Media Watch: Challenging Commercial Bias

Many females in society grow up with the thought that their ideas don't matter and that for them to fit in and be accepted they have to keep their mouths closed and their ideas to themselves. In this new technological age however, many groups/organizations are recognizing this negative development and are making strides to bring about a difference. It has become apparent what a great impact media has on the 'psychological development of adolescence', mainly females, and with this awareness comes efforts to change the paradigm by encouraging young girls to become makers of media. (Highlighting Girls in Youth Media- Barbara Wiener). The amount of females engaged in media needs to improve seeing as media has significant power in shaping our perception of self. It's necessary that females "take the power from media to define them and put it in their own hands", which is done by 'critiquing media, avoiding stereotypes and acting out [our own self made] identities.' (The Power and Impact of Gender-Specific Media Literacy- Rebecca Richards Bullen).

Ann Simonton represents one of many women who have taken the initiative to counter mainstream media's depictions of women. Simonton is the founder and director of Media Watch (www.mediawatch.com), a 26 year old organization which challenges racism, sexism and violence in the media through education and activism. Simonton, a former top model who hit her peak in the early 1970s appearing on the cover and pages of numerous magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Seventeen Glamour and Vogue, turned her back against the industry shortly after, choosing to dedicate her life to exposing commercial media's bias and traveling internationally to present compelling exposes on the disturbing consequences of corporate owned media.




Her first act of activism was in 1980 and involved her and a friend putting up a giant flag-waving ceramic penis outside the Hustler offices in Los Angeles and playing a loud audio about how pornography exploits women. This was the start to a number of humorous non violent protests for which Simonton been arrested and jailed eleven times. In 1982, way before the lady gaga spectacle, she was the first to make a statement wearing a dress made of meat to the Miss California Pageant. This was an eccentric feminist means of criticizing the pageant, and garnering national attention in effectively sending the pageant packing.

In 1984 she started Media Watch as to create an outlet that would increase consumers’ awareness of all the propaganda that exist in the media, thereby making them more critical consumers of the media. With her educational videos, one of which, Don't Be a TV: Television Victim, received a Silver Apple Award from the National Education Video and Film Festival in 1995, she tours and lectures around the country revealing how media imagery and popular entertainment ‘glorify fear and violence.’ Simonton also speaks about the lack of diversity in media and its threats to democracy as mainstream media is dominated by few mega corporations who dictate what we consume from the media thereby influencing our thoughts and actions.

Her activism also extends to coalition with other movements, for example: Women in Black, which is an international movement of women, originating in Argentina, who wear all black as a form of protest. Simonton is active with these protests, often adding to the spectacle by doing things like painting her hand with blood.


Simonton has published two autobiographical chapters, called I Never Told Anyone and Her Wits About Her, stories about sexual abuse and self defense success. Her activism has garnered her spotlight on shows such as Dr. Phil, Oprah, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight or CNN's Crossfire. She has been dubbed one of the 'nation's leading authorities on the effect of media images' and was the recipient of the Feminist Heroine of the year award.

Over the years Simonton and Media Watch have been quite successful in challenging mainstream media. Their efforts to challenge abusive stereotypes and other biased information found in the media has brought about significant results such as working to successfully convincing Dodge-Chrysler to pull their financial support of a Lingerie Bowl, which featured women in underwear playing football during a Super Bowl half time.

The organization is a force in changing the current paradigm of media, with their mission endorsing media literacy as part of standard curriculum in our K-12 education system. Simonton’s has said that interacting with youths (She is involved with teaching spoken word poetry at the Santa Cruz Teen Center) is “one of the most powerful ways to get our youth away from the television and help articulate our next leaders.”


The goal is to decrease the negative effects of media exposure on youths and bringing awareness to how they can avoid being victims. With further progress by Simonton and Media Watch, there will be more healthy media consumers as well as increased media makers, and which will cause more positive changes to develop within media.

http://santacruz.indymedia.org/newswire/display/3740/index.php