In celebration of Women’s History Month, UCB showed “Miss Representation”. The documentary explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and challenges the media’s limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman today.

Director of Inclusion and Student Engagement Molly Berry and Communication Department Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Nancy Curtin hosted the event. Molly Berry shared her thoughts about the documentary and its impact.

“I loved this documentary because it is one of the newer ones, with the most recent and updated statistics,” Berry said. “Since facts and figures are constantly updating, I wanted something that used familiar and relevant faces, and would be interesting. And I really loved the way information was presented in this film. The idea is to draw attention to the fact that women are misrepresented in almost every venue: education, work, athletics, and media.”

After the showing, Dr. Nancy Curtin held a discussion about the audience’s reaction and what those present thought about the documentary’s controversial message on the media’s influence over America and how powerful women are perceived. Molly Berry shared her opinion on the discussion.

“Not only is the film relevant and full of important information, but the discussion is rich and thought provoking,” Berry said. “I was pleased with the discussion because it gave people the ability to really talk through their observations and how they are feeling at the time. Dr. Curtin was a fabulous facilitator and she was really able to engage the audience with questions that everyone was able to process.”

After the film and discussion, junior Drew McDonald shared his thoughts about the film and the discussions that followed.

“My initial response was to not say anything or else I would make everyone in the room upset no matter what I said,” McDonald said. “But after much thinking I raised my hand, stood up, and said exactly what I thought. Even though I am a straight white male, I am absolutely no different from everyone else in the room.”

During the discussion, some students started to debate over the documentary’s biased portrayal on both men and women. McDonald kept his stance on his perception of the film’s message. \

“We should treat each other as equal human beings and not be cruel or objectify one another,” McDonald said.

Many members in the audience were left wondering if it is possible to change something as powerful as the media. McDonald argues that we can make this change.

“I do believe that women live in an American culture that belittles them,” McDonald said. “But I’d like to make steps toward bringing equality in America, especially with regards to the way we treat each other.”

The event was thought provoking and forced students to think about the media’s power over us. If there are any questions on “Miss Representation,” or if you are interested in supporting its cause, go to http://film.missrepresentation.org.