Scotts Valley Unified School
District
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is
Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley
Unified
School district from grades K-12 and I am fairly acquainted with the
social
proceedings. Having seen, and lived through the difficult years of
adolescence I have first hand experience and insight into an important
matter. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national
proportion
that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole
but
most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of
learning. The matter being negative body image due to the impact of the media which affects all young women, society makes it inescapable for us.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a
driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals
amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the
messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for
that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition
for perfection is, "being entirely without fault or
defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract
concept"(merriam-webster.com). The constant goal of perfection whether
conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of
ourselves. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us,
and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable.
Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until
our developmental years. An example of the effect this has not only of the
public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such
is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical
disorders directly correlating to one’s exposure to society's standards of body
image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through
various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in
adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various
types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from
society starts at a younger age then most might think and in the most innocent
of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie
doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and
perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means
looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What
these little girls do not realize is that no one could ever look like Barbie.
Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating,
"If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have
a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe"
(Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow
up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their
impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come.
The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more
engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal
expectations.
The influences of media are
everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass
at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. Perhaps one of the most
prominent sources of this influence is from images shown on television.
Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a
study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging
from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with
actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing
none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that, "The result for
adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body
dissatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance
comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications).
This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that
suffer from negative body image and or low self-esteem due to the influences of
the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to
pass from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. By adolescent girls
seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over,
everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes
deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious
effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements
this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards
their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions
for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for
an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent
females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional
methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and
Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a
popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening
eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight
loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described
by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on
food followed by purging"(WebMD.com). Both of these eating disorders can
be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn
leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney
disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative
body image. Adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see
constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on
forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's
version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such
to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United
States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org).
This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and
thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image’ which
is caused by societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With
so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done
to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat
this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly, replace her
with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such
supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging
women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they
desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass.
Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I
don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are
based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is
harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the
efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size
models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Not everyone is in support of a societal
image; many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their
models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the
famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with
England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not
that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also
set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy
body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be
unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with
forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of
self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done
about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can
make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this
topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of
society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of
adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards
for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are
causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images, which often
later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being
made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at
present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished
appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising
awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along.
Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than
simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Revised Paper
-->
Scotts Valley Unified School
District
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and I am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. Having seen, and lived through the difficult years of adolescence I have first hand experience and insight into an important matter. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition for perfection is, "being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). The constant goal of perfection whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of ourselves. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. An example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to one’s exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age then most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize is that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. Perhaps one of the most prominent sources of this influence is from images shown on television. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that, "The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body dissatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self-esteem due to the influences of the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD.com). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. Adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image’ which is caused by societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly, replace her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Not everyone is in support of a societal image; many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images, which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and I am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. Having seen, and lived through the difficult years of adolescence I have first hand experience and insight into an important matter. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition for perfection is, "being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). The constant goal of perfection whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of ourselves. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. An example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to one’s exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age then most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize is that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. Perhaps one of the most prominent sources of this influence is from images shown on television. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that, "The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body dissatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self-esteem due to the influences of the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD.com). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. Adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image’ which is caused by societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly, replace her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Not everyone is in support of a societal image; many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images, which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Final Paper Rough Draft
Scotts Valley Unified School District
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary perfection is, " being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). This constant goal whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of our self. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. A crucial, and detrimental example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age them most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. One of the perhaps most prominent sources of this influence is from television shows. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that,"The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body disatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self esteem due to influences by the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short term memory to our longer term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. These adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image' which is due to societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly replacing her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Where there is progress there are also set backs, many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
4444 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 5B
Scotts Valley, California, 95066
To whom it may concern,
My name is Michelle Mayfield, I have attended schools within the Scotts Valley Unified School district from grades K-12 and am fairly acquainted with the social proceedings. I wish to bring to your attention an issue of national proportion that is affecting the schools within this district. Not only as a whole but most predominately the adolescent females attending your institutions of learning.
Motivation, or desperation no matter what you may call it there is always a driving force pushing us forward towards a goal. Despite the variance of goals amongst people, society itself places a goal for us all. Intertwined into the messages we perceive, embedded into our subconscious this goal we strive for that forever eludes us: perfection. The Merriam-Webster dictionary perfection is, " being entirely without fault or defect" and "corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept"(merriam-webster.com). This constant goal whether conscious or subconscious shapes our actions and presentation of our self. Perfection is defined by society in the images it shows to us, and portrayal of such images as 'normal' and beyond that: social acceptable. Exposure to this starts at a young age but does not fully manifest fully until our developmental years. A crucial, and detrimental example of the effect this has not only of the public as a whole but specifically those in adolescence or freshly out of such is body image. This topic is now gaining awareness due to mental and physical disorders directly correlating to exposure to society's standards of body image. Society today has erected unachievable standards for body image through various types of media resulting in negative body image most prevalently in adolescent females resulting in mental and physical disorders. These various types of media psychologically have dire results on the impressionable mind.
