in which i get "cause-y"

while i'm still skeptical about the kony 2012 campaign, i do think it deserves credit for stirring people up and causing them to look at and discuss issues outside themselves--at least for a moment.

the kony 2012 video hit, and my friend maggie posted a blog basically saying she was grateful for the video in the way that it might inspire people to find a cause that means something to them and to do something about it.

so i thought about it. what is important to me? i used to be somewhat aware of politics and world events...but not since high school. since then i've been pretty focused on me and my life.

anyway i remembered a trailer i saw on facebook awhile back for miss representation, a movie about the damages of media portrayals of women. the trailer really struck a chord in me. struck something that started in my senior capstone class my final semester of college when we read and discussed the feminine mystique. i know, i know what a cliche. but not really. because we all have to start somewhere right?

i'm rambling. the point is, this is something that is important to me. it's even more important to me now that i have a daughter. i want her to know that her value as a person is not based on her appearance.

mainstream media representations of both sexes is disturbing to me, and it's something wes and i talk about a lot. in almost every show, a woman's worth is based on her sex appeal. she is otherwise portrayed as a naggy and haggard wife/mother. if she's a career woman she's often portrayed as "neurotic". a man's worth in media is based on his power. over women or in his career. men are portrayed as either overly-macho, sex-obsessed or the dumb, lazy husband. gender stereotypes are only getting worse. i think what scares me the most is that my kids are going to encounter these types of media whether they're available in my home or not. so i want to teach them to question things, and to be very aware of the subtle (or maybe not so subtle) messages that all types of media feeds to them.

still rambling. watch this video if you have a few minutes. she presents the problem and offers solutions. this is a problem that is happening not only in our own country but in our own homes. it has very real consequences for both men and women, and we can help stop it by being more conscious of the media we support. i'm thinking back to multiple family home evenings where we wrote letters to television stations that supported negative media. i'm so grateful to have parents and siblings that taught me to take action. because it's not just about awareness; it's about doing something. so this is where i'm starting.