Today's News Headlines: Hide, Flaunt, Change, Sell, or Hate the Female Body

Act #291:  Recognize how women are portrayed in the media.

Every morning, I wake up at 5 a.m. and scan the headlines on three different news websites seeking blog inspiration.  Today was no different - but rather than being inspired, I was saddened.  Saddened that like most days when I start scanning the daily news, images and stories of women almost always fall under two distinct categories: 1.)  The obsession with the size, shape, and bodies of women; and 2.) Acts of violence against women.  Today was no different.  Here are the first five images connected to news stories that popped up in the front page of one of my news outlets:

1.  Elle magazine flaunting actress, Melissa McCarthy's "plus-size" body....by throwing an oversized coat over it.

2.  Why are we still talking about her?

 

 

3.  Moldovan volunteers fighting to prevent human trafficking through participatory theatre, where spectators are asked to change the outcome of the play.  Moldova is one of the main source countries in Europe for sex trafficking and forced labor.



4.  Kim Kardashian's selfie flaunting her post-baby body, suggesting 5 different types of diets for women who want to lose weight following a pregnancy.

5.  12-year old Rebecca Sedwick jumps from a concrete silo tower after being cyber-bullied  by two school mates aged 9 and 12.