Miss Representation and Media Misogyny

I wrote the following press release (see below) for the Democratic Women's Club of Florida in response to the first cartoon that depicted Susannah Randolph as a dog on her husband's leash. Since the publication of the first cartoon, a second cartoon has been issued - see the one depicting Susannah Randolph as a gun wielding militant.

Susannah Randolph posted the following response to the most recent cartoon on her Facebook page:

"I wish that I could say that the crowd who portrayed me as a dog on the leash of my husband had learned their lesson after hearing from you all but, in fact, they haven't. Here is their latest cartoon. Portraying me as a machine-gun wielding crazy woman. After Sandy Hook. Your insensitivity knows no bounds." - Susannah Randolph

“Democratic Women Speak Out Against Media Misogyny”

Tallahassee, Florida -  Democratic Women’s Club of Florida President Janet Goen issued the following statement today in response to the recent political cartoon depicting Orange County DWCF member Susannah Randolph as a female dog on a leash held by her husband, former state representative and newly elected Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph:

          The Democratic Women’s Club of Florida, Inc., believes strongly in        freedom of           speech and that the media has an important role in a   vibrant democratic society.  However, a line is crossed when       the     media uses the pen to bully and demean women who participate in         the democratic process.  The recently published cartoon depicting           Democratic activist Susannah Randolph as a dog on a leash at her          husband’s feet crossed the line between the actions of        responsible media and the sort of bully tactics used in propaganda.    Throughout          history, oppressed groups have been caricaturized in media         propaganda in an effort to make members of these groups seem     less than human. This cartoon represents one of the most egregious examples of this type of offensive and   dehumanizing      caricature that members of this organization have seen since the           Civil Rights era. The members of the DWCF believe an apology to          Susannah Randolph and all the women in Florida is in order.

###

I want to recommend that everyone visit the following website and take the pledge:

 http://www.missrepresentation.org/

“I pledge to use my voice to spread the message of Miss Representation and challenge the media’s limiting portrayal of women and girls”

And check out "Media We Like"....

 http://www.missrepresentation.org/take-action/media-we-like/