For the last two days, I've been watching Miss Representation.
I've had to watch it in small bits and pieces, simply because the truth is so very painful - that with the proliferation of new media, the representation of women and girls has gotten even worse. And it had been bad enough when I was younger.
I railed against a system that refused to teach girls how to resolve conflict or how to call out injustice. In college, I studied history - a male dominated field - where I was told there were no great women historians.
When I was a young girl, I often expressed frustration at the society that judged women on their looks. I distinctly remember my father, a serious advocate for women in the sciences, calling my mother over from making dinner to, "Look at this beautiful PhD!"
Being a literal sort, I assumed Dad meant that this particular diploma had been hand painted with calligraphy and gold leaf illumination; a document that looked like something from the Book of Hours.
And I now see that the system has gotten worse.
This is for all those out there who judge a female on her looks alone, who write advertisements, books, movies, and web content that minimize a woman's talents - I'm watching. And I'm going to let you know when you diminish me and other women.
It's scary, but it has to be done.
