THE REPRESENTATION PROJECT

Using film and media as catalysts for cultural transformation, The Representation Project inspires individuals and communities to challenge limiting gender stereotypes and shift norms. As a leading gender watchdog, The Representation Project’s programmatic work includes efforts to activate the general public across the US, with a special focus on youth as a powerful generation of cultural influencers who are already using their power as leaders, media makers, and consumers to drive systemic change.

The Representation Project is working to achieve the following core objectives:

- Expand The Representation Project’s youth programs to train the next generation of underrepresented youth content creators;
- Maintain the organization as the “gold standard” for producing gender justice documentaries; and
- Continue to be the leading gender watchdog organization by exposing damaging gender stereotypes in ads and other media.

The mission of The Representation Project is to fight sexism through films, education, research, and activism to build a world where everyone can achieve their full potential.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom founded The Rep Project in 2011 with her groundbreaking film Miss Representation that launched a national conversation about sexism in media. She followed it up with the popular documentary The Mask You Live In that ignited a national debate about healthy masculinities. Since then, Jennifer has released two more acclaimed films, The Great American Lie (2019) and Fair Play (2022). Corresponding film curricula have changed lives, having reached over 2 million students, and counting.

Our online campaigns also advance gender justice. In 2012, our #NotBuyingIt campaign drove advertisers to clean up sexist Super Bowl ads. In 2015, our #AskHerMore campaign changed red carpet interviews to focus on women celebrities’ projects rather than just their appearance. In 2021, our #RespectHerGame campaign called out Olympic coverage for its sexist coverage. We hold content creators accountable by harnessing the collective power of social activism.

The Rep Project is also the nation’s premier media research company, producing an annual State of Media Report that serves as a barometer for progress in media representation. We also produce high quality media research reports on intersectional gender representations in film, television, video games, advertising, awards shows, and other media

In 2017, we launched our youth filmmaker program to train the next generation of gender justice storytellers. In 2018, we established a professional media research team to publish the annual State of Media Report Card and other timely and important studies.

The Rep Project uses a full-court media press of films, campaigns, youth programs, and research to bend the long arc of history toward intersectional gender justice. Join us in this struggle to create a more equitable world where everyone can reach their full potential!

YOUTH PROGRAMMING:
Through our Youth Media Programs, we educate and train youth to gain media literacy and media production skills; use those skills to challenge limiting gender stereotypes in media; and create content that establishes broad, authentic and intersectional representation in media. The organization’s youth programs have had a profound impact on young people’s lives in ways that will shape their future path while strengthening skills that can enhance employment opportunities.

GENDER JUSTICE FILMS:
Jennifer’s first film, Miss Representation, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It exposed the ways in which mainstream media representations of girls and women contribute to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence. In response to overwhelming public demand for ongoing education and social action in support of the film’s message, Jennifer founded The Representation Project (TRP) in April of 2011. Jennifer's second film, The Mask You Live In, explores how America’s narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men, and society at large. Newsom's third film in the trilogy, The Great American Lie, was released in 2019. It is the most comprehensive intersectional assessment of the causes of economic immobility— racism, corporate exploitation, and gendered societal values. She brings her unique lens to bear on the subject, revealing how inequality is rooted in “masculine” cultural values (e.g., individualism, power, money) at the expense of things we consider “feminine” (e.g., empathy, care, collaboration). Beyond the films, we offer age-appropriate curricula that provides youth with the opportunity to explore and apply the concepts presented in the films. Our tailored curricula are designed to engage youth at different stages of development through hands-on activities and guided discussions.

GENDER WATCHDOG & SOCIAL ACTIVISM:
TRP has also become the nation’s leading gender watchdog organization through active social media campaigns that hold corporations, content creators, political leaders, and others accountable. On any given week, we reach 2.5 million people worldwide with our messages online, and one in ten engage with our content, by liking, commenting on, or sharing it. Through hosting this large conversation, we provide a platform for our followers to more deeply engage with gender dynamics, tease out the intricacies around intersectionality, and build their skills for bringing these discussions offline. For example, our #AskHerMore campaign around sexist reporting and our #NotBuyingIt campaign around sexist media and advertisements have led to changes everywhere from the red carpet to the Super Bowl to the newsroom. We then amplify the drumbeat of progress by emailing 100,000+ of our constituents simple and specific ways to create change through our “Weekly Actions.”

YOUTH PROGRAMS
• We've trained over 1,800 young content creators in our Next Gen Filmmaking Academies since 2017.
• Girls in our Youth Media Academy express greater interest in working in media, engaging in activism, and aspiring to leadership positions.
• Over 600 young people have received hands-on training through our annual Youth Summits. They report a substantial increase in their knowledge of the power of storytelling, racial justice issues, and using their creative voice for social change.
FILMS/CURRICULA
• Our films— Miss Representation (2011), The Mask You Live In (2015), The Great American Lie (2019), and Fair Play (2022)— have been viewed 28.6 million times worldwide.
• Our film curricula has been used by over 2.5 million students.
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
• The Rep Project has achieved over 1.86 billion impressions through our social media channels.
• Our social media hashtag campaigns have reached over 945 million people. We launched three new hashtags in 2022:
– #RespectHerGame exposed sexism in media coverage of women athletes during the Winter Olympics.
– #ChangeIcons spotlighted largely unknown or under-recognized women historical figures, with special attention to those of intersectionality marginalized identities.
– #AllBodies busted sizeist myths and raised awareness about the social injustice of fatphobia.