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Jennifer Siebel Newsom: Miss Representation

“If you can see it you can be it” ~Jennifer Siebel Newsom

When I met Jennifer Siebel Newsom in San Francisco she was captivating the attention of hundreds of girls with the trailer of her new film Miss Representation.  She was the host of the Professional Business Women of California’s Young Women's Summit and generously offered her time for an interview in between mentorship sessions.  Jennifer had gathered some of her powerful female friends together to share their insight and wisdom with the young attendees.  To my one side was Kristi Yamaguchi, on the other side was a film producer and next to her a prominent lawyer.  The mentors had about 10 minutes per session to share their personal stories and answer questions from the dozen or so teen girls who sat at their table. 

According to Ms. Newsom, the Young Women's summit provides opportunities for a healthier image of what one can be in the world.  It was the ideal event to screen the highlights of her film Miss Representation (at the time the film had not yet been completed).  One look at the film trailer along with the enthusiasm of her audience and it was apparent that Jennifer's passion to empower women in the media was about to take off. 

Jennifer is no stranger to the media industry.  Following her graduation at Stanford University and working overseas, she starred in an array of films and television programs.  She was also the First Lady of San Francisco and most recently her husband Gavin Newsom was elected as California’s Lieutenant Governor.  It's safe to assume that she knows a thing or two about the influence of media and power in America.

Miss Representation is a powerful film that features extraordinary change-makers in the industry including: Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Geena Davis, Rachel Maddow, Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric and more.  As the writer and director of the film Newsom does an incredible job of breaking down where media industry leaders went wrong.  The film exposes how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America.

During our interview Jennifer Siebel Newsom shared her personal passion, her message to women around the world, the impact she hopes her film will have for women and girls and whether or not she would consider running for office.  When I conducted this interview Jennifer was currently the First Lady of San Francisco.

What is the overall intention of your film?

The motto of my film, Miss Representation is “if you can see it you can be it”.  We’re providing the girls with alternate messages and role models from the ones they just get from the media.

Where does your own passion around this topic stem from?

I think when I was younger I didn’t know who I could be when I grew up.  I was an athlete so I was always on that track.  But there weren’t really any women I was exposed to via the media who inspired me...they're out there but you just have to find them.  The inspiration for this film is really the lack of gender equity in our culture and the lack of women who are represented in some of the highest, most powerful and influential industries.  Also, I’m the mother of a daughter and being a new mom I’m petrified of the world that she’s growing up in.  I’m concerned for all young women.  I want them to have healthy role models, to be inspired and to know that they can attain whatever it is that they desire. 

What do you think about the power we have as women and girls and how do you think we are going to use that power to change the world for the better and reach the tipping point?

I think we have incredible power.  There is power within us that we don’t even recognize we have.  In terms of achieving the tipping point (30% representation) I believe there is a movement right now, a sisterhood around the globe that we will achieve and attain this (30 %) but I think it’s going to require a hard look at institutional sexism that stems historically on how America was founded.  If the United States, known as a great leader in the global economy, is disrespecting women, degrading and demeaning women in the media then what message is that giving to the rest of the world on how we should treat women? 

I think that we need to start here.  We need to not just accept the status quo but actively work towards affecting change.  We need to bring men of consciousness into the discussion, educate our young boys and show them that men are not more important or have more value than women. 

In your film Miss Representation you feature several politicians including The White House Project that is training women to take the lead and run for office.  Would you ever consider running for office?

I’m not sure.  I never really thought about it.  I’m inspired by all of these incredible women and think they are doing a great job.  Right now I want to focus on the film and hopefully create a social impact and be the best mom I can be. 

What is your message to women around the world?

My message is to know your power, your purpose and your passion in life, to be the change that you wish to see in the world.  Make championing girls and women’s rights and empowerment first and foremost on your agenda.

What was the biggest surprise in creating your film Miss Representation?

The biggest surprise was recognizing and learning that a lot of us have this internal sexism that is deep in our self conscience that we haven’t yet addressed.   The other surprise was the acceptance of the status quo and complacency with the inequities in our society.

As your husband continues in his own political career how do you think he might help support the advancement and empowerment of women in taking on leadership roles?

He’s done a lot already and works continuously on behalf of women.  I think there is a lot of pillow talk and there is a lot of educating, communicating and conversations we have about this with each other.  Being the father of a daughter and by making this documentary he is well aware of the inequities.  He was raised by his mother and his sisters and respects and values women.  I feel like we’re both on that same line of focus.  If he continues in politics I think we will see some change.

What do you hope is the biggest takeaway for all of the girls who participate in the Young Women’s Summit and see your film?

I hope they realize that they can be anything that their heart desires and that they won’t feel limited by the messages that the media is portraying and communicating to them.

For more information about Miss Representation and to join the campaign to empower women in the media go to www.missrepresentation.org. 

