Feminism is the belief that men and women should be equal in the political, social and economic realms. According to a Huffington Post political news article, only 20% of the United States identifies themselves as feminists (Swanson). Certainly, women and men are not equal, nor have they ever been. Throughout the past sixty years especially, women have fought for equality, gaining rights such as voting, working, and education. While gender equality has come a long way, men and women are still not equal in American society. It is almost 2015 and women are still objectified by the media, sidelined in politics and the workplace, and stereotyped in the family. When looking at society, there is no doubt oppression is present, predominantly committed by the white male (Weintraub). Many people think that because gender is equal in the eyes of the law (though that, too, is controversial), it is also equal socially. They think that because women can work, vote, and be independent that gender inequality is no longer something to worry about. Unfortunately, those people are wrong. Ninety-seven percent of what you watch, read, and hear comes from the male perspective and that’s wrong because media creates culture, therefore it is men who are creating the standards for society through media (Newsom). Media, or the main means of mass communication (especially television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet), has a powerful influence on the actions and thoughts of individuals in American society. When nearly all of what you read, watch, and hear comes from the perspective of only one half of the world, society will be shaped around it, regardless of how unequal it may be. Women are misrepresented in media far more often than men, and these misrepresentations are results of the male ideal and their stereotypes. Media displays women as young, thin, promiscuous, sexy, and well endowed in order to attract the male population. Then, beauty industries thrive because women feel like they must live up to a standard set by men. For example, Sports Illustrated is a magazine about sports geared towards the male population. Every year, the magazine publishes a “swimsuit edition” full of impossibly thin, well-endowed (and not to mention extremely Photoshopped!) women for men to enjoy. Another interesting advertisement was a recent Snickers clip featuring their famous, “you’re not you when you’re hungry,” slogan. In the ad, construction workers are cat calling to women saying things like, “I want to give you the respect you deserve!” and, “A woman’s place is wherever she wants to be!” Then the commercial ends with the slogan, as if it is out of the norm for men to say or think feminist ideas. There is obviously a problem when the everyday construction worker is out of place for respecting women. And to think that gender equality is a female only issue only makes the problem worse. Objectification and stereotyping of women doesn’t stop at advertis