Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls
Convening the first National Dialogue on healthy images of women and girls in the media, and gaining an industry-wide commitment to promote positive media images
Contact
GSUSA Public Policy and Advocacy Office at
(202) 659-3780 or advocacy@girlscouts.org
Recognizing the need for gender balance and positive portrayals of women and girls in the media, in 2010 the Girl Scouts of the USA along with the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and The Creative Coalition hosted the Healthy Media for Youth Summit featuring Geena Davis, Founder, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The summit recommended the formation of a Commission to spearhead an industry-wide commitment to promote positive images of girls and women in the media.
Healthy MEdia: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls will bring together media leaders and subject related experts to create a blueprint of recommendations for promoting positive media images. The Commission brings together media leaders and subject related experts to create a blueprint of recommendations for promoting positive media images. Healthy MEdia is co-chaired by Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning Actor and Founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and Deborah Taylor Tate, former FCC Commissioner.
Kids' Media Landscape
- Most 8- to 18-year-olds spend upwards of 10 hours a day engaging with media. (Kaiser 2009)
- In family films and television, male characters outweigh female characters nearly 3:1 and 5:1 in background or group scenes; only 27 percent of the speaking characters are female. (GDIGM)
- More than half of girls (55 percent) admit they diet to lose weight; 31 percent admit to starving themselves or refusing to eat as a strategy to lose weight. (GSRI)
- Sexualized messages and images of girls and women result in boys’ developing unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of girls’ and women’s physical appearance. (GDIGM)
To meet these challenges, Healthy MEdia aims to:
- Host the National Discussion on best practices to promote positive and balanced images of girls and women.
- Convene Industry Leaders, subject matter experts, youth representatives, media leadership, and the creative community to develop a blueprint on how to create a positive media environment for kids.
- Produce concrete recommendations to media and policy leaders.
- Champion media leaders who are promoting positive content and balanced images of girls and women.
- Secure Industry-wide, public commitments to take steps toward positive change.
Commission Member Requirements
To achieve these goals, Healthy MEdia Commission Member will:
- Utilize their leadership, expertise, and influence during the Commissions’ deliberations and events.
- Participate in conference calls and in-person meetings held in D.C. and NYC.
- Promote, advance, and implement work of the Commission and its recommendations within the industry.
Healthy MEdia Commission Members for Positive Images of Women and Girls
Commissioners:
- Co-Chair: Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning actor and Founder, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
- Co-Chair: Deborah Taylor Tate, former FCC Commissioner and ITU Envoy
- Caroline Beasley, Executive Vice President and CFO, Beasley Broadcasting Group, NAB Board of Directors
- Lisa Marie Bongiovanni, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Mattel, Inc.
- Maria Brennan, President and CEO, Women in Cable Telecommunications
- Alice Cahn, Vice President, Social Responsibility, Cartoon Network
- Danielle Carrig, Senior Vice President Advocacy and Public Affairs, A&E Networks
- Salaam Coleman Smith, President, The Style Network
- Sherri Hope Culver, President, National Association of Media Literacy Education
- Sean Cunningham, President and CEO, Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau
- Kelly Delap, Vice President, Standards and Practices, Disney ABC Cable Networks Group
- Ivelisse Estrada, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Community Relations, Univision Communications
- Madeline Di Nonno, Executive Director, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
- Carmen DiRienzo, President and CEO, V-me Media, Inc.
- Ellen East, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer, Time Warner Cable
- Emme, Social Reformer, TV Host and Founder, EmmeNation.com
- Janice Ferebee, Director, Bethune Program Development Center, National Council of Negro Women
- Erin Fuller, President, Alliance for Women in Media
- Marie Gallo Dyak, Executive Vice President, Program Services and Government Relations, Entertainment Industries Council
- Laura Gentile, Vice President, espnW
- Sandy Girard, Vice President, Brand Management Talk and Entertainment, Sirius XM Satellite Radio
- Wendy Goldberg, Executive Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
- Imani Greene, Vice President Paid Media, New Media Strategies
- Jacqueline Hernandez, Chief Operations Officer, Telemundo
- David Honig, President and Executive Director, Minority Media Telecommunications Council
- Annie Howell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Crown Media Holdings, Inc.
- Myung Kang-Huneke, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Sesame Workshop
- Jean Kilbourne, Creator of the “Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women” Film Series
- Linda Kinney, Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Motion Picture Association of America
- Corny Koehl, Executive Producer, Harpo Radio
- Jeanine Liburd, Executive Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Black Entertainment Television
- Vicki Lins, Chief Marketing Officer, Canoe Ventures
- April McClain-Delaney, Washington Director, Common Sense Media
- Cindy McConkey, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scripps Networks
- Michelle Patrick, Vice President, Affiliate Sales, RFD-TV, RFD HD, RURAL TV
- Allison Radzin, Vice President, Sales Strategy & Presentation Design, Turner
- Jessica Rodriguez, Senior Vice President, Univision Cable Networks
- Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Children’s Media, Public Broadcasting Service
- Katherine Schwarzenegger, Author, Rock What You Got
- Ann Shoket, Editor-in-Chief, Seventeen Magazine
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Director, Miss Representation
- Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Chief Medical Editor, NBC Nightly News
- Belinda Van Sickle, President and CEO, Women in Games International
- Alexa Verveer, Senior Vice President , Discovery Communications
- Nancy Weber, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Meredith National Media Group
- Jess Weiner, Author, Self-Esteem Expert and Dove’s Global Self-Esteem Ambassador
Eight teen Girl Scouts were also selected to serve on the Commission, including: Allie Lundell and Jasmine Dent of Maryland; Caitlin Claire O'Brien of Texas; Kulsoom Ahmed of Illinois; Katie McGrath, Maggie Burgos and Caroline Tydings of Virginia; and Toni Guiterriez of California.
