Men and Women: Demand Better Media This Year

2014 was a monumental year for women in the media—we had Beyoncé performing in front of the word “feminist” at the VMAs, Laverne Cox on the cover of Time, Shonda Rhimes’ writing complicated female characters on TV, and Emma Watson representing the #HeForShe campaign at the UN. It was significant for these reasons, but it was also unforgettable for the misogyny and sexism that continued to appear in the media, too.

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The Representation Project, a non-profit headed by Jennifer Siebel that uses media to expose gender injustices in society, has a new video called Demand Better Media in 2015 that summarizes the triumphs and failures of the past year. This isn’t just about the girls and women, though—the video shows that men and boys are exposed to harmful stereotypes, too. The pressure to be masculine and to express this masculinity through violence, aggression, and being “macho” conditions boys from early on that they, like girls, must fit into certain boxes. Feminism seeks to liberate both men and women from gender oppressions, so there’s no better time to join the movement.

Check out the video, and join us in asking the media—and ourselves—to do better and be better in 2015.