"Miss Representation," a new documentary about the media’s distorted portrayal of gender, especially women and girls, will be screened on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Edwards Recital Hall at Coastal Carolina University. The film showing is free and open to the public.

Making its debut on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on Oct. 20, the film takes on how young women are portrayed in terms of body image, self confidence and leadership roles by Hollywood, television news, advertising and politics.

“The media today focuses increasingly on women’s physical appearance rather than their intellectual abilities," says Julinna Oxley, director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at CCU. "The result is that women’s contributions to society are often not taken seriously. This has dire consequences for everyone, both men and women. 'Miss Representation' does a masterful job of making us aware of this problem so that it can be solved.”

The film has received significant notice due to its recognition as a 2011 Sundance Film Festival as well as the recent OWN premiere. CCU's Women’s Resource Center and Women’s and Gender Studies Program are sponsoring the screening.

A question-and-answer session with CCU faculty, staff and students will follow the completion of the film. For more information, contact Julinna Oxley at joxley@coastal.edu or 843-349-6548 or Jilleian Sessions Stackhouse at jkstack@coastal.edu.