Digital media has an intense impact on how girls and young women view themselves physically and behaviorally, and can ultimately affect the opportunities they will have and the choices they will make in life. Loma Linda University School of Public Health alumna Pamela Luna, DrPH, MEd, is working to combat the trends negatively influencing youth today in an effort to empower girls through education and awareness.
Dr. Luna facilitated two film festival sessions during the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston, Massachusetts, including the session, “Objecting to objectification: how girls are portrayed in the media,” which took place November 4.
“Anybody who cares about the health and education of kids needs to be aware of the influences of the media,” Dr. Luna says. “Events like this film festival allow us to empower people to take what they see and take action and make a difference. I only hope that is what we have done.”
During the session, all or portions of four films were screened and discussed by a panel consisting of individuals associated with each of the films. The films were “Sexy Baby,” “Stop Objectification,” “Miss Representation,” and “Girl Rising.”
Gary Black, founder of the APHA film festival, was ecstatic about the success of the event, which also celebrated its 10th anniversary. “Dr. Luna’s sessions were indeed a highlight of the festival’s 10-year history,” he says.
Dr. Luna has kept the momentum from the APHA film festival going—hosting a screening of “Girl Rising” for students at LLU November 14 in collaboration with the LLU chaplain’s office.
“The screening of ‘Girl Rising’ is an outgrowth of the commitment we have to educate and encourage advocacy within our community for those who may not have a voice or whose stories are untold,” says Dilys A. Brooks, MDiv, associate campus chaplain. “It is of vital importance—in the academic and professional preparation of our students—that we provide extracurricular opportunities where they may experience the stories of the people they will serve.”
After seeing the film, Katie Freeland, MPH, a global health student, blogged, “‘Girl Rising’ is a testimony of the resilience, radiance, and brilliance that comes from the minds of girls all over the world—girls who have faced unimaginable darkness with unrivaled, spectacular courage; courage of which many of us wish we could even have a fraction; courage to fight for the rights of themselves, their friends, their mothers, their sisters, and the generations of girls to come.”
Dr. Luna earned her doctorate in public health from the School of Public Health in 1988. “Studying public health at LLU,” she says, “taught me to look at the multiple factors that impact the health of individuals and populations—and to act locally while keeping the global impact in mind. We are all connected.”