A special screening of Miss Representation hosted by the Friendship Club is showing at the Nevada Theatre in Nevada City, CA Monday November 28th at 6:00 PM.

Click here to listen to Elisa Parker’s interview with Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

The Friendship Club presents "Miss Representation"

The Friendship Club and The Sierra Mentoring Partnership presents the award-winning documentary film 'Miss Representation" - Monday, November 28th, at the Nevada Theatre, followed by a panel discussion with students, educators, and members of the media. This one night only event is a must-see for families, educators, students, civic leaders, community organizers and more.

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Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media's limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.

Miss Representation includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Jackson Katz, Jean Kilbourne, and Gloria Steinem. The film offers startling facts and statistics that will leave audiences shaken and armed with a new perspective. www.missrepresentation.org

"We are thrilled to have so many outreach opportunities for Miss Representation. This film was made to be a change agent in our culture, to inspire both women and men to recognize women's collective voice, leadership capacity and equal rights," says Newsom.

In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective mes-sage that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman's value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality--and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made strides in leadership over the past few decades, the U.S. is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures, women hold only 3 % of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have an eating disorder.

Miss Representation was selected from the Sundance line-up to be part of the OWN Documentary Film Club. "Through personal stories and provocative interviews, Jennifer crystallizes the relevance of the media and its portrayal of women in today's society," said Lisa Erspamer, Chief Creative Officer for OWN. In addition, ro*co films will distribute Miss Representation to educational institutions and libraries for classroom use and university screenings beginning in August 2011.

The distribution of the film Miss Representation will coincide with a social action campaign led by MissRepresentation.org.

The campaign seeks to empower women and girls to challenge limiting labels in order to fully realize their potential, and ultimately transform our culture for the betterment of all. A portion of the film proceeds will be donated to women's leadership initiatives led by partnership beneficiaries that include Girls for A Change, Girls Inc., The International Museum of Women, Step Up Women's Network, The Women's Media Center, and The White House Project. Together with these partners, MissRepresentation.org is organizing hundreds of thousands of individuals to participate in a series of small actions that will ultimately lead to a cross-generational revolution to eradicate gender stereotypes and create lasting cultural and sociological change that will benefit not only women, but the world at large. Join the campaign - visit www.missrepresentation.org.

About Girls' Club Entertainment

Girls' Club Entertainment was founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom - actress, filmmaker, and former First Lady of San Francisco. It was formed as an umbrella entertainment company to develop and produce independent films with strong social, political, and cultural significance focused primarily on empowering women.

About The Friendship Club

The Friendship Club engages, educates and empowers girls at risk. Founded in 1995, The Friendship Club is a prevention program designed to reach at-risk girls before they engage in unhealthy behaviors. We teach the girls life skills, personal responsibility and the value of hard work through a year-around program of educational activities, emotional support and community involvement. The Friendship Club guides girls to bright futures and helps them to become valuable members of their community. The Friendship Club receives no public funding and is sup-ported by the generosity of the community and private grants.

About The Sierra Mentoring Partnership

SMP is the gateway to mentoring in Nevada County, dedicated to strategically expanding quality youth mentoring. For those who want to become a mentor, find a mentor, or improve their program, we act as mentoring consultants. To achieve our mission and fulfill our vision, we are committed to:

• Raising public awareness and community relations regarding the importance and impact of mentoring.

• Helping to create, expand and sustain high quality mentoring programs. As an umbrella agency for regional mentoring programs, we provide training, technical assistance, networking, advocacy, recruitment support and resources.

• Recruiting caring mentors to work with our youth and efficiently connect them to mentoring programs.

• Facilitating collaboration between mentoring agencies, local government, schools, the courts, faith-based organizations, and the community.

This event is sponsored by The Magic Lantern Film Society, producer of the Nevada City Film Festival and committed to bringing top independent cinema to the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

KNOW & GO

When: Monday, November 28th

Where: The Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA 95959

Time: Doors 530pm, Film 6-730pm, Guest Panel Discussion 730-830pm

Tickets: General Admission $10/ADV, $15/Door, 21 and Under $5, available at BriarPatch, Yabobo, BookSeller and online at http://missrepfriendshipclub.eventbrite.com/

More Info: Call The Friendship Club at (530) 265-4311

See Jane Do's Top Seven Take Aways from 2010

2010 was definitely a roller coaster ride. The year’s top news stories included fierce acts of Mother Nature such as the earthquake in Haiti, the Icelandic Volcano, the Chilean earthquake and tsunami; man-made disasters like the Gulf Oil Spill; historic legislature that included President Obama signing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and health care into law; plus Elana Kagan was sworn in to Supreme Court the fourth ever female Supreme Court Justice. In California, Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown went head to head for governor. American hiker Sarah Shourd was released by Iran after being detained for 13-months for crossing an unmarked border and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was also released after years of detention by Burma’s Junta.

