Representations Re-Imagined Project
"The purpose of this project is to identify, envision, and propose a transformative campaign that addresses, re-imagines, and redresses a specific issue related to media image, influence, or identity. Your goal is to develop a compelling, research-based pitch and sample content that advocates for more authentic, empathetic, and just portrayals. This project will challenge you to think creatively and critically about the power of media representations and their impact on society. By conceptualizing a transformative campaign, you have the opportunity to advance your communication skills while also advocating for a more inclusive and equitable media landscape."
WOMEN BLEED SO
MEN DON'T HAVE TO
Carlie Tenney
Proposal
I often felt that commercials meant to empower women actually did the opposite, especially tampon commercials. They seemed as though they weren’t made for women but rather designed to hide the real truths of what a period is like because men couldn’t handle it. My goal with anything I do in spreading awareness about female injustices is to enlighten at least one person, and if I achieve that, I feel I have accomplished my mission. There are so many subtle forms of sexism embedded in our society that they often go unnoticed. It’s important to address how women are minorities in various contexts. I also want to continually emphasize the power that women hold and how they have shaped and changed our world.
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My goal is to put the evidence directly in front of those who deny that women are discriminated against. While reading Benjamin (2024), Chapter 4: Imagining Justice, this quote stood out to me: “Those who refuse to accept oppressive ideologies show us what is possible when we unleash our imaginations. We can rob unjust systems of their power and make a way outta no way imagining different possibilities for how to connect and care for one another as we also remake the world.”When I’ve felt pushed down, it has only motivated me to stand back up taller. I believe I can speak for most women when I say that being made to feel inferior drives a desire to prove not only equality but also strength and resilience in the face of oppression.
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Period ads have shamed women since the beginning of their existence, and this is just one example of the many genres of advertising that belittle women. Aisle, a blog website, captures this perfectly: “Media representation is powerful; it can spread stigma and shame or inform and empower. Unfortunately, since the first period product advertisements appeared in the 1920s, they did the former by representing menstruation as a ‘problem’ that required discretion and secrecy.” It’s time for women to be loud and unapologetic in every category.
Creative Media Approach
My creative media approach was to create a video featuring real-life clips of men speaking negatively about women, particularly criticizing how women express emotions. These clips were juxtaposed with footage of women achieving remarkable accomplishments. I intentionally avoided focusing solely on women in sports, as tampon advertisements often depict women engaging in athletic activities but portraying them with minimal effort, as if that were the extent of what women could achieve. I created a rough draft of the video, ending it with the quote from the Barbie movie: “Now feel.” This was meant to emphasize that it is okay for women to feel the way they do—they are not "too dramatic," "too loud," or "hysterical." Women don’t need to calm down or lower their voices to appease men. I wanted to include clips that addressed not just periods but the broader issues of how women are often placed on an inferior scale. I believe tampon companies have significant potential to empower women and challenge these narratives.
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I want to note that I went ahead and created a rough draft of what my campaign would look like instead of just selecting a few pieces of media. I felt that my point was best conveyed through a mock campaign video.
Target Audience
I would say this campaign is for everyone. There is no one who wouldn't benefit from seeing the differences in media representations between men and women. Young girls could look up to the powerful women featured, all women can gain insight into the ideologies placed on them, and men can be informed about how society’s general attitudes toward women are shaped. This includes understanding how influential men, who are admired and idolized, hold significant power over young minds.
Refelection
The biggest challenge I faced while creating this project was finding specific clips that I knew existed but couldn't locate. I’ve always heard these comments made by men and am aware of many impactful women, but finding videos that really emphasized my point proved difficult. I originally intended to use references in media related solely to periods, but I then added the layer of women being referred to as “crazy” or “dramatic.” I realized there were many more crude ways men have spoken about women in the media, and what better way to highlight this than through a tampon ad? A product specifically for women or people with periods, who are also likely affected by these comments, provided a unique context. Just because a product is meant for menstruation doesn’t mean the ad should be limited to that topic—this principle can be applied to any form of marketing and advertising.
I also spent a lot of time searching for these clips, which was emotionally taxing. Watching a compilation of powerful women juxtaposed with negative portrayals of men made me feel both sad and empowered. The more I engage with my media studies classes, the more I recognize the significant role the media plays in shaping women’s lives. We’re constantly putting ourselves on a pedestal to please men, and reinforcing the idea that our emotions are valid and powerful can help break down those barriers.
