The Typical Teenage Girl

Think about what comes to mind when you hear the words "Typical Teenage Girl"...skinny? tall? make-up? fashionable? straight hair? unintelligent? Well that's so far from the truth it's scary. The media has led us to believe that the average teenage girl should be all of those things, but that is certainly not reality. I know most, if not all, girls can agree that we're victims of being brainwashed by this mentality, too. We're concerned with how we look, what other people think of our appearence...so much so that people forget about what's really important. The media has given us this idea that appearance is truly what matters, and the modern image of 'what a girl should look like' has become dramatically out of touch. The minute a model or actress puts on a few extra pounds, it's all over the cover of People or Star magazine. Everyone 'ooh's and 'ahh's over Lindsay Lohan or Tyra Banks looking slightly fuller than usual. SO WHAT?? It's possible to be pretty without being a size zero, or without loading on gobs of make up each day. Beauty should be natural and real. Boys definitely don't help in this area, either. If anything, most guys tend to add to this mental image that girls have come to think of as 'attractive'. I mean I don't blame guys either because they've been subjected to this media influence, as well. They see girls on commercials and shows that look flawless...but that's not reality. Most boys see girls for their appearance, as compared to that of the actresses on television. If Marilyn Monroe and Paris Hilton stood side by side, you'd be amazed at just how much our perception of beauty and class has changed over time. I think we should look back to the times of Marilyn Monroe and ask ourselves why the modern image of females has become so outrageous and unrealistic. Let's be honest: the typical teenage girl is someone who trys to look her best, feels slightly self-conscious about her body, and wants other people to compliment her on her looks...right? Well, at least that's probably the majority. Sad, isn't it?

School Rules (literally)

So, today we were talking about how school influences us. At first, I didn't really have much to add to the conversation besides the typical things about how sometimes homework is a waste of time, and grades matter too much. The conversation shortly became something so much more than just about grades, homework, and teachers. We discussed how much the administration and the seemingly endless amounts of silly rules and regulations we're faced with everyday. Park on the line? 4 weeks of LOP. Carry a cup of coffee with a lid to first period? Get yelled at by a security guard. If you just walk through the halls of Stevenson for a day, I can almost guarantee that you'll hear someone discussing their GPA, a different kid talking about college options, and a third and fourth debating over ACT scores. It is certainly very obvious at Stevenson just how much the school values and expectations have shaped its students, both for the good and for the bad. In a matter of three minutes, the entire class had their hands up, ready to add to this conversation about the unnecessary amount of pressure and stress we're put under every single day at school. Kids that usually don't participate had their own stories to add, and it was actually amazing to me just how much we all had in common in this way. I realized that just as much as our friends and family influence who we are, our school community has a significant influence on us in many ways, as well. I know that high school is supposed to prepare you for 'the real world', but I'm pretty sure that in the real world, I can walk down a hallway without being asked what I'm doing or where I'm going. I'm pretty sure that in the real world, at least by age 18, I can carry my own cup of hot chocolate to class without spilling it all over the floor. Basically, I have a feeling that in the real world, there aren't people constantly looking over your shoulder telling you what to do. You're on your own, for the most part. And as scary as that is, we should be ready for it. Stevenson says that they want, "Success for every student," but is that really what's being accomplished by pushing values based on grades, rules, and authority? I don't think so. School rules? Not really.

socialization versus individuality

I was reading the article Human Nature, and while there were many aspects of the reading that I did agree with, one certain thing stood out to me that I disagree with. Towards the end of the article, the author began talking about conforming, and how that's the only way to stay in a group: to conform to the interests and beliefs of a certain group. Now, on the surface, this might seem to make sense, that you'd be friends with people with whom you share interests and ideas, but this is not always true. The article mentions that this is not always the case, but I've learned through my own group of friends how different we all are in our interests and our ways of life. Some of our expectations are very different at home, as well. While my parents expect my friends to call them by first name, several of my friends' parents would be offended by that, and only go by Mr. or Mrs....this was something that was very difficult for me to understand because I'd always grown up around adults who wanted kids to call them by first name. This is just one example of how different my friends and I are in terms of beliefs and values. When it comes to interests, sure, there are certain things we have in common because that's part of why we're friends, but our taste in music, clothes, literature...it's very different. I definitely agree that social interactions are absolutely essential to human life. However, I think that the impact of friends and family is less significant than the decisions of the individual to become who they want to be.

Normal?

Americans tend to think that their views of the world are the 'right' ones. After reading the article this week about the man from Germany that described his vastly different experiences in America compared to that of countries that are as similar as Western Europe. It was amazing to me how we just accept certain aspects of our lives for what they are: fat-free or high fat foods, buy-two-get-one-free deals, and shopping in bulk...it all seems completely natural. But I think the real question is, is it a good thing that the whole world is starting to model and resemble these aspects among others of American life? I'm not so sure. Obviously, certain rules like having large fines for stores being open after certain hours of the day are a little bit extreme, but there has to be somewhere to meet in the middle. America is the culture of globalization, and it's really important that we all realize this and try to see our culture from an outside perspective. This really changed my view on certain things, and I've really tried to take a step back in certain situations to see how outrageous some of our values may seem to others. I guess it's just something to consider in the future. Is it something we can really change? Or is it even possible to change who we really are? That's what I'm not sure of...