Exposure to this idealistic body image promoted by the media and stemming from society starts at a younger age them most might think and in the most innocent of forms. When you see a young girl playing with her dolls, perhaps a Barbie doll, most think little of it. But to that small child, Barbie is beautiful and perfect. So why wouldn't she want to look like her? Especially if that means looking like Barbie gets you a dream house, hunky husband and pink VW bug. What these little girls do not realize that no one could ever look like Barbie. Huffington Post released an article addressing the topic back in 2011 stating, "If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe" (Huffingtonpost.com). These impossible measurements are what little girls grow up thinking is 'perfect'. This image of perfection becomes imbedded into their impressionable minds and will continue to stay there for many years to come. The image of perfection does not recede as time goes on, but in fact grows more engrained as they grow older and enter a whole new world of societal expectations.
The influences of media are everywhere, from the commercials you see on TV to the magazine covers you pass at the grocery store; there is no escaping it. One of the perhaps most prominent sources of this influence is from television shows. Professor and PHD holder Marika Tiggemann of Finders University published a study she conducted that was composed of placing 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 13-17 in front of a TV screen to watch fifteen commercials with actresses that fit the social norm of perfection, or 15 commercials containing none of these idealistic images. Tiggemann found that,"The result for adolescent girls show that viewing thin ideal commercials led to increased body disatisfaction, and that this effect was partly mediated by the appearance comparison and schema activation processes"(Journal of communications). This study gives evidence to the overwhelming number of adolescent females that suffer from negative body image and or low self esteem due to influences by the media. Repetition is a common mode of learning to allow for information to pass from our short term memory to our longer term memory. By adolescent girls seeing these images of what a 'perfect' woman looks like over and over, everywhere they look, there is such a degree of repetition that it becomes deeply rooted into their minds. Despite this repetition not being a conscious effort the effects are no different. Seeing these images so frequently cements this idea of perfection, translating it into unhealthy expectations towards their own bodies. The unhealthiness of these expectations, and the mental repercussions for not meeting such standards can have detrimental effects on their health.
Striving for an unrealistic body image often results in health issues due to adolescent females turning to unhealthy means to lose weight once realizing conventional methods wont be enough. These unhealthy methods include Anorexia and Bulimia. Anorexia, also called Anorexia Nervosa, is described by WebMD, a popular online medical site, as being, "...a potentially life-threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss"(WebMD.com) The other common eating disorder, Bulimia, is described by the same source as being, "an eating disorder that involves bingeing on food followed by purging"(WebMD). Both of these eating disorders can be life threatening causing those afflicted to be malnourished which in turn leads to other health problems that include but are not limited to kidney disease, and heart disease. These disorders are directly correlated to negative body image. These adolescent females strive to attain the body that they see constantly in the media. These tall models with legs that appear to go on forever, wasp thin waists and flawless skin appear to them as being society's version of perfection. If that is what society wants, must they look like such to be considered 'pretty'? According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in a study done back in 2008, "In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder"(AACAP.org). This number continues to rise as these idealistic women get thinner and thinner. The AACAP states that this is due to 'distortion of body image' which is due to societal expectations through the influence of the media.
With so many dire effects due to the media one might think why has nothing been done to stop this? Though this continues at large there are those who wish to combat this by instead of portraying the perfect woman as thin and gangly replacing her with someone who is physically fit and lives a healthy lifestyle. One such supporter of the fit woman is Shape magazine, which is dedicated to encouraging women to be fit and healthy, and through safe means achieve the body they desire. Cover models for this magazine show obvious amounts one muscle mass. Shape Magazine posted on their website back in 2010 stating, "While I don't believe it's possible to look at someone and tell how healthy they are based off their size, I do believe that glorifying images of underfed bodies is harmful"(Shape.com). Shape Magazine is not the only contributor to the efforts of healthy body images many companies now are incorporating plus size models to show that all sizes are beautiful. Where there is progress there are also set backs, many high fashion brands see nothing wrong with the sizes of their models and show no inclination to change. Iconic brand name Chanel, and the famous owner of the label Karl Lagerfeld said while in an interview with England's Channel 4 News that, "The models are skinny, but they're not that skinny"(Huffington Post.com) Where there is progress there are also set backs and this is very much so true when it comes to promoting a healthy body image to adolescent females. For such a goal to be achieved there must be unification of the media and this sadly is very unlikely. Though with forces campaigning for healthy body image there is still hope for a future of self-loving adolescent females. However there is something that can be done about this on a smaller scale that when coupled with other equating efforts can make a difference. This effort is awareness. By raising awareness about this topic, and bringing it to the attention of the media, and furthermore all of society this could initiate the change that could diminish the large amounts of adolescent females dissatisfied with their body's.
