Respect Me, Don’t Media Me

"Respect Me, Don't Media Me" was produced in a workshop with Sisters Empowering Sisters, a program of the Girls Best Friend Foundation. The film examines the portrayal of young women in music videos and other media. It also asks the questions: "What do these kinds of portrayals mean for young women?", "How do they affect our lives, our decisions and our relationships?" and "What can we do to change them?" See https://beyondmedia.org for more information.

00:04Copy video clip URL Onscreen text provides background information on two organizations: Sisters Empowering Sisters (SES) and Beyondmedia Education. The text explains that SES researched how music videos portray young women and how media affects their lives. SES and Beyondmedia have collaborated to explore that research. 

00:25Copy video clip URL SES members Ariel, Yas, Jenny, and Sam discuss the media’s influence in a short snippet.

00:53Copy video clip URL An animated title card reads “Respect Me, Don’t Media Me!”, followed by a conversation from SES members Ariel, Ayomide, Paola, Jenny, Sam, Charmaine, Yas, and Nina on beauty standards portrayed in the media. There are clips of street interviews on this topic dispersed throughout the segment. 

05:32Copy video clip URL Onscreen text reads “Body Image” and “What is your ideal body?” There’s a discussion on body image and how SES members define it. 

06:50Copy video clip URL Aris says her style and personality are a reflection of the media she consumes. There are street interviews where women talk about their battles with not fitting in because of the clothing they wore. 

07:50Copy video clip URL Nina talks about how many of the songs on the radio are club songs and their music videos hyper-sexualize women’s’ bodies. SES members talk about the expectations of society and the male-gaze. There are street interviews on this topic. 

10:09Copy video clip URL Onscreen text reads “Personality & Style” and SES members talk about their personal style and the judgement received from others. There is a collage of media imagery of style onscreen. 

12:29Copy video clip URL There are interviews on how media affects interpersonal relationships. 

15:28Copy video clip URL Onscreen text reads “Relationships”. Someone watches a static TV screen as a poem is recited. The poem is about the media’s influence on relationships.

16:29Copy video clip URL An SES member talks about the media’s prioritizing of sexual relationships and it’s influence on young people. Street interviews happen on the media’s portrayal of sexuality. 

21:40Copy video clip URL Onscreen text reads “Sex & Sexuality” and “What have media taught you about sex?”. There is a montage of sexual movie scenes. 

22:53Copy video clip URL SES members discuss the lack of good role models in media followed by interviews on the topic. In contrast, they share the role models in their personal lives. 

25:43Copy video clip URL Onscreen text reads “Icons & Role Models”, followed by a skit on finding role models. 

28:30Copy video clip URL Credits