In some ways these national and international news stories mirrored the twists and turns of our communities and our own lives. 

With See Jane Do we are striving to uncover those stories that fly under the radar even though they affect all of us.  We are redefining information sharing for women through bridging of traditional media with new media; streaming radio, linking video to webisodes and connecting people from a virtual world back to a regional one. 

Unlike other programs geared towards women, which mostly covers entertainment, beauty and some women’s issues, See Jane Do takes current news topics we are concerned about and creates a personal story with a reason to care and a solution to do.  Our programs are organized around the media, social justice, power of the purse, environmental action, health & wellness, politics and leadership.

It’s our hope that See Jane Do provides a platform for you and other everyday women to speak from and hear from real women with real solutions.   

Today we will feature some of our biggest take aways from 2010; the stories, events and experiences that reaffirmed this movement is a lot bigger than we thought and yes, you and I are the one’s we’ve been waiting for.  It is our time. 

Take Away 1 - Don’t underestimate the power of your story, it might just change the world.

"A movement isn't a movement unless it's moving" ~ Gloria Feldt

We kicked off 2010 with the first annual Passion Into Action Conference.  Over 300 women braved the snowy conditions and traveled from all over Northern California to attend this sold-out conference, which featured Nina Simons of Bioneers, best-selling author and activist Gloria Feldt, and former US Ambassador Linda Tarr-Whelan.  We wanted to create a space for women to share their story with others in addition to meeting, networking, and exploring ideas on how to work together and strengthen our communities, with the intention to transfer ideas into action. In addition to our incredible keynote speakers the conference included seventeen workshop leaders.

Nina Simons shared the importance of owning our story, the relationship we hold with the earth and the potential women have to enhance our planet together.  

Gloria Feldt challenged us to think about power and the importance of Sister Courage.  She has been a tremendous advocate for See Jane Do and we were extremely honored that she included us in her new book, "No Excuses, 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power". 

"See Jane Do's unique multimedia platform holds exciting promise as a new model for civic engagement and leadership in today's fast-paced, fragmented world." ~Gloria Feldt

Extraordinary Janes:  Nina Simons, Gloria Feldt, Linda Tarr-Whelan, Chameli Ardagh, Reinette Senum, Marilyn Nyborg, Mary-Elizabeth Young, Kathleen McIntire, Nancy Shanteau, Robin Mallery, Patt Lind-Kyle, Wendy Van Wagner, Robyn Martin, Cathe' Fish, Christina Hills, Susanna Dimmitt, Molly Fisk, Rachel Barge, Shawn Tuttle, and Sonika Tinker.

Take Away 2 – You cannot be what you cannot see.

One of the most powerful mediums to amplify women’s voices and perspectives and ultimately transform culture is through film.  See Jane Do traveled to the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, to interview women filmmakers and film festival organizers.  Later that month we headed to New York City to cover The White House Project’s EPIC Awards and host their Media Lounge.  While there we met with the Women’s Media Center to get a clear picture of where women stand in the media.  We were shocked to learn that only 7% of the stories we watch at the movies, are told by female directors. This means that 93% of the films (even the ones about women) were interpreted through a man's perspective.  Women hold 3% of decision-making positions in all forms of media.  We also celebrated Kathryn Bigelow’s Academy Award for best director for the film Hurtlocker, the fourth time a woman had been nominated for the award and the first time a woman had won in the history of the Academy.

Extraordinary Janes:  Fay Ann Lee, Georgina Lightning, Janet Pierson, Katie Aselton, Carol Dysinger, Marie Wilson, Jehmu Greene, Beth Brooke, Alison Teal Blehert Koehn, Kimberlee Bassford, Barbara Bridges, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Katie Goodmanand , and Katie Madonna.

Take Away 3 - Speaking up, Speaking out, Taking Action – When enough is enough.

We met several environmental action heroes that were risking life and limb for environmental and social injustices this year including Diane Wilson, an award winning activist, author, co-founder of CODEPINK and shrimp boat captain.  Diane made national news as a result of her outburst during Tony Hayward's hearing (CEO of BP). The activist was awakened in Diane over twenty years ago when she discovered that she lived in the most toxic county in the United States. 

We also interviewed Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Lynn Henning a family farmer who exposed the polluting practices of livestock factory farms in rural Michigan.  Her efforts to require CAFO's (basically animal factories that confine thousands of livestock) to clean up the toxic brew that is contaminating ground water, lakes and streams, has gained the attention of the EPA. 

"Are you seeking approval of the world or seeking to change the world?"~Eve Ensler

Elisa covered The Women's Conference in Long Beach, California and spoke with powerful change makers like Donna Karan, Rosario Dawson, Lisa Ling and Eve Ensler.  Eve described the event as her coming out day since it was her first public speech having recoevered from uterine cancer.  She is playing a tremendous role in working to end violence against women and stressed that changing the world is not about being liked or seeking approval.  We must be brave and step up to create a better world.