These unachievable standards for woman's bodies depicted by the media and backed by societal influences are causing an epidemic of adolescent girls with negative body images which often later develop into mental and or physical disorders. Though efforts are being made by some figures in the media there is still not enough influence at present to give convincing evidence to these girls that a malnourished appearance portrayed in the media isn't the right one. However raising awareness about this issue may be beneficial to speeding the process along. Taking action against unhealthy body images in the media will do more than simply make adolescent girls feel better about themselves it will save lives.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Sunday, May 5, 2013
annotated bib
Dittmar, Helga, and Sarah Howard. "Thin-Ideal Internalization and Social
Comparison Tendency as Moderators of Media Models' Impact on Women's
Body-Focused Anxiety." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 23.6 (2004): 768-91. Web. 7 May 2013.
This scholarly journal goes into depth on how women compare themselves to these extremely thin models they see in the media. By comparing themselves to such an unrealistic body image that society has deemed 'beautiful' to cause 'body anxiety' and or depression. In this journal there was a case study done to show the effects of normal women exposed to different types of body images and there reaction which classified them to either to internalize differences in their body to what the media portrays or to make social comparisons to these thin models shown in the media. The study finds that the negative reactions to the thin models in correlation to their own bodies out weight the positive reaction to the average sized models.
Enayati, Amanda. "Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty?" CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.
This article published by CNN delves into social networking sites, specifically Facebook, and how they cause girls of all ages to constantly compare themselves to others. This causing anxiety, and depression which often in these cases leads to eating disorders. The story is about Amanda Coleman, a college student and head of her sorority, who began to notice alarming unhappiness as well as changes in the girls around her. All of this unhappiness and insecurity would stem from Facebook she told CNN where girls would compare their body's, popularity, etc to other girls on the social networking cite. This was such an extreme that pro-eating disorder groups began forming to support each other in not eating so that they might be able to attain the body image they desired based on what they saw in others on the site. The article also offers insight into the popularity of eating disorders and how common they have really become. From support groups for eating disorders to those in the spot light such as Miss America opening up about it, this is a cultural problem. Coleman opted to delete her facebook to remove herself from such negativity.
This scholarly journal goes into depth on how women compare themselves to these extremely thin models they see in the media. By comparing themselves to such an unrealistic body image that society has deemed 'beautiful' to cause 'body anxiety' and or depression. In this journal there was a case study done to show the effects of normal women exposed to different types of body images and there reaction which classified them to either to internalize differences in their body to what the media portrays or to make social comparisons to these thin models shown in the media. The study finds that the negative reactions to the thin models in correlation to their own bodies out weight the positive reaction to the average sized models.
Enayati, Amanda. "Facebook: The Encyclopedia of Beauty?" CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 May 2013.
This article published by CNN delves into social networking sites, specifically Facebook, and how they cause girls of all ages to constantly compare themselves to others. This causing anxiety, and depression which often in these cases leads to eating disorders. The story is about Amanda Coleman, a college student and head of her sorority, who began to notice alarming unhappiness as well as changes in the girls around her. All of this unhappiness and insecurity would stem from Facebook she told CNN where girls would compare their body's, popularity, etc to other girls on the social networking cite. This was such an extreme that pro-eating disorder groups began forming to support each other in not eating so that they might be able to attain the body image they desired based on what they saw in others on the site. The article also offers insight into the popularity of eating disorders and how common they have really become. From support groups for eating disorders to those in the spot light such as Miss America opening up about it, this is a cultural problem. Coleman opted to delete her facebook to remove herself from such negativity.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
RA#3
American culture is easy to deem as a globally adopted by countries across the world. This topic was addressed by Todd Gitlin, a published author, in his article "Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co." where he describes the ways in which American culture is influencing and infiltrating into other societies on an international level. Throughout his writing Gitlin is using varying writing techniques to persuade his directed audience of his point.
Gitlin's purpose in writing this was to persuade his intended audience to agree with his claim. In this article he is claiming that American culture has become a global influence to countries everywhere, so much so that in fact there is hardly a place you can go that some form of American culture has not reached. The intended audience is a broad one, ranging from the every day person in America not realizing what an influence their culture has on an international level, to someone who does live in another country but never has given much thought to the foreign imprint on their own culture.
This was written in more of a casual way, though very organized and thoughtful the word choice was simply enough that it would be an easy read of an engaging topic, just what Gitlin needed to hold the reader long enough to persuade them of his point. At the beginning it was more formal with many fact and evidence given to the reader early on to validate the claim, which Gitlin restated many times throughout, but from there became more interesting to the reader with examples that though may not be backed by evidence paint a picture for the reader to help convince them.
