Essay 6-Misrepsentation

Misrepresentation

            “I may be the first woman in congress, but I won’t be the last” Jeannette Rankin once said after being sworn into congress (Women in Congress). There have been many women over the past few decades that have stepped onto the job fields that were normally filled by men. Sally Ride was not only the first American woman to go to space but also was the first lesbian to do so. Throughout history women have transformed from being the house wife to being the head of the home. We have seen over the past few decades that women have begun to fill many high government positions. There has also been an increasingly negative portrayal of women in advertising as well as other areas of the media. Women in these positions have all chosen their career paths and followed them with their own choices. Whether it be congress women, bikini models or stay at home moms, the choice has been hers to make.

            The majority of sexually explicate ads are geared toward men, thus there are women being used as sex symbols to sell a product or service. The truth is that, in big business the only thing they are concerned about is the almighty dollar. The one way to sell you product is to advertise and one truth has lasted the test of time is that sex sells. Dr. Reichert, an advertising professor at the university’s Grady College of journalism, says “Advertisers use sex because it can be very effective. People are hard wired to notice sexually relevant information so ads with sexual content get noticed.” However, a study conducted by Dr Reichert found that sexually related ads were used 15% of the time in 1983. In 2003 that had risen to 27%, a 12% increase over twenty years. This is a slow rise to some, but a much larger rise to others (Atkins). Women are largely used in advertisement as sex objects or sex symbols wearing scantly clad cloths or bikinis. In 1946 when the bikini was first introduced by Louis Reard it was not intended to be a sexual devise but more of a celebration of women’s rights. It didn’t take long before it became a visual stimulant for advertisers, and in 1946 sports illustrated introduced its first swimsuit issue (Atlantic).

            In politics, woman were originally just the home makers and ones who put together the food and made the arrangements for the after hour functions. Our country’s first president in the late 18^th century had no women on his cabinet and not until 1917 would we see our first women in congress. Jeannette Rankin of Montana was elected to congress and sworn in 1917. With the ratification of the 19^th amendment August 18^th 1920 more women would be elected and appointed to high government positions (Women in Congress). As of 2006, 296 women have served in congress, although there are only six out of fifty states with female governors.  This shows that over the past ninety years there has been a large but slow increase in women holding these positions. The first woman to make a bid for presidential nomination was Shirley Chisholm who in 1968 was not only the first women but the first African-American woman to be placed in nomination at a convention by either party (Britannica). You can see through the history of our country women in politics have made a large leap forward becoming 23% of congress. One of the problems facing women running for office has been the amount of money they have been able to raise during their candidacy. This is a reflection of how they are viewed. An unmarried woman is viewed as less likely to share the same family values as married women and men (Fast Facts about Women in Politics).

            Throughout history women have gone from being the stay at home moms, which rear the children, cook, clean, and take care of the home, to quite the opposite. Throughout history we are seeing more women in politics, Fortune 500 companies, and becoming the bread winner of the family. There are women in today’s society that hold positions that would normally be held by a male. As a correctional officer at a maximum security prison my OIC (officer in charge) is a female, Captain M. Nipper. Not only does Captain Nipper hold a position that you would normally expect a man to hold in a male dominate job but, she is also the majority bread winner in her own family. We are seeing more women growing up, being well educated and able to take care of themselves, as well as hold jobs that men have traditionally held. However many women choose not to go into these fields and would rather stay at home and raise a family. As our society is changing toward more equal rights for everyone, there are choices for all. You can choose to stay at home and raise a family or get a job where you can provide for yourself and need not depend on anyone.

            Jeanette Rankin was the first but was defiantly not the last to be a congress woman. Throughout our history as a country woman have gone from having no say so in the matters of home and politics to being the decision makers. Women have gone from watching elections to being elected. We might one day see a reduction in the negative representation of women in media as they become a larger figure in the decision making of America, but we may never truly see it stop completely. With the choices that we are able to make in this new generation it won’t be long before we see a woman president and more women making millions as business owners and the bread winners of the home. I know I wouldn’t mind staying home to cook and take care of the kids; I’m pretty good at it already.

Works Cited

“Shirley Chisholm". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2013
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/113270/Shirley-Chisholm

Atkins, William. Sex sells in advertisements: Sexual imagery grabs our attention. IMB. 06 June 2012. Web. 29 March 2013. http://www.itwire.com/science-news/biology/55194-sex-sells-in-advertisements-sexual-imagery-grabs-our-attention

N.P. Fast Facts about Women in Politics. Convio. 2010. Web. 27 March 2013. http://www.wcffoundation.org/pages/research/women-in-politics-statistics.html

Sugget, Paul. Sex In Advertising. Advertising Guide. 2013. Web. 29 March 2013. http://advertising.about.com/od/advertisingprojects/a/Sex-In-Advertising.htm

N.P. Women in Congress. YouTube. N.D. Web. 01 April 2013. http://history.house.gov/Exhibition-and-Publications/WIC/Women-in-Congress/