SAG-AFTRA, Advertisers Team to Promote Better Portrayals of Women in Media

Dave McNary

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SAG-AFTRA is teaming up with SeeHer, the Association of National Advertisers’ campaign for gender equality in advertising and media, to further more nuanced depictions of women on screen.

“Equity and inclusion are core values of SAG-AFTRA, and we are thrilled to partner with SeeHer to bring about greater gender equality in media and a more realistic portrayal of the American Scene. Working together, I believe we can effect true, systemic change,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White.

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Under the alliance, announced Tuesday, the organizations will work together to amplify the importance of visibility and highlight gender equality successes. The alliance was facilitated by Stacy Marcus, chief negotiator for advertising industry with SAG-AFTRA, which reached a successor three-year deal on its master contract for commercials earlier this year.

SeeHer already supports authentic female character development in such forms as a #WriteHerRight tip sheet, aimed at facilitating conversations about gender equality in writers’ rooms. The SAG-AFTRA partnership will attempt to enhance that outreach via a social media effort called #IWasWrittenRight for actors to use to share examples of female characters they have portrayed who they feel reflected the nuance and complexity of women in real life.

As part of the partnership, SAG-AFTRA and SeeHer will co-host Salon Days in New York and Los Angeles, and a monthly SAG-AFTRA SeeHer Day, where marketers and content creators will come together around a theme or focused question related to gender equality in media to share insights and develop materials that illuminate the power of strong female characters.

(Pictured: SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris)

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