Gitlin uses general persuasive techniques, those classified by Aristotle, to win over the reader so that they might also agree with his point. Logos is used to give his audience facts so that his argument seems well backed and valid. This was easy to see as he mentioned, "In 1999 in fact, film, television, music, radio, advertising, print publishing and computer software were the top export, almost $80 billion worth"(825). This piece of verifiable evidence backed up Gitlin's claim that American culture is in fact so popular with other countries that the revenue from such is vastly convincing of the international phenomenon of our culture. Ethos was yet another rhetoric appeal used by Gitlin with his mentioning of American culture affects a begrudging France, "Less well know, and rarely acknowledged by the French, is the fact that terminator 2 sold 5 million tickets in France the month it opened"(825). This is factual evidence that is given context, with this example his point is backed up not only by fact but by giving the reader an example of his claim. Lastly he incorporated pathos to give that emotional appeal to the reader, for these rhetoric appeals are at their strongest when used in conjunction to one another, exemplified by his writing while speaking of a tribe of Tungusians living by the Arctic Sea, "In a community store sits a grandfather with his grandchild on his knee. Grandfather dressed in traditional Tungusian clothing. Grandson has on his head a revered baseball cap."(826). This story may not be factual but appeals to the readers while triggering an emotional response. All these persuasion methods used with a certain juxtaposition making for a convincing argument.
A prominent method used to develop Gitlin's claim was his use of exemplification which was used many times throughout. By giving the reader examples of what he claims was happening, instead of overloading them with facts, the reader is able to see on a broader scale of what he really means. In one case he has so many examples he simply lists them for the reader, "Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Bob Dylan, Micheal Jackson, Madonna, Clint Eastwood, the multicolored chorus of Coca-Cola, and the next flavor of the month or the universe..."(826). This was the most commonly used method of development throughout the reading.
The article "Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse&Co." is such a persuasive piece to read due the Gitlin's constant integration of rhetoric and developmental process in this writing coupled with the restating of this claim throughout. Due to all these properties of his writing the reader is easily convinced of the integration of American culture internationally in the world today.
Gitlin's purpose in writing this was to persuade his intended audience to agree with his claim. In this article he is claiming that American culture has become a global influence to countries everywhere, so much so that in fact there is hardly a place you can go that some form of American culture has not reached. The intended audience is a broad one, ranging from the every day person in America not realizing what an influence their culture has on an international level, to someone who does live in another country but never has given much thought to the foreign imprint on their own culture.
This was written in more of a casual way, though very organized and thoughtful the word choice was simply enough that it would be an easy read of an engaging topic, just what Gitlin needed to hold the reader long enough to persuade them of his point. At the beginning it was more formal with many fact and evidence given to the reader early on to validate the claim, which Gitlin restated many times throughout, but from there became more interesting to the reader with examples that though may not be backed by evidence paint a picture for the reader to help convince them.
Gitlin uses general persuasive techniques, those classified by Aristotle, to win over the reader so that they might also agree with his point. Logos is used to give his audience facts so that his argument seems well backed and valid. This was easy to see as he mentioned, "In 1999 in fact, film, television, music, radio, advertising, print publishing and computer software were the top export, almost $80 billion worth"(825). This piece of verifiable evidence backed up Gitlin's claim that American culture is in fact so popular with other countries that the revenue from such is vastly convincing of the international phenomenon of our culture. Ethos was yet another rhetoric appeal used by Gitlin with his mentioning of American culture affects a begrudging France, "Less well know, and rarely acknowledged by the French, is the fact that terminator 2 sold 5 million tickets in France the month it opened"(825). This is factual evidence that is given context, with this example his point is backed up not only by fact but by giving the reader an example of his claim. Lastly he incorporated pathos to give that emotional appeal to the reader, for these rhetoric appeals are at their strongest when used in conjunction to one another, exemplified by his writing while speaking of a tribe of Tungusians living by the Arctic Sea, "In a community store sits a grandfather with his grandchild on his knee. Grandfather dressed in traditional Tungusian clothing. Grandson has on his head a revered baseball cap."(826). This story may not be factual but appeals to the readers while triggering an emotional response. All these persuasion methods used with a certain juxtaposition making for a convincing argument.
A prominent method used to develop Gitlin's claim was his use of exemplification which was used many times throughout. By giving the reader examples of what he claims was happening, instead of overloading them with facts, the reader is able to see on a broader scale of what he really means. In one case he has so many examples he simply lists them for the reader, "Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Bob Dylan, Micheal Jackson, Madonna, Clint Eastwood, the multicolored chorus of Coca-Cola, and the next flavor of the month or the universe..."(826). This was the most commonly used method of development throughout the reading.
The article "Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse&Co." is such a persuasive piece to read due the Gitlin's constant integration of rhetoric and developmental process in this writing coupled with the restating of this claim throughout. Due to all these properties of his writing the reader is easily convinced of the integration of American culture internationally in the world today.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
What I Would Change About Society.
Society everywhere places a set of standards to be upheld by those who wish 'fit in' or conform to the social norm. This holds true for our community as well where a very prevalent, and hard to achieve standard falls upon women: being thin. This standard of being thin set by the media causes girls to have an unhealthy body image which can lead to mental, as well as physical health issues.
There is a difference from being fit and healthy than being thin, this fine line causes some girls to strive for a weight goal that is unhealthy for their height as well as body type. We all have a healthy weight range for our age and height; this can be determined by using a BMI or body mass index calculator. However this healthy range is not what girls strive to achieve. What society has deemed beautiful is not a muscular fit body, it is a wasp thin waist, protruding hipbones and pronounced collar bones. This however has not always been the case. Years ago being thicker and robust was a sign of wealth, status and beauty in society. Women sought to gain waist to have curves and a sexy voluptuous body. To be thin at that time was to be under fed and not socially or financially well off. Back then there were advertisements to gain weight for women, unlike today's diet pill and rapid weight loss promotions.
