Accepting Women in the Media

Discrimination is a prevalent force, whether we want to accept it or not. Racism, genderism and sexism are just a few that top the list in today's day and age. As a female journalist, one of the biggest challenges that I see today is the acceptance of women in the media.

Equality in general has been tested over the years, but equality for women has been one of the major issues. A constant fight that many have been fighting against for quite some time now, it seems like a never-ending battle.

There are so many people and figures in the media who have been battling for fairness in the world for women in the work place, school, and in daily life as a whole.

English actress Emma Watson has transformed from a young Muggle wizard to a strong spokeswoman for feminism. Over the past few years, she has spoken out on behalf of women everywhere, earning herself the title of the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in 2014. Watson has also recently released a statement inviting men to support gender equality as well, which is crucial to the movement.

Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai survived a shot to the head on her school bus at just fifteen-years old in her stand for women's right to an education in her country. Almost four years later and now at eighteen-years old, Yousafzai continues to stand up for women all over the world and calls them to join her in the fight for gender equality.

Even now, I am literally sitting in an art history class watching the Japanese art of Kabuki theater, another activity that women are prohibited from joining. All of these occurrences prove that sexism isn't just in one area or region - it's all over the world.

I'm currently taking a class about women and minorities in the media and how they have been treated over the years. While the class has only bee in session for about three weeks, we have already went over how discriminatory the people of the newsroom can be. In one instance, my professor had a fellow female journalist in one of her past jobs years ago who would hide in the bathroom whenever one of the men in the office would come into work. Why? Because whenever she walked by, he would pull her down in his lap and humiliate her in front of her co-workers.

But what could she do about it? The men in the office were considered to be superior. If she were to tell someone in higher-up, there is a fair chance that she would not have been taken seriously.

White males have been considered to be higher-ranking over history, and especially in the work place. While it may not be so drastic in the modern world as it has been over the past few centuries, there is no disputing that it still exists in many areas.

The newsroom is one place where the competition between genders has been high throughout the decades. Diversity in the world of journalism is still emerging. Today, Buzzfeed is known to have one of the most diverse newsrooms in the country.

Jane Cunningham Croly and Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, more famously known as their pen names Jennie June and Nellie Bly, are just two nineteenth century journalists who have paved the way for women today

While we have come a long ways in terms of fighting against discrimination in today's society, the war is far from being won.

Stop Idolizing Kylie Jenner

Unless you have lived under a rock for the past year or two, there is a pretty good chance that you are familiar with the Kardashian/Jenner family. You know, the one that gets ultra glamorous with their daily make-up teams and "momager" Kris who makes sure their lives always have a hint of drama? Yeah, that family.

In case you somehow are not familiar with them, media figures Kourtney, Rob, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian are the children of Kris Jenner and the late Robert Kardashian, who was OJ Simpson's attorney during his 1995 murder trial.

Although they are divorced as of 2014, Kris Jenner and retired American track star Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner) have two children together, Kendall and Kylie Jenner (try saying all of these names ten times fast). The twenty-year old and the eighteen-year old have started to outshine their older sisters with modelling contracts and, as Kylie has clearly demonstrated, plumped lips.

Truth be told, I have no real problem with the Kardashian/Jenner family. I do not care how Kim initially made her claim to fame and I have no real opinion on what they do. In fact, I was someone who kept up with their dramatic shenanigans on their popular television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians once upon a time. They are simply a family in the media who gets paid for what they do on a daily basis, and I do not have anything awful to say about them.

However, in recent months, I have become more than sick of seeing the youngest sibling, Kylie, being idolized by the media. Yes, she has botox-enhanced lips, making them much fuller than average. Yes, she is apparently dating twenty-six year old rapper Tyga. But there is absolutely no reason for everyone to go crazy over a few dramatic features and aspects of her life.

I guess the real reason that I am going on and on about all of this is because after the recent attacks in Paris, I went online to stay in touch with the bombings and find out the whole story as it was unraveling. While doing so, I went on Facebook in hopes that I might also find some posts there that would educate me further on the situation. I took a look at the side bar that Facebook offers with recent updates in the world, and found nothing about Paris. Instead, all that I saw were "urgent" (more like infuriating) posts about a dress that Kylie had worn on a date with Tyga. Seriously?!

Amidst tragedy and fear, the media was solely concerned about what an eighteen-year old had worn to some expensive date with her boyfriend. Call me crazy, but there is something seriously wrong with this picture. It seems like everyday I see another post about what another dress she wore or another statement she made on another red carpet.

The most recent stunt that the media has put on blast is Kylie's latest photo shoot for Interview Magazine, in which the teen posed in a wheelchair as a fashion statement. Many have found this to be offensive, and rightly so.  

All in all, I am just getting tired of seeing headline after headline and hearing about Kylie Jenner with everything else going on in the world. Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against Kylie as a person. I have never met her, so I cannot really say anything as to how she truly acts or responds. What I do have a problem with is how the media has been seemingly worshiping her when there are much bigger matters to worry about at hand. Of course, this is true with many celebrities, it is just that this is one figure who I have been seeing the most about lately.

Rant over.