Ideas change everything

What it's like to be a woman in Hollywood

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Naomi McDougall Jones |

TEDxBeaconStreet

• November 2016

What we see in movies matters: it affects our hobbies, our career choices, our emotions and even our identities. Right now, we don't see enough women on screen or behind the camera -- but waiting for Hollywood to grow a conscience isn't going to fix the problem, says Naomi McDougall Jones. Join forces with the actor and activist as she outlines her four-point plan for a total representation revolution in Hollywood.

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What we see in movies matters: it affects our hobbies, our career choices, our emotions and even our identities. Right now, we don't see enough women on screen or behind the camera -- but waiting for Hollywood to grow a conscience isn't going to fix the problem, says Naomi McDougall Jones. Join forces with the actor and activist as she outlines her four-point plan for a total representation revolution in Hollywood.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxBeaconStreet, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Audiences: seek out films by and about women and vote with your dollars.

Female filmmakers: do not wait for permission. Make your movies now.

Everyone: invest in and support female filmmakers so that they can make their movies.

Entrepreneurs: create companies and organizations that disrupt the existing Hollywood system.

About the speaker

Naomi McDougall Jones

Actress, writer, producer, activist

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Naomi McDougall Jones is a vocal advocate and activist for bringing gender parity to film, both on and off screen.

Learn more

The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution to Dismantle the Gods of Hollywood

Naomi McDougall Jones | Beacon Press (2020)

Naomi McDougall Jones - *The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution to Dismantle the Gods of Hollywood*

The women in film revolution begins with you

Whether you are a man or a woman; in the film industry or outside of it; have many hours a week to give or less than an hour a month; whatever skills, resources you are willing to provide, there will be a place for you in the revolution. Enlist in the women in film revolution and become part of a powerful force for change.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxBeaconStreet, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Audiences: seek out films by and about women and vote with your dollars.

Female filmmakers: do not wait for permission. Make your movies now.

Everyone: invest in and support female filmmakers so that they can make their movies.

Entrepreneurs: create companies and organizations that disrupt the existing Hollywood system.

Naomi McDougall Jones: What it's like to be a woman in Hollywood | TED Talk