life not fully lived nor fulfilled.
So it’s in keeping I say hats off to you, Caitlyn, for fully leaping into your whole new life and to those who choose to listen to the power of millions of women demanding change in media across the board, together let’s create a robust media landscape reflective of who we are, once and for all!
With a career that spans more than two decades as a leading voice and face in the fashion industry, EMME is an iconic supermodel, and has paved the way for women to know that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. EMME is a TV personality, model, mom, author, brand spokesperson, creative director of her clothing lines, and lecturer. She is a globally recognized advocate and expert on positive body image, self-esteem, fashion trends, model diversity on the runway and in magazines, as well as surviving cancer and women’s health. She serves on the Healthy Media Commission For Positive Images of Girls and Women and is the founder along with Syracuse University for Fashion Without Limits: Changing the Face of Fashion (#SUFWL), Her philanthropic outreach includes being a board member to Hearts of Gold and honorary board member to The Project Heal, an Ambassador to The National Eating Disorders Association, and she donates her time to the Girl Scouts of America.
Follow EMME on all forms of social media @SupermodelEmme.
Visit www.emmenation.com