The social media through advertisements such as commercials of thin, seemingly 'perfect' girls or magazines that have them plastered all over it has become so engrained into daily life it has become what is thought of as 'normal'. No matter where you turn you see headlines of 'weight loss', 'I lost 30 pounds' and the social media bashing those who have put on a few pounds. It is a sickening cycle for women in society there is no happy medium with criticism waiting around every corner from ones peers and even worse: one's self. These 'perfect' girls all over the media, many of them airbrush and virtually altered to appear as they do, cause normal girls in every day life to have unrealistic, but most of all unhealthy expectations for their own bodies. These expectations lead to girls have negative body images which cause them to feel the need to improve themselves through drastic measures.
These drastic measures can range from skipping a meal, to not eating at all. At first they might try to approach changing their body to be more like the one socially acceptable by dieting and exercise but many become discouraged by the lack of instant gratification. This discouragement leads them to finding alternate methods of weight loss which is the reason behind the eating disorder epidemic of today. Girls feel the need to starve themselves to look the way society expects them to look like. This can start as early as elementary school for these girls, what happened to a care free childhood? It has been tarnished by the unhealthy expectations of the media. These expectations are literally killing girls everywhere and yet this image is still so coveted.
This is to me one of the worst elements of society for it affects girls of all ages not only in our own community but in others. This image leads to health issues and in some extreme cases death. It is something that the media needs to address and fix through the promotion of a healthy women who is proud of her body, not a under weight one. There is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy and society needs to realize this not only for the sake of girls today but for the future generation that will look to ours for advice and guidance.
There is a difference from being fit and healthy than being thin, this fine line causes some girls to strive for a weight goal that is unhealthy for their height as well as body type. We all have a healthy weight range for our age and height; this can be determined by using a BMI or body mass index calculator. However this healthy range is not what girls strive to achieve. What society has deemed beautiful is not a muscular fit body, it is a wasp thin waist, protruding hipbones and pronounced collar bones. This however has not always been the case. Years ago being thicker and robust was a sign of wealth, status and beauty in society. Women sought to gain waist to have curves and a sexy voluptuous body. To be thin at that time was to be under fed and not socially or financially well off. Back then there were advertisements to gain weight for women, unlike today's diet pill and rapid weight loss promotions.
The social media through advertisements such as commercials of thin, seemingly 'perfect' girls or magazines that have them plastered all over it has become so engrained into daily life it has become what is thought of as 'normal'. No matter where you turn you see headlines of 'weight loss', 'I lost 30 pounds' and the social media bashing those who have put on a few pounds. It is a sickening cycle for women in society there is no happy medium with criticism waiting around every corner from ones peers and even worse: one's self. These 'perfect' girls all over the media, many of them airbrush and virtually altered to appear as they do, cause normal girls in every day life to have unrealistic, but most of all unhealthy expectations for their own bodies. These expectations lead to girls have negative body images which cause them to feel the need to improve themselves through drastic measures.
These drastic measures can range from skipping a meal, to not eating at all. At first they might try to approach changing their body to be more like the one socially acceptable by dieting and exercise but many become discouraged by the lack of instant gratification. This discouragement leads them to finding alternate methods of weight loss which is the reason behind the eating disorder epidemic of today. Girls feel the need to starve themselves to look the way society expects them to look like. This can start as early as elementary school for these girls, what happened to a care free childhood? It has been tarnished by the unhealthy expectations of the media. These expectations are literally killing girls everywhere and yet this image is still so coveted.
This is to me one of the worst elements of society for it affects girls of all ages not only in our own community but in others. This image leads to health issues and in some extreme cases death. It is something that the media needs to address and fix through the promotion of a healthy women who is proud of her body, not a under weight one. There is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy and society needs to realize this not only for the sake of girls today but for the future generation that will look to ours for advice and guidance.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
RR#3 Under the Sign of Micky Mouse&Co.
Around the world there are many stereotypes pertaining to
cultures of countries but no reputation is better known than that of America.
Whether considered a famous, or infamous culture the stereotypical lap of
luxury, carefree lifestyle of America is known, and an influence across the
globe. Todd Gilton, a published author
and faculty member of Columbia University, addressed this world spread influential
American stereotype by writing Under the Sign of Micky Mouse & Co. Gilton
painted a picture of American culture and what it means to different countries
around the world. Written to a broad
audience with the hope of showing others how America has shaped the world we
live in today, it is an insightful article.
American culture affects counties across the globe; from
entertainment to trends other countries mirror this culture whether they want
to or not. Gilton uses the French as an example who stereotypically do not have
the most positive opinions of Americans as a country that despite not wanting
to be has been affected by American culture. For example Gilton tells the
reader, “Less well known, and rarely acknowledged by the French, is the fact
Teriminator 2 sold 5 million tickets in France the month it opened”(825). France was not forced into showing this film;
they did so due to the knowledge they possessed about the popularity of this
American film and the revenue that went along with it.
