Blog Prompt: The Media, Real Women and Gender Oppression

In class on Tuesday, we discussed Susan Douglas' criticisms of the ways the media-- from the news to TV and film to pop culture-- promotes what she calls "enlightened sexism." Increasingly, the media feature images of women and girls as "empowered" and as in positions of power and authority. Films and TV shows these days are full of female lawyers, doctors, police detectives, Presidents, Vice Presidents and so on. Yet, as Douglas puts it toward the end of the book, 

Now, in real life, things are not quite so egalitarian as they may seem in the fantasy realms of our nation's small screens. With the media's eagerness to present "aspirational" shows and characters-- meaning viewers will fantasize about moving up and so will be in a good frame of mind to think about buying Estee Lauder "Teint longue tenue" or a Cadillac-- most  "real women" and what they do in "real life" are erased in favor of fantasies of power, achievement and control. (p. 279)

This observation raises an interesting question: Are there any representations in the media, whether fictional or journalistic,  that adequately reflect the real lives of real woman and, most importantly, that expose and draw attention to the lack of gender equity in American society? Are there TV shows or films or documentaries that manage to throw a critical light on the ways women continue to be oppressed in our society? I look forward to your posts.