by Evan Sedigh

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already seen our documentary Miss Representation (or at least the trailer). The film may or may not have been your first introduction to gender media literacy, but chances are that in middle school you didn’t learn a whole lot about how mainstream media contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America. Or about the effects that the often disparaging portrayals of women in mass media have had on our society.

Well, we believe it’s time to change how and when the next generation learns to interact with sexist media.

We have just launched the California Public School Campaign to achieve our goal of ensuring that every public middle and high school in the state of California has access to Miss Representation and the accompanying curriculum. The truth is, the best chance we have at changing the status quo regarding gender equality is educating our youth. Imagine a society where young women are empowered, unafraid of breaking through the traditional stereotypes bestowed upon them by previous generations. One where young men wouldn’t blink at the notion of a US Congress comprised equally of women and men. And where the young people studying to become media makers themselves, actually understood the importance of creating positive representations of women.

We believe that media literacy is the way we can achieve these goals and get through to the next generation!

Thanks to a campaign started by concerned parents and matched with contributions by ro*co films and MissRepresentation.org, 1000 copies of Miss Representation will be donated to public schools all across California beginning this Fall. But we can’t stop there, our goal is to raise enough funds to ensure that every high school student in the country has access to the film and curriculum! We encourage those interested in supporting the efforts of the California Public School Campaign to click here.

Also, any California public middle school or high school can obtain their free copy of Miss Representation by visiting this page.

Together we can make sure that our kids grow up with the tools to challenge and transform the way women, girls and all people are represented in the media.

Evan is an intern with MissRepresentation.org