About 100 people, mostly women, came to hear Ann Simonson, founder of Media Watch, a group that fights against negative representations of women in the media.
Simonson, who graced the 1974 cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, spoke about these problems as part of the 24-Hour Rape-Free Zone sponsored by Advocates for Sexual Assault Prevention.
"We have created a culture where domestic violence and wife-battering has become natural," Simonson said. "We are living in a crisis time."
Only a handful of corporations control worldwide media, and they use this power to objectify women and sell products, Simonson said. "Women are for sale. Their breasts are used to sell beer."
She added that the power to control information is dangerous because the public does not have access to the original information it needs to make informed decisions. "Hitler knew it. He knew the power of propaganda," she said.
One result of the media's portrayal of women is that it reinforces outdated sex roles for young children, Simonson said.
"It teaches girls and boys early that there is something wrong with being feminine," she said. "She can play baseball, but he better not touch that Barbie doll."
Simonson said cosmetic surgery is another atrocity that results from the concept of the "ideal body" in the media. Customary veils worn in some Middle Eastern countries are more humane than subjecting women to dangerous procedures that alter their body's beauty or composition. "Beauty is a learned concept," she said. "The racist ideal that we promulgate through the beauty industry is dangerous."
In addition to sexism, Simonson said racism and homophobia are prevalent in the media today. "It's hip to hate minorities, it's hip to hate gays and lesbians, and it's hip to hate women," she said.
