Jennifer Siebel Newsom always knew that she wanted to have children one day. However, when she discovered that she was pregnant with a baby girl, she could not ignore the worry that washed over her.
“I was in the entertainment industry when the tabloid culture and reality TV were really taking off,” says Newsom, who has worked as an actress in several television shows and movies. “I saw women being demeaned and objectified in both mediums. I was very concerned about what it would be like to raise a child in this culture.”
Needless to say, Newsom knew first-hand that the media is a powerful force and that the women who were being demeaned, disrespected and objectified on television and in movies served as role models to the young girls who consumed the media. She had even seen the issue come into play during the audition process, often being typecast as a trophy wife.
By the way, Newsom is a graduate of Stanford Business School and Stanford University. She also volunteered as a doctor's assistant in a children's hospital in Quito, Ecuador, before joining Conservation International – a global environmental organization – where she brought the micro-credit enterprise model to bushmen and rainforest communities in southern Africa and Latin America.
“I would attend premiere after premiere where I would not see an inspiring female character or I would not see a lead female character,” Newsom says. “Or maybe there were only a few women at all in the complete 90-minute film. I just did not see what the media was putting out there as inspiring to women or reflective of the diversity of women.”
Newsom calls this trend “the dumbing down and sexualization” of women. Moreover, she knew that said trend was not helping further women's progress and instead teaching young girls to associate power with their own sexuality. Reactively, Newsom set out to write, produce and direct a documentary that tackled the topic.
“Miss Representation” explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman. The project was an effort by Newsom to determine what can be done to improve the status for girls and women so they can aspire to be leaders and fulfill their dreams.
“Media literacy is critical because culture is learned,” says Newsom, calling media a great technological force of communication that dictates our cultural values and gender norms. “Babies right out of the womb are being fed brands. They are being sold to right away. We're selling our kids this notion that a woman's value lies in her youth, her beauty and her sexuality and not her capacity to lead or her capacity to feel and be powerful.”
Moreover, Newsom says young boys are deciphering these messages as meaning that a woman's value is less than and that women should be objectified, existing for their own use or gain. And with the advent of the 24/7 news and infotainment cycle, Newsom believes that media literacy is vital to re-teach young boys and girls their value, their potential and their equality.
“I definitely found my voice in making this film,” Newsom says. “I discovered and reclaimed my own power. It is something that I still struggle with because I think media and our culture has communicated for decades and centuries now that a woman's value is less than. But I discovered that I love filmmaking and enjoy being a director.”
After all, Newsom believes that we need more female directors. In face, she thinks that we need more movies featuring stories about strong women... period. So, needless to say, she aspires to continue in her new career path and cannot think of a better place to start than examining some of the other issues touched upon in “Miss Representation” with greater depth.
“I have a 4-month-old son and I am particularly concerned about the world he is growing up in and the masculinity that is being pushed on men,” Newsom says. “Men are being taught not to feel or express love or emotion and that their role is to make money and be the provider and be in control and in power. I am also interested in looking at the value of women in our country relative to other countries.”
“Miss Representation” (NR – 85 minutes) will air 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 exclusively on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.
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