Extraordinary Janes: Diane Wilson, Lynn Henning, Eve Ensler, Donna Karan, Stacy Malkan, Nicole Edmison, Fran Visco

Take Away 4 – There is Hope in Healthcare.

A growing number of women are taking their health into their own hands, changing policy, setting deadlines, and creating hope in healthcare. Whether you're for universal healthcare or not, pro-choice or anti-choice, most might agree that women's health needs often take the back seat in the America.  As a result, many women are standing up and moving forward for their healthcare rights.  This also includes changing policy to expose and ban the toxic chemicals contained in many of our home and beauty products and setting a deadline to end breast cancer.

See Jane Do examined the stuff in our stuff with Stacy Malkan, author of Not Just a Pretty Face, Erin Switalski, Executive Director of Women's Voices for the Earth, and Britta Aragon activist and blogger of Cinco Vidas.  We covered the health care reform town hall meetings and captured a personal perspective of women's heath with the Women's Health Specialists.  Finally we featured extraordinary women who are taking incredible measures to end breast cancer by setting a deadline and bringing women together to support the cause.  We walked with women in the Barbara Schmidt Millar Triathlon, founded by Cathy Anderson-Meyers and spoke with Fran Visco, breast cancer survivor and president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition who shared their strategy to setting a deadline to end breast cancer by 2020.

See Jane Do hosted four Soirees Into Action in 2010 including the Green Makeover Party. 

Extraordinary Janes:  Stacy Malkan, Erin Switalski, Fran Visco, Women's Health Specialists, Cathy Anderson-Meyers, Kayle Martin, and Britta Aragon.

Take Away 5 – Women’s Economic Influence – Becoming the CFO of Your Household

Women now make up over half of the work force.  Women are launching businesses at twice the rate of men but funding sources still tend to lean towards male-owned companies.  We control up to 85% of what's bought or purchased in the United States and women control 60% of the wealth.  Why is it then that most women don't feel economically powerful?  In fact, about 90% of women surveyed said they don't feel financially secure.  In order to make a difference and enhance the planet we need to feel comfortable with our level of influence and in this nation, money talks.  We interviewed Maddy Dychtwald, author of Influence:  How Women's Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better, award winning poet Molly Fisk, Jane Roberts, founder of 34 Million Friends, Teresa Delfin, founder of Mountain Mama, Gina Robison-Billupsand, founder of Moms Making a Million, Nevada State Treasurer Kate Marshall and best selling author, Riane Eisler who is creating ways to implement a new economy.  We also hosted the Funding Your Passion Soiree Into Action.

Extraordinary Janes:  Treasurer Kate Marshall, Maddy Dychtwald, Molly Fisk, Jane Roberts, Teresa Delfin, Gina Robison-Billupsand, and Riane Eisler.

Take Away 6 – Mentoring Girls for Social Change

Many youth today, especially at-risk teenage girls are lacking role models.  They are overwhelmed with the struggles of coming from broken homes where drugs and poverty are prevalent, survival is a constant concern, and options seem limited or non-existent.  Programs across the US, including right here in our hometown of Nevada City, are uniting these girls with mentors to build confidence, teach social change skills, provide authentic and positive relationships, and reshaping their and our future for the better.  These are the seeds for future social activism that need nurturing.

Extraordinary Janes:  Whitney Smith, founder of Girls For A Change, Jennifer Singer, co-founder of Friendship Club, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and Stephanie Ramirez.

Take Away 7 – Definition of Community is a Common Goal

Last December, former Mayor Reinette Senum in her TEDxGrassValley talk raised the concept of community as a common goal and it got us thinking about the many community movements we covered this year and the need for collaborative leadership.  For many of these communities, they are on the frontline of environmental and social change and thusly being impacted the greatest.  It is essential to hear their stories first hand.  In our program on Transition Towns we traveled to Reno, Nevada. In the "wild west" where the attitude was once every "man" for himself, women are pioneering a gentler expedition and this time they are doing it together to create a sustainable city that isn’t dependent on peak oil.  We also attended the annual Bioneers conference in San Rafael, CA and the Women’s Conference in Long Beach, CA. 

Extraordinary Janes:  Reinette Senum, Molly Fisk, Chameli Ardagh, Ginny Woods, Suzie Daggett, Rainy Blue Cloud, Transition Reno founders, and the String Sisters.

Moving forward in 2011, we ask what will your story be?  What’s your legacy?

We’ve heard and met so many extraordinary Janes this year, all of which started out as everyday women, but because of a certain issue or a passion that struck home for them, something inside was ignited to do more.  Some did it alone and created a movement where others joined them, while some reached out to friends, family, and their communities to organize around something they felt passionate about and make a positive change.