Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2015
Our Goal for 2015: To raise awareness about how the portrayal of traditional gender norms (masculinity v. femininity; heteronormativity; cisgendered) in the media deeply impacts how society values (rather, devalues) everything that gets labeled feminine by the culture – qualities like compassion, cooperation, empathy, intuition, and sensitivity.
‘How does this relate to domestic violence?’, you ask. In order to combat gender-based violence, we must be able to identify the ideas, customs, and institutions that promote this violence. Culture, through the media, contributes to the perpetration of domestic violence and other forms of abuse by shaping norms: casting men as strong and capable, devaluing women, and glorifying violence by men and within sexuality.
“The movement against gender-based violence recognizes that violence is a learned, gendered, and institutionally supported behavior, and targets the sources of violence rather than accepting the world as it is. It must also address issues of racism, classism, and heterosexism in order to effectively confront the gender-informed violence and oppression that affect the lives of men and women. To do so, Most of us consume 10 hours of media a day. Do YOU ever wonder what the message behind the message is? Check out these DVAM posters that will help raise awareness in your community! This October: Decide for yourself. Empower yourself. Read more about media literacy. On Media Literacy: Check out this report that Finds Wide Diversity Gap Among 2014’s Top-Grossing Films Check out this Quick Guide to Media Literacy available through the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault! Check out this great example of how to use media literacy to deconstruct the recent film, ‘Gone Girl’. Check out this infographic that explains what to do if your cinematic crush is really a stalker. Egads! Check out these 4 Behaviors That Fictional Media Tells Us Are Romantic BUT Are Actually Really Harmful
Awareness Posters
