Women In Alternative Media

          
           In America, women’s rights and their cultural identities have been improved unprecedentedly. Alternative media is the platform for women to express their rights and cultural identities the ways they prefer. In contrast, mainstream media only produces works to praise the ideas men and the male dominated society appreciate. The debate here is “were females under-represented?” or “Were they also demeaned?” In today’s world, electronic device plays a major part of out lives, boys would say club strippers are easily seen on video games or some online ads. Some argue that women are decorations of these ads, but the main concern here not just focus if they are decorations but these stereotypical images completely misguided the younger generation of our society. Therefore, it also damaged the representation of all women.

          According to the article, it states, “Movie executives dictate who’s behind the camera, which, in turn, tends to determine which stories get told, how they’re told and with which actors. That’s an overriding theme of the study, which was released in October 2013” (WMC 35). The statement I quote fully back up my assertion of how women were mistreated continuously in mainstream media, some would argue stereotypes and stigmatization women face was because the males prejudice of women and their rights. Numerous female characters were characterized as voiceless and submissive. This was the pre-existing issue that women dealt with for centuries but in today’s world, alternative media challenge the existing power men create, it gave women the opportunity of getting their voice heard in radio, television, magazines, and internet. Redding claims there are "more opportunities for women filmmakers to get their work before the general public” (Redding 264).This is helpful to women; they were able to solve problems they dealt with.

The rise of Alternative media indicates social media and women’s blogs are the major platform of today’s media world. Social media give minority voices more opportunities to present themselves in a way they truly are. Twitter, YouTube and iMoive are the three major use of today’s alternative media simply because they allow user to produce and share their own comments, thoughts and opinions. These three devices were created in order to develop a truly liberal idea for public video-sharing sites. They are thought provoking and user-friendly especially when there is a liberal view exists in the argument between mainstream culture and pop culture that surround the issue of women’s identity. The ways we lean from mainstream was already purified and adjusted by the gatekeepers of mainstream media.  In “Debra Zimmerman and Women Make Movies" Redding writes, “I think that’s the biggest problem that women film and video makers have right now: When they go through all the struggle to make films that really represent their vision, they are not received by the general public” (Redding 260). This is what I really agree with it indicated the transformation of film and media from the male point of view to female intensive view point.

           The definition of “History,” was the originally created from the male domination. But alternative media serves a mean of “Herstory” that allows women to create and distribute their own voices without going through a platform of a third party. Alternative media has allowed women to amplify the already existing creativity in their thoughts and talent. With the support of alternative media, women earn the freedom to have complete control over their work and reputation.

            One woman that I would like to focus on is the founder of Feministing.com. Jessica Valenti. She is a writer and activist who currently has more than 10 million subscribers. She was inspired to create the feministing site on Internet. Her main goals are admirable for this reason, the main goals of the Feministing.com openly resist stereotypical depiction from mainstream media and male film producers. Feministing.com has helped young female activist reach readers that they would not have had due to some issue that penetrate the male world. Women want to change the ways in which men see images of them. Therefore feministing.com creates videos and hastag to show issues of gender inequality.

                                     "28.8 percent of women in film wore sexually revealing clothing."

            Twitter has been helping lots of women to create site to argue for their rights. There are many examples of street harassment that have faced heavy criticism. Why did people upload their personal videos on Twitter? They want to discuss misogyny in video games and online games. People are able to make their own videos about today’s feminist’s views. So many people speak volumes about the gender gap and useful changes promoted by social media like Twitter.

            Twitter is helpful that it has allowed me to upload my works of feminists for those who support feminist to enjoy. It has helped me to look for minority groups, and interview them and share their thoughts and opinions with the current progress changes young feminists made. Bell Hooks writes, “[change] how we see images” (Hooks 6).

Works Cited

Hooks, Bell. Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies. New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. Print.

"The Status of Women in the U. S. Media 2014." Women's Media Center. Women's Media Center. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

Redding, Judith M. Film Fatales: Independent Women Directors. Seattle: Seal Press, 1997. Print. 

Redding, Judith and Brownworth, A. Victoria. "Debra Zimmerman and Women Make Movies" Print.

The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2014 retrieved from:
http://Feministing.com
http://bitchmagazine.org/