Yet another prime example given by Gilton to show this
influential culture Americans live in was, “...The little Japanese girl who
asks the American visitor in all innocence, ‘Is there really a Disneyland in
America’”(826). Despite there being a Disneyland in Tokyo she still wonders
about the Disneyland in America, the originals that was such happiness and
splendor surrounding them in advertisement and reputation. Such places in
America have reputations that are known worldwide.
However influential and well-known Hollywood and American
attractions are there are aspects of more simplicity such as brands and fashion
trends that also dominate the globe. American originated brands such as Coca-Cola
have spread to nearly every country as well as American trends such as baggy,
low riding pants for men and the stereotypical causality of the backwards
baseball hat.
The message of influence by American culture is not
negative, it is stated quite positively that this universal adoption of the
American ways give us all something to connect upon and relate to one another.
In a sense the knowledge of American culture and adoption of such is a world
spread bonding aspect, something we all can relate to. So whether one likes, or
dislikes American Culture Gilton shows that it is an unavoidable influence most
places in the world.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
MLA Information
Haydar, Maysan. "Veiled Intentions: Don't Judge a
Muslim Girl by Her Covering." True Women and Real Men (n.d.): 402-07.
Print.
This article is an academic journal which is defined by wikipedia as being, "An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research. Content typically takes the form of articles presenting original research, review articles, and book reviews"(wikipedia.org). I find that Library 10 is helpful to a certain extent, such as with practicing citing. However, I do not feel like I am learning very much new material, much of what is taught on library 10 was all covered in my high school English curriculum. Never the less I find it to be helpful with refreshing my memory and after talking to a few classmates I was informed that not all high schools teach MLA citation or formatting to their students. For many people it was new to them or they had forgotten what small amount they learned in high school. I do believe that it is a valuable tool that should be used in conjunction with English 1A so that class time does not need to be eaten up by teaching MLA formatting and citation.
This article is an academic journal which is defined by wikipedia as being, "An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research. Content typically takes the form of articles presenting original research, review articles, and book reviews"(wikipedia.org). I find that Library 10 is helpful to a certain extent, such as with practicing citing. However, I do not feel like I am learning very much new material, much of what is taught on library 10 was all covered in my high school English curriculum. Never the less I find it to be helpful with refreshing my memory and after talking to a few classmates I was informed that not all high schools teach MLA citation or formatting to their students. For many people it was new to them or they had forgotten what small amount they learned in high school. I do believe that it is a valuable tool that should be used in conjunction with English 1A so that class time does not need to be eaten up by teaching MLA formatting and citation.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
RA#2
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Children, due to their innocent nature, are the most
impressionable they will ever be. Anything they hear that is even remotely
plausible to them will be held to the highest regard or sincerity and must be
correct in every sense. This is
demonstrated in the novel Persepolis by Marjane Sterapi, in which the author is
trying to convey what it was like to be coming of age during the Islamic
Revolution. With this novel’s target audience being those who lack insight into
the daily proceedings of the Islamic Revolution for the average citizen,
especially one who is still a child. This child, Marjane, is highly
impressionable with her moral compass easily persuaded by those around
her. Sterapi does an excellent job
showing the manipulability of children, yet still showing that message in a way
that pertains to the novel. In this scene the protagonist, Marjane, along with
two other of her schoolmates were sitting around one day after school. One of the school boys says that their
classmate, Ramin, father was part of the Savak and “killed a million people”.
Marjane believed this boy telling her this without a shred of doubt and
suggested they achieve justice by attacking Ramin for his father’s supposed
killings. Luckily Marjane’s mother intervened in time. Sterapi really conveyed
the gullibility of children in the Islamic Revolution and their rashness to
deal with matters the way they hear issues being dealt with in Iran at the
time. Not only was this message of gullibility and impressionability shown for
children in Iran, it is a message that is applicable to children
everywhere. The illustrations show the children running after Ramin with nails between their fingers very serious with what they are about to do. The look on Marjane's face is easily described as determined. The tone of this passage was
serious, these children were not kidding about harming their schoolmate Ramin,
and had every intent of following through with their idea of creating justice
by his suffering. It is a very powerful message given. The country of Iran had
become such a violent place to live in that this violence was becoming to seem
casual, not longer shocking, and even worse: a completely acceptable way to
deal with issues. Not only was this violence acceptable to the country it was
being integrated into the children’s morals shaping them to better fit the
war-like society that had fallen over Iran. This passage in Persepolis from pages 44-45 is purposefully placed in there by Sterapi to show the reader how the Islamic Revolution affected the children of Iran. It is a powerful message with great purpose cleverly weaved into the novel by the excellent writing and illustrating style of the author.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
RR#2 Persepolis
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Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi is not only a
well-written novel, but also a window of insight into the Islamic Revolution
through a young girl as she matures. As the political turn oil worsens in Iran
and a war arises people are forced to take sides. With the U.S embassy taken
over and all Americans deported back to the United States Marjane starts to
feel the enormity of what is happening, though she does in fact decided that
the war is a good thing due to her fathers influential opinion. However with
boys from her school being drafted into the war with promises of salvation for
being martyrs, Marjane is starting to become confused as to if this war is a
good thing for the country after all. This doubt is cemented later from her
cousin Shahab, who visits from the front lines of the war, and
tells Marjane how these young boys are being sent into mind fields leading to
their gruesome death. The war continues
to get worse and many lives are lost including her uncle Taher who could not
obtain a passport in time to leave the country for his life saving open-heart
surgery. After flashing forward a year we see a Marjane who is much more grown
up and has her own ideals that are not simply mirrored versions of her
parents. She is now a rebel, trying to
dress how she wants even at the cost of her own possible arrest. Marjane is now
a different girl, she has seen loved ones and friends die, and has grown to
resent the laws of the government she is forced to live by. With heavy hearts
her parents send her away from the country for her safety in hopes she will be
able to live a much safer life in Austria.
