ANA struggles for a more accurate portrayal of women and girls in media

The Association of National Advertisers’ Alliance for Family Entertainment (ANA AFE) is fighting to change female stereotypes that are portrayed in the media. The campaign #SeeHer is a new initiative to push for a more “accurate” portrayal of girls and women in media by 2020. The goal of the program is to see a 20% improvement in portrayals by that date, which is the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.”There’s a high dissatisfaction among parents [about] the portrayal of women and girls in media” said Stephen Quinn, Chairman of the AFE. “It’s a relatively narrow portrayal of women. From their perspective, they’re not being seen on screen.”The #SeeHer initiative will push for the “accurate and authentic” portrayal of women and girls in media by working with marketers to: review content and advertising for “unconscious bias;” spread information about the program and campaigns that accurately portray girls and women, and promote the #SeeHer hashtag to keep advertisers and consumers informed. “Part of this is just portraying them in their diversity” added Quinn. “Women are much less represented in roles on TV than they have been in reality. The media is behind.”ANA AFE will also provide tools to publishers, advertising agencies, media agencies and content developers, that will allow them to measure the way they represent women in their own jobs and identify the best pieces to support gender equality.