Dear Friend,

Last week, at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C. my husband and I sat in a room with the some of the most powerful political and media minds in our country - including the President of the United States of America.

Yet afterwards, to my surprise, I was sent email after email from friends appalled at how often the cameras and commentators focused on celebrities like Kim Kardashian instead of the many other successful men and women in the room. 

Coupled with the recent news that the Kardashian family's reality TV show has been renewed for another three years, I am especially worried about the message the media is sending my daughter, my son and their generation. Who are their role models? Why are we rewarding reality TV's exploitation of women's bodies? Are looks, for women, more important than their brains or their talents? Is hyper-sexualization and self-objectification now a legitimate path to success in America? 

These aren't rhetorical questions, but part of a real conversation we want to have with you - because each of us plays a role in healing our culture. Next Tuesday, at 4 PM PST, we're calling a Twitter party with hashtag #WhyKardashians to get to the root of America's increasing fascination with superficiality and the objectification of women in popular media. 

We'll discuss, together with experts, what we can do to better value ourselves, change this culture and elevate the way our society treats women and girls everywhere. Join us by following hashtag #WhyKardashians next Tuesday at 4 PM PST and take part in an international action-oriented conversation around the misrepresentation of women in the media!

Onwards,

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, CEO and Founder of MissRepresentation.org 
 

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