This war starting off of what was thought to be a good thing by Marjane and her family was soon proven to be a violent, dangerous nightmare for the country and those who lived there. With Marjane becoming a rebel with such powerful opinions and desire to stand up for what she believes in it was a smart decision for her parents to send her away to school in another country. There she will be able to express herself and voice her opinions without having to fear prosecution. As they send her away her mother fainted, showing that this decisions was a hard one for her parents to make, to send away their only child to another country without them. As hard as it was for them it was selfless in the way of it was the best, and safest choice for their daughter. The characters in the novel through words and pictures really are developed enough to give us an excellent understanding of their true nature. With so many events happening in such a short amount of pages the author is really able to encompass the varying social and governing states of Iran through the Islamic Revolution. Throughout the novel it is so engrossing to follow the journey of how this young girl grows up. Finding her way in life seemed to be a journey the reader embarked on with her. From the young naive girl desperate for answers, to the opinion searching young lady, and finally to the woman who knows what she deems right and wrong, it is truly a coming of age journey.
This war starting off of what was thought to be a good thing by Marjane and her family was soon proven to be a violent, dangerous nightmare for the country and those who lived there. With Marjane becoming a rebel with such powerful opinions and desire to stand up for what she believes in it was a smart decision for her parents to send her away to school in another country. There she will be able to express herself and voice her opinions without having to fear prosecution. As they send her away her mother fainted, showing that this decisions was a hard one for her parents to make, to send away their only child to another country without them. As hard as it was for them it was selfless in the way of it was the best, and safest choice for their daughter. The characters in the novel through words and pictures really are developed enough to give us an excellent understanding of their true nature. With so many events happening in such a short amount of pages the author is really able to encompass the varying social and governing states of Iran through the Islamic Revolution. Throughout the novel it is so engrossing to follow the journey of how this young girl grows up. Finding her way in life seemed to be a journey the reader embarked on with her. From the young naive girl desperate for answers, to the opinion searching young lady, and finally to the woman who knows what she deems right and wrong, it is truly a coming of age journey.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Final Draft Research Report
Now that you
have seen two types of veils, and heard how they are being integrated into
modern day America you might be wondering why are these veils so important? The
veil being a symbol of modesty in Islam to Muslim women everywhere stems from
their holy book the Qur’an. Within this book are the writings of Islam, which
were sent from Allah, or god, to the prophet Muhammad. Most prominent
monotheistic religions have a holy book, which varies in name and content but
all are a collection of writings to teach the disciples of said religion how to
govern their lives in a way in a way pleasing to their god. The Qur’an states, “And say to the believing women that they
should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not
display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof;
that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their
beauty except to their husbands..." (Qur'an 24:30-31). It is taught that by covering oneself modestly
you are showing respect for yourself, that you can be admired for your
intellect rather than appearance. Devout
followers of a religion aspire to follow the teachings given to them; this is
very much so true for Muslims. However, with these holy books dating back
centuries not all scripture is directly applicable to modern day life and often
requires some interpretation. This is where controversy arises. The Qur’an is
said to have been finished in 632 C.E, since then humanity has advanced rapidly
leaving a very different world than the one the prophet lived in when writing
the teachings of Allah. This leaves two distinguishable types of Muslims:
traditional, and modern. Many believe that the veil should be worn at all times
when in the presence of those who are not family, for example this belief is
upheld by the country of Iran who have a mandatory compulsory law in place
demanding all women to wear the veil. But there are those who wish to modernize
their beliefs in ways that make them more suiting to their daily lives
including having the choice to wear the veil or not. Whether one is modern or
more traditional it is easily to agree on the message that women should be
valued for more than their looks, which can be interpreted from the scripture
of the Qur’an. The predominate difference between the two groups being the
disagreement between mandatory wearing of the veil and whether or not that is oppressive
or infringing on women’s rights. These differences in interpretation leave a constant stream of controversy that has been happening for quite some time now dating to present. With such differences in beliefs under one religion one can only hope that a middle group can be found that is both suitable to those who wish to keep the old ways and others who seek freedom within the religion they practice.