I’m curious what it would have been like if I had more time to find clips and create a full, professional campaign. I’d like to document videos, clips, or comments I come across regularly and see how many I can gather. Compiling them all at once was challenging; I could remember men saying certain things but struggled to find the video evidence. I wonder if this difficulty stems from the transient nature of such content in the media, while what women do often feels permanent. If I had more time, I would add more videos and enhance the audio and text components to create a polished final product. That said, I feel the baseline I made is a strong representation of what I’d want my finished project to look like. It’s inspiring to see real people making these comments; while a few clips were from films, the majority came from real individuals, which adds a personal and authentic feel to the project.
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Resources
Texts:
Benjamin, R. (2024). Imagination: A Manifesto (A Norton Short). WW Norton & Company.
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"How Ads Have Period-Shamed Us for Decades." Period Aisle, https://periodaisle.com/blogs/all/how-ads-have-period-shamed-us-for-decades. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.
Video Clips:
Atlantic Recording Corporation, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. & Mattel, Inc. "Barbie (Billie Eilish What Was I Made For? Scene)." YouTube, uploaded by Bruno Silveira, 12 Sep. 2203,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= eJCclUSASs&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=3&ab_channel=BrunoSilveira
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Always. "Run Like a Girl - Commercial." YouTube, uploaded by cteintrocommercials, 25 Oct. 2014,
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Matt Rife, Netflix. "Matt Rife Joke That Got Him Cancelled!." YouTube, uploaded by Laugh Planet, 30 Nov. 2023,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB65W73uQQ8&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=3&ab_channel=LaughPlanet
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BBC, Flea Bag. "Why You Should Look Forward To The Menopause | Fleabag Series 2." YouTube, uploaded by BBC Three, 19 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZrnHnASRV8&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=4&ab_channel=BBCThree
HuffPost. "48 Things Women Hear In A Lifetime (That Men Just Don't)." YouTube, uploaded by HuffPost, 9 Dec 2015,
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Thomas Keith. "THE EMPATHY GAP - Trailer - Extended Preview." YouTube, uploaded by Media Education Foundation, 19 Dec. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsT5qzCyIbo&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=6&ab_channel=MediaEducationFoundation
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ABC. "Taylor Swift Barbra Walters Interview | Barbra Walters Most Fascinating People | ABC News." YouTube, uploaded by ABC News, 15 Dec 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-TFhUq3otQ&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=7&ab_channel=ABCNews
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Nicki Minaj. "Nicki Minaj Getting Angry." YouTube, uploaded by Barbzington Movies, 2 Apr 2013,
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USA TODAY, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "Full speech: Rep. AOC speaks at 2024 DNC | USA TODAY." YouTube, uploaded by USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2024,
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Jubilee. "Can 25 Liberal College Students Outsmart 1 Conservative? (feat. Charlie Kirk)." YouTube, uploaded by Jubilee, 8 Sep 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV29R1M25n8&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=10&ab_channel=Jubilee
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Alter Ego TV. "Guy Tells female cop to go back to the Kitchen." YouTube, uploaded by Alter Ego TV, 15 May 2021,
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NBC. "Simone Biles REGAINS women’s gymnastics individual all-around gold medal | Paris Olympics" YouTube, uploaded by NBC Sports, 1 Aug 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCPCwstmObY&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=12&ab_channel=NBCSports
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Oscars. "Michelle Yeoh Wins Best Actress for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' | 95th Oscars (2023)." YouTube, uploaded by Oscars, 18 Apr. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZldmL7zeSY&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=13&ab_channel=Oscars
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WTHR. "FULL SPEECH: Kamala Harris concedes to Trump, congratulates him on election victory." YouTube, uploaded by WTHR, 7 Nov. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmIL4Ze4fng&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=14&ab_channel=WTHR
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European Parliament. "Malala Yousafzai speech on education | European Parliament." YouTube, uploaded by European Parliament, 2 Feb 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0PvbQfYrYQ&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=15&ab_channel=EuropeanParliament
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Team USA. "Simone Manuel Sets An Olympic Record In Rio | Gold Medal Moments Presented By HERSHEY'S." YouTube, uploaded by Team USA, 19 Jul 20, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_0tlE074BU&list=PL4psHHoAzLYjTXW8bc_XgfI1TIeqD_tNm&index=16&ab_channel=TeamUSA
Oscars. "Halle Berry Wins Best Actress: 74th Oscars (2002)." YouTube, uploaded by Oscars, 23 May 2014,
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SeattleStormFR. "Sue Bird gets mad | 2018 WNBA semifinals Game 5 Seattle Storm vs Phoenix Mercury." YouTube, uploaded by SeattleStormFR, 27 Oct 2018,
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ABC. "Donald Trump, Megyn Kelly Feud HIGHLIGHTS." YouTube, uploaded by ABC News, 26 Oct 2016,
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Audio:
sad-and-emotional-piano-and-strings-1-108495.mp3
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uplifting-epic-111907.mp3
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Media in this assignment has been compiled for educational purposes.