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Celebrities hilariously address gender inequality

Famous actresses completely slammed the concept of "reverse sexism" in this clever parody.

The Make It Fair Project

(Photo courtesy of The Make It Fair Project)


On April 21, a PSA of various female celebrities exclaiming their support for men’s rights was released on YouTube. The video uses famous actresses to sarcastically address the male-dominated fields that exist in America — specifically, in the Hollywood industry.

The video begins by flashing series of dreary eyed women. Their facial expressions, only emphasizing their attitude toward the “gender inequality” men face. “In the past three years, only 93 percent of films were directed by men, and only 80 percent were written by them,” the actresses, including Kathleen Chalfant and Mamie Gummer, solemnly say at the beginning of the video. "Sleepless in Seattle" star Rita Wilson and her fellow actresses also go on to note that “only” 88 percent of box office hits featured a man in the leading role.

The clip doesn’t only address gender inequality in media, but in other industries as well, stating men make up “only” 80 percent of Congress, 88 percent of governors and 95 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs. The actresses reveal that although women make up almost 60 percent of college graduates, men “only” get paid 30 percent more. At the end of the video, the participants begin cheerily singing, "We won't relent ‘til it's 100 percent, it's only fair that men should have it all” until the end.

The public service announcement was a product of a new movement called The Make it Fair Project. The initiative hopes to shed light on numerous gender inequality issues. According to its website, the project “is a call for gender equality in the stories we tell, the wages we earn, and the future we shape." The video was also completely directed, produced and written by women.

The clip definitely accomplishes its goal and provides a more comical route to the often-serious debate of gender inequality in the U.S. It’s an awesome rebuttal argument to many who believe that mens rights are in danger. In February, "Fox & Friends" host Steve Doocy discussed the problems with the hit Disney film, "Frozen," exclaiming that the male characters in the animated children's movie gave men a bad reputation. Doocy stated, "It would be nice for Hollywood to have more male figures in those kind of movies as heroes." Just last month, Brietbart published a piece claiming the "the real 'everyday sexism' is against men". Paul Watson, a writer for InfoWars, also stated that masculinity is under attack because of the lack of positive male role models in the media, saying, "Today's entertainment industry routinely portrays men as clueless and bumbling oafs at best (think Homer Simpson) ... or at worst as aggressive sexual predators."

When will this madness end?!

Since the beginning of time, female roles in television and film have faced immense marginalization — typically female characters are narrowed into two categories: intelligent, but ugly or sexy, but stupid. With the exception of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the '70s, many of those marginalized female characters aren't even in leading roles. Although a majority of Disney films have princesses as lead roles, they are often portrayed as damsels in distress and/or incomplete without the love of prince charming.

However, The Make it Fair Project wasn't created to play the "which gender suffers more" card, it was created to unveil the gender inequality that's still prevalent today. It was created to get both men and women talking about this crisis we are faced with. Women’s rights are human rights. So, for all of you “meninists” out there, instead of going on the defense, join our fight. Besides, you aren’t under attack — it’s your fight, too.

Reach the columnist at ambice@asu.edu or follow @AllieBice on Twitter.

Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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