This PSA has been mentioned by several popular news outlets: Huffington Post, The Guardian, and Indie Wire being just a few. And unlike any other widespread PSA, this one lacks any information on health and safety. So what is it about? Male representation in the entertainment industry…or the lack thereof.
In the PSA a group of women state facts about the involvement of men in the entertainment industry. Some facts stated are, “Men only directed 93 percent of popular films released by major studios last year, and they only wrote 80 percent of films. Not to mention that only 13 of the 13 Broadway plays produced were by men.” All of these facts are said over the tune of “Men Should Have it All.” It’s clear by the end of the video that the PSA is a satire. If anything, it makes one wonder how, or why, women make up such a small percentage of those statistics in the industry.
The satirical PSA comes from #makeiffair campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to bring awareness to gender inequality within the entertainment industry.
Patricia Noonan is the writer and executive producer of the PSA. She is one of the many talented women behind this project. Nadia Quinn and Emily Tarver also act as producers for the #makeitfair campaign. This helps show that there are a multitude of women in the industry. It also proves that there is a lack of them in major directing, editing, and producer roles. Thus making the viewer question, why that is.
The project’s site has a ‘Learn More’ page, which provides links to further information on woman in television and film. While #makesitfair only gives us a glimpse of the inequality, the site also offers the opportunity to get involved in changing the entertainment industry. For every person helps, no matter what gender, to bridge the gap of inequality between men and women. The other organizations that also help push for the progression of equality that are mentioned, include, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and Women’s Media Center.
To watch the #makeitfair PSA and get involved, go to: themakeitfairproject.com
You can also follow them on Facebook and tweet using the hashtag #makeitfair.
