GRAND Magazine - Fall 2022 - 26

children and media
encouraged to call and get other parents and grandparents
onboard, so the peer pressure is lessened.
What grandparents and other audience members
don't realize is that there are subtle and subliminal messages
in films that create harm, without us realizing.
Once we know about the issues, we can make better
viewing choices.
The gender disparity in front of and behind the camera
greatly affects the world we are seeing on screen, a world
with far fewer women and girls, than boys and men.
* Women make up 50% of the population, yet we view
a warped onscreen world. Geena Davis has worked hard
for over 16 years to improve the situation. In 2008, the
Geena Davis Institute researched 5,554 speaking character
roles and found that females were cast in only 29.2%
of those roles, and the rest of the 70.8% of the roles were
cast male.
* We see 2.42 men and boys for every female on
screen. A world was created where women and girls
didn't exist as much and rarely were they the characters
doing exciting things or solving problems. Part of
the issue is that women were only given 4%-7% of the
directing positions in studio films.
* All the stories, even the family films, were being told
by men. Women filmmakers, mothers, and grandmothers
were not allowed onboard to tell their stories, their way.
If we think back to the movies of our day, women were
mostly cast as someone's girlfriend or wife in the movie.
They were eye candy. Imagine the seeds that plant in
the brains of little boys and little girls. Girls saw boys
26 GRAND Summer 2022
and men living the full life, abundant with opportunities,
while they hung out on the sidelines. Even very young
girls were often sexualized. The over-sexualization of girls
and women in film is another issue. All the above teaches
girls as well as boys what to expect from life.
Fast forward to current times and Geena Davis has
made improvements in front of the camera. There are
more women pushing the story forward as the main
character in films, solving problems and we even have
female superheroes. But are we out of the woods? Not
by a mile. The research from last year, 2021 shows the
ratio of male to female character roles as 2 to 1 now - 2
men for every 1 female. This is an improvement from the
2.42 to 1 ratio.
Many stereotypes still exist, such as women needing
to be substantially younger than men. Older men still
get top roles in films. Women over 50 are a rare sight in
leading roles. They are invisible. What does that tell our
grandchildren? All this could change with more female
directors, which is improving at a snail's pace. In 2021,
the studios hired women to direct 12% of their top 100
films.
"
" If women and girls don't see
themselves on screen as STEM
professionals, they're less likely
to pursue those career paths. "
-Geena Davis
"
Action List
What can we do as grandparents? Now
that we are aware - of a healthy life outlook
for both girls and boys, we need to
watch for these types of subtle but powerful
messages in films and be selective,
as to what is watched since it will form our
grandchildren's lenses of perception. This
matters for both genders. Look for films
with healthy gender roles and healthy
gender relationships. Make sure to view a
balanced blend of male and female lead
characters and protagonists.
Storytelling, especially storytelling by
wise elders, has been used for over a thousand
years to impart life wisdom, teach
principles, build character, and enhance our
time here on earth. With all that's going
on in the world, it is time that the power of
film is used in that way Meanwhile, grandparents
can utilize sites such as Common
Sense Media to find and support the films
that help build a stronger, healthier foundation
for our grandchildren.
Sylvia Binsfeld is the grandmother of
three, the owner of DreamWeaver
Films, LLC, with a special interest in
children's films, and the founder of
the Conscious Media Movement.
You are warmly invited to sign-up
for the Conscious Media Movement
newsletter

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GRAND Magazine - Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Fall 2022