• American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching TV, 17 hours a week listening to music, 3 hours a week watching movies, 4 hours a week reading magazines, 10 hours a week online. That’s 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption a day.
• Women hold only 3% of clout positions in the mainstream media.
• 53% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies. That number increases to 78% by age 17.
• The number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youth 18 or younger more than tripled from 1997 to 2007.
• 65% of American women and girls report disordered eating behaviors.
• 25% of women are abused by a partner during their lifetime in the U.S.
• 15% of rape survivors are under the age of 12.
• Rates of depression among women and young girls have doubled in the past ten years.
• The United States is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures.
• Women are merely 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.

As stats like these (and many more) flashed across the screen, I sometimes had to fight back tears.  Looking around the room, I saw the same dismayed expressions on the faces of my friends that I’m sure they saw on mine. I had gathered together a group of ten women to watch Miss Representation, a documentary about how the media misrepresents women and how that damages everyone. It was a wonderful night, full of friendship, wine, great conversations and many laughs. But it was, also, a very depressing night. Continue reading »