Miss Representation Page #3

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Siebel Newsom:
I knew these obstacles

still existed for my generation,

but I wanted to find out

if things were any better

for young women

seeking leadership positions,

so I spent time with

an exceptional young woman

named Devanshi Patel,

who aspires to have a career

in public service.

Well, welcome to bill hearing.

Tonight is the bill hearing night

for the Central Silicon Valley YMCA

Youth & Government Delegation.

So, the first time I ran

for public office

was in fourth grade.

My parents worked with me.

We made all these fliers with

all these cure little slogans,

and we campaigned

all over the school.

And I was actually the runner-up

by a handful of votes.

I think everyone is born with

something that they have to do,

and for me, this was it.

Every time

that I could run for something,

I didn't run for anything less.

I didn't run for Vice

President or Treasurer.

I ran for President.

Ranna:
I asked her one day...

I think it was in fifth grade.

I said, "Devanshi,

you always want to be a leader,"

but do you know

what a leader is?"

She says, "it's very simple, Mama.

"They are just serving the people.

Leaders are just servants

to people."

Devanshi:
I loved

the Youth & Government program.

The best way I can give back is

by running for Youth Governor.

How would you solve

the California budget crisis?

Starting with Miss Patel.

I would out unnecessary spending.

When I was running for office,

there were a lot of...

if not outward shows of sexism,

little remarks here and there,

like, "Oh, she speaks well

for a woman."

"She's smart for a woman."

There were also a couple instances

with some of my friends

when they were going to speak

in front of a large audience

and the only thing people

could focus on was their body,

what they looked like,

what they were wearing.

I thought, you knovv,

"We're better than this."

She said, "Mama, it looks like

I'm another Hillary Clinton."

Guys will vote for guys,

and girls will vote for guys

but some of the time,

girls have a harder time getting

the girls to vote for girls

'cause I feel like girls are

kind of harder on other girls.

Siebel Newsom:

Devanshi's story

made me think about how early

girls face a deep gender bias

and how things have not changed

as much as we'd like to think.

One of the first things I did

when I became mayor

of San Francisco is

I appointed a female Police Chief

and then a female Fire Chief.

When they both show up

at the podium in a disaster,

a lot of national media

will look there and say,

"Where's the Police Chief?"

"She's right here."

"Where's the Fire Chief, then?"

"Well, she's right here."

People thought I was trying to

make some grand statement

when, in fact,

I was actually just hiring

the most qualified two candidates.

The incredible opposition

was coming mostly from women

and those that feel it's

too much, too soon, too fast.

They never would have questioned

that had they been men.

Little boys and little girls,

when they're 7 years old,

an equal number want to be

President of the United States

when they grow up...

about 30%.

But then you ask the same

question when they're 15,

and you see

this massive gap emerging.

So we have

this gendered socialization,

where politics

is considered to be for men.

Leadership is considered to be

a masculine pursuit,

and women are discouraged from

pursuing ambitious positions.

I think what happens is that

if you do not have women there,

then girls do not see

that they can be that,

so it's really what you see

that inspires your idea

of what's possible for you

in the world.

I do disagree with Sarah Palin

on a lot of issues,

but seeing her up onstage there

with her young family

and her young baby

was just beautiful,

and I thought, "You know what'?"

Maybe I could give this a shot

as well."

Having this opportunity to see women,

to see women leadership,

to see woman's leadership

in reality and on the screen

and in the television

is huge for women... huge.

Because you don't have that many

women really in leadership,

so the way that it gets done,

to a certain extent,

and the way problems get solved

often have to do with Hollywood

and the films that get made,

the documentaries,

the television shows.

Start where people are,

and people are watching television.

Siebel Newsom:

There are some examples

of films and TV shows

that portray powerful women,

but in general, the situation

in Hollywood is pretty bleak.

I decided to pursue acting

professionally at the age of 28

and was hopeful I could find

complex roles to play.

My first reality check came

when my agent told me

to lie about my age

and remove my Stanford MBA

from my rsum

because it might be threatening.

Well, I didn't do either,

but my confidence was really shaken.

My second reality check came

when I learned that there were

very few multidimensional roles

to even audition for.

I shouldn't have been surprised

because when you really look

at Hollywood

and the films that are being made,

you see the same stereotypes

being portrayed

over and over again.

[Metric's "Gold Guns Girls" plays]

All the gold

And the guns

And the girls

Couldn't get you off

All the boys

All the choices in the world

I remember when

we were gambling to win

Everybody else said,

"Better luck next time"

I don't wanna bend

like the bad girls bend

I just wanna be your friend,

is it ever gonna be enough'?

Is it ever gonna be enough'?

Is it ever gonna be enough'?

Is it ever gonna be enough'?

Women are never the protagonists

or the ones who...

like, if they are the protagonist,

it's some, like, drama about

getting a guy or something.

It's never really about finding

your destiny or whatever,

how they say it for the guys.

Like in the "Star Trek," he's like,

"This is your destiny,"

you know, being powerful

being the captain.

But for a girl,

they wouldn't say that.

And then what's weird about it is

that it seems normal for us.

Like, we don't question it.

We don't say,

"Oh, why isn't a girl being

the protagonist for this'?

Why can't a girl be powerful?"

Davis:

I hear this all the time.

Well, things are getting better.

I mean, things are

getting better, you know'?

But they're not.

Mainstream movies are generally

stories of man's lives

which revolve around men,

and then we have this subgenre

called "chick flicks,"

which are stories of woman's lives

which, when you look at them

a little more closely,

you realize that they generally

revolve around man's lives, too.

They revolve around

trying to get a man,

trying to get love,

get married, get pregnant.

It's my fault that I'm alone

on Valentine's Day.

My closest relationship

is with my Blackberry.

- Right.

- Thank God it vibrates.

Between 1937 and 2005,

there were only 13 female

protagonists in animated movies.

All of them except one

had the aspiration

of finding romance.

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