Works Cited
"Quran." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
Stacey, Ashia. "Why Muslim Women Wear the Veil." - The Religion of Islam. IslamReligion.com, 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
"What Allah States in The Al-Qur'an." What Allah States in The Al-Qur'an. Islamicworld.net, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1P84ojxFuZGGqFFtffJmq9aARZRNzB-s-ca-pb_qoqr8/edit#slide=id.g196f5967e_20
Sunday, March 3, 2013
RR #1 Persepolis
Persepolis is a unique book from the get go, with it's comic book format and interesting plot it can be easily seen as an easy read. The novel takes place in 1980 Iran where the main character Marjane Satrapi is a young schoolgirl in the midst of the Islamic Revolution. At the start of the novel young Marjane is quite convinced she is the next prophet, and devotes much of her time educating herself through reading historical books about past prophets, leaders and history itself. However with the greater the danger in the country and the more protests, she finds herself straying from her talks with her God as well as what she thought was her immanent fate of being a prophet. She finds herself fascinated with the protests and asks regularly to participate in them with her parents, though the answer she always receives is no. However once, along with her maid, she sets off to go to a protest herself, which led to her punishment due to the fact it was on Black Friday. A day in which they should have not been protesting. By paying great attention to the happenings in her country as well as bombarding her parents frequently with questions she finds out that her grandfather was in fact a prince. That news send her imagination running and off to tell her friends at school who liked to brag about who's parent or relative was more of a hero. The novelty of that fades as more important matters take over and she starts to realize the different social classes in Iran. This made her ashamed of her fathers fancy Cadillac or even that her family has a maid. Thinking of her maid brought back memories of when her maid, Mehri, fell in love with the neighbor boy and lied telling him that she was in fact Marjane's sister. Marjane helped her write letters to him since she was illiterate but when it was founded out they were both in trouble. Upon inquiring why it was so wrong that Mehri and this neighbor be together her father told her that one must stay in the social class, so being a maid Mehri must marry someone in the same class as her own. She finds herself conflicted in what to believe when school tells her one thing and her parents say another. All of these parts of society she was finding out left Marjane disgusted with certain aspects of the way things were and believed they should be changed yet still she neglected her talks with God and the fate she thought she was destined to was pushed to the back of her mind. So far this is an excellent coming of age novel, set in a ever changing environment due to the political turmoil leaving the reader engaged throughout their reading. I find myself looking forward to finishing this book and seeing what is next in the Islamic evolution as well as how the world changes through Marjane's perspective.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Individual Narratives
A hijab, meaning 'cover' is a piece of fabric worn by many Islamic women which covers their head. The intended purpose of this covering was to obscure femininity. In most countries all over the world women have a choice whether or not to wear the veil, which to some is a proud symbol of modesty. However, in Iran there is a mandatory law that women must don their veils in public at all times or risk punishments that can include refusal from public establishments such as restaurants to harassment by police or even arrest. This law has been in effect since 1979 and it would appear that there is no end in sight. In Islam it is said, through religious teachings, that no one can be forced to wear the veil. Yet, in a country where the predominant religion is Islam they impose a law that seems to go against the teachings of their owned sacred religion. While the Qur'an, the holy book in Islam, does speak of modesty for women, many feel that it is being taken too literally. Women have become increasingly unhappy with this compulsory law. There have been riots and attempts to persuade the government to reform, or repeal the law but they have had no success with the matter. This law is only one of the many limitations placed upon women in Iran. Equality is not valued by the government there for it is stated in laws that a woman is only worth half of a man, this applies to matters such as inheritance. With the more publicity this matter gets, and the rise in rebellion it has people wondering if change is on the horizon or if the government is going to tighten their grip on the scant amount of freedom women have to cling to.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
I am...
I am myself, unique and unlike any other. I may share ideas
and beliefs with others, but not in the same combination that I possess. I
enjoy writing, the silence of night, the comfort of a good book, fashion and
all it entails as well as a warm cup of tea. I believe in a little kindness
going a long way, that a little retail therapy came do wonders and that there
is such thing as true love. Life is a journey, one I have been embarked on for
eighteen years now in which I have lost, loved, and learned there is always
more to be found. I hold family to get importance with the belief that we must
cherish every day. I have come to understand mistakes are lessons to be learned
and that by heeding those lessons we can improve ourselves. I have always been
an avid reader, which correlates to my enjoyment of English class to which I
feel I bring a positive outlook and attitude. I find myself looking forward to
growing as a writer, expanding my knowledge, and absorbing all there is to
learn this semester. This is my second semester of Cabrillo, my first year of
college, in addition to being my first year of adulthood. I can’t tell you all
there is to know about me, for I am changing every day and growing more and
more into the person I someday will be. Who might that person be? I have yet to
find out, so I guess we will have to wait and see.
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