Women in Alternative Media

As the advent of  advanced technologies, people can easily connect themselves to the mainstream media. Mainstream media disseminated via the largest channels, provides the majority of information consumers wanted to know about; however, these information are often bias, not able to provide consumers with the accurate information they needed to know, this might gradually affect people’s psychological thinking on social issues.

Besides the mainstream, alternative media reflects different sides of the stories to the public. Alternative media refers to media (newspaper, radio, television, internet, etc.) that provides alternative information to mainstream media. Alternative media often challenges the existent of the massive messages produced by mainstream, although alternative media might be bias in some ways, too; but it still enables people to have different perspective of thinking. Under mainstream media, women and minorities often view as the group of people who do not have equalities as the men in the society, women and minorities’ rights are suppress, they are not allow to fight back the patriarchy. With the alternative media, benefits women that they are now allow to express their ideas, thoughts, and actions towards patriarchy in the society. Alternative media spreads out messages quickly onto the public, informing people about the truth in our societies, and to alert us that there are many messages are bias that come directly from mainstream.

With the development of technologies, women are capable to create messages and spread them around. There are many alternative ways that women used to express their feelings and thoughts, such as in movies, videos, books, radio, etc. Most people today watch movies and watch videos online, it is the easiest way to let people know the messages immediately. One way for movies to be on either mainstream or alternative media, it is not only for entertainment, but also used as a tool to teach young children. As Hooks states, “cinema assumes a pedagogical role in the lives of many people” (p 2). I totally agree with her words, people like our age, even younger children; we always focus on media consumptions and learn the messages from the films. Without the awareness of the alternative media, people often believed the messages from mainstream are true, and therefore people will start behaving the way films taught them, which creates issues in real life.

When we just talk about making alternative media, it sounds easy, but in fact, establishers are encountering lots of challenges. Although men and women are equal today, but in this patriarchal, man-dominant society, women and minorities have many limitations when comes to their rights. “A major problem, even today, is convincing men that films by and about women are important” (Zimmerman, p 265). In the words from Zimmerman, who is the executive director of Women Make Movies; had clearly stated the problem occurring when making films about women. Men do not understand the reason to make films about women, or the reason why we have to view women as important roles within the society. Zimmerman also provides the example of women-film and video makers are encountering; many lesbian filmmakers’ films are not accepted by lesbian audiences, the audiences wanted to have love and sex scenes within the films, and choose to ignore the explanations by filmmakers that they were trying to change the ways of film making and the way stories portrayed. (p 263) What I feel about this is that people are “brainwashed” by the mainstream for so many years, the audiences are living in a patriarchal society many years, their mind is bombarded with information that men are powerful and equipped to be dominant and rule over the weak, referring to women and minority groups. Therefore once when something different goes against the mainstream, people will be dissatisfy with the new information.  I can say it is very difficult to change people’s mind in just a few films, or articles; the route for alternative media to succeed still takes a long time.

W.M.M. - A multicultural, multiracial and non-profit media organization that provides female directors a platform to make their own films about women, funding and supporting them.

There are still many alternative media sources that women are making today, trying hard to change everyone's psychological thinking and provide alternative information to the public so we are fully aware of what’s ongoing in the society now.

FeministFrequency is the website established by Anita Sarkeesian. She is a “feminist pop culture media critic who produces an ongoing web series of video commentaries from a feminist/fangirl perspective. She has earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and her Master’s degree in Social and Political Thought. Anita’s research interests are on privilege and systems of oppression specifically focusing on representations of race, gender, sexuality, class and ability in popular culture” (“FeministFrequency”).

This is a recent critique on the new movie The Hunger Game

About-Face is another alternative that teaches women how to protect themselves from the mainstream and to understand the messages that attack their social status. The website’s mission is to “equips women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect their self-esteem and body image" ("About-Face").

Works Cited 

About-Face. N.p., 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. <http://www.about-face.org/>.

Hooks, Bell. "Making Movie Magic." Introduction. Reel to Real. By Hooks. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-9. Print. 

Sarkeesian, Anita, prod. FeministFrequency. N.p., 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. 

     <http://www.feministfrequency.com>.

Zimmerman, Debra. "Women Make Movies." Redding/Brownworth. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 261-265. Print.