SHE'S SO BOSS!
As a woman who studied film and tv production, I was always well aware of the lack of women in positions behind the camera. This isn't because there aren't women who want these jobs, but rather due to discrimination against women, which can start while they are still in film school at the hands of their male professors. (The difference in how female and male film students are treated at certain film schools is a topic I've spoken about before.) I personally though, had an amazing experience due to a large number of female film professors. However, I was also well aware of what I was up against and that if the way women and girls are portrayed in the media is ever going to change, it's going to have to start behind the scenes with women being represented in those roles first.
"Women make up a minority of movie creators: 7 percent of directors, 13 percent of writers and 20 percent of producers; that's nearly five men for every woman working behind the scenes.
Out of last year's biggest movies, 28 percent of speaking characters were female. That's down from a third just five years ago, according to the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California."
http://www.wbur.org/npr/197390707/casting-call-hollywood-needs-more-women
There's hope though, actress Geena Davis started an organization called the Geena Davis Institute of Gender in Media:
"Founded in 2004 by Academy Award-winning actor and advocate Geena Davis, the Institute and its programming arm, See Jane, are at the forefront of changing female portrayals and gender stereotypes in children's media and entertainment. The institute is uniquely positioned to spotlight gender inequalities at every media and entertainment company through cutting-edge research, education, training, strategic guidance and advocacy programs. Our mission is to work within the entertainment industry to dramatically alter how girls and women are reflected in media."
Visit her website below to learn more:
"Becker's company seeks to inspire young girls such as her daughter and bust stereotypes by featuring shows such as "She's So Boss," a look at girls and young women in leadership, based on the 1999 book "Girl Boss" by Stacy Kravetz." (See above video!)
http://www.vitaminw.co/culture-society/female-owned-production-company-breaking-stereotypes
I decided to end this post by featuring a She's So Boss type girl that I recently read about. The article is pretty self-explanatory, but definitely super inspirational. It doesn't surprise me at all that the one girl who entered the competition ended up winning. Girls are Powerful!!!!
"Imagine you forget to watch a new episode of Game of Thrones the night it airs. Even if coworkers stay mum about important plot points, Twitter is abuzz with spoilers. Fortunately, there's Twivo, a new program that allows Twitter users to censor their feeds from mentioning a certain TV show (and it's characters) for a set time period. Jennie Lamere, a 17 year-old-girl, invented the software last month-and won the grand prize at a national coding competition where Lamere was the only female who presented a project, and the only developer to work alone. Internet: Meet the reason we need more women in tech."
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2013/05/meet-17-year-old-saving-you-game-thrones-twitter-spoilers
