Location vs. Gender Roles

            Recently in my AP Lang class we have been watching and analyzing the documentary Miss Representation, which is about how the media has affected today’s teenage girls.  Unfortunately, I have only been able to watch the first 15ish minutes of the film; but I have had the unique opportunity to spend the last two days in Miami, Florida where I feel in some spots the current gender roles displayed in the media are readily pronounced.

            Driving through Miami, we visited many different parts of the town; including the more famous South Beach, the University of Miami campus, and downtown Miami at the University Heath System.  Some parts of town you could definitely see the influence of gender roles in the media more than others.  The documentary discusses how today’s media has portrayed girls as needing to be skinny and dress to conform to fit in and meet guys; which I believe may be more true depending where you are.

            Driving through places, such as South Beach, the more “sluttier” side of girls portrayed in the media is made evident by the numerous clubs, bars, and even strip clubs.  The need for woman to conform is also obvious in the South Beach area by the large number of high end clothing shops, bikini shops, and stores selling the classic beach wear of big hats, short shorts, and sunglasses.

            The University of Miami campus itself is not kept from the influence of the media on girls.  Many of the students I saw drove expensive cars and were wearing many top-price clothing items in order to fit in.  My parents even made the assessment that one of the students we talked to may have had an eating disorder, something the documentary blames the media for.

            In downtown Miami near Jackson Hospital, I saw a lot less of the media influence that the documentary discusses.  Many of the people in the area were patients of the hospital, homeless, or doctors or other staff of the hospital.  I think the lack of conformity may be due to the fact that in the medical profession, regulations prevent many normal gender roles from appearing, as they used to, and many doctors were wearing scrubs.  The homeless, for the most part, are sheltered from much of the influence of the media and otherwise are not in the position to be able to conform to it.  Patients of the hospital many times have other things on their mind than fitting in and conforming, preventing the media from playing a large role in their lives.

            I find the documentary very intriguing and I believe everyone should watch it if they are given the chance.  Unfortunately I don’t believe that the media affects every single girl the same, and a lot of the influence also depends on the location of where she grew up and is currently living.

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