Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Pecha Kucha
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Xn6babVBN4rG4Do5cfg9zuW0-NFesKchfA_Yiyiup0g/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=20000
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
"Locker Room Talk" Alexis Jones
Extended Comments
https://protecther.com/
In this Ted Talk Alexis Jones discusses the importance of respecting women through her advocacy and efforts of talking to young male athletes about locker room talk and their mindset of women. For this blog post I will be using Bristol's post, discussing some of her main points. Bristol points out that Alexis argues that boys at a young age are mainly influenced from media sources in their perception of women and the way they see and treat women are influenced by this. I completely agree with Alexis and Bristol; one of the issues with our quick access to media is that we do not even realize how influential it is. Also from Bristol's post when Alexis told the story of the guy that said it was cool to have sex with girls and he didn't even know where that came from I was very surprised. It's interesting to hear directly that this young man had this opinion but no reason as to why he thought this way.
Another important issue that Bristol mentioned was that we need to go further to teach boys and men why rape is wrong; the first step is putting restrictions in place and talking about the issue at hand, but how do we teach young men that rape is wrong. Alexis also mentioned consent. We need to teach young men about consent and that making sure that who ever you are having sex with is okay with it too and not just assuming. It's just one quick question to ask and this should be taught to everyone.
My question is: How can schools integrate consent, rape, and locker room talk into their curriculum. Teachers, parents and students need to understand that these issues must be discussed at a younger age in order to prevent sexual assault and rape from occurring even more.
https://protecther.com/
In this Ted Talk Alexis Jones discusses the importance of respecting women through her advocacy and efforts of talking to young male athletes about locker room talk and their mindset of women. For this blog post I will be using Bristol's post, discussing some of her main points. Bristol points out that Alexis argues that boys at a young age are mainly influenced from media sources in their perception of women and the way they see and treat women are influenced by this. I completely agree with Alexis and Bristol; one of the issues with our quick access to media is that we do not even realize how influential it is. Also from Bristol's post when Alexis told the story of the guy that said it was cool to have sex with girls and he didn't even know where that came from I was very surprised. It's interesting to hear directly that this young man had this opinion but no reason as to why he thought this way.
Another important issue that Bristol mentioned was that we need to go further to teach boys and men why rape is wrong; the first step is putting restrictions in place and talking about the issue at hand, but how do we teach young men that rape is wrong. Alexis also mentioned consent. We need to teach young men about consent and that making sure that who ever you are having sex with is okay with it too and not just assuming. It's just one quick question to ask and this should be taught to everyone.
My question is: How can schools integrate consent, rape, and locker room talk into their curriculum. Teachers, parents and students need to understand that these issues must be discussed at a younger age in order to prevent sexual assault and rape from occurring even more.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Materialism
ARGUMENT
Susan J Douglas, the author of "Enlightened Sexism" argues that even though much progress has been made in the equality of men and women there is still much work to be done in how the media represents young girls and women. Douglas defined enlightened sexism as a response to the possible threat of a new gender regime. Now that equality has been fully achieved its okay to resurrect sexist stereotypes of girls and women. Within the media there is still the objectification of girls and women, there is still anxiety of females in power and the punishment of female sexuality. There are so many cases of women being sexually assaulted that turn the women into the reason for being assaulted; and we wonder why this is happening. Media is such a big part of our life and its almost impossible to see the line of where it enters our lives to when it becomes controlling. Douglas continues to discuss how media influences the population. Many shows specifically on MTV (reality love shows) focuses less on the finding love aspect but on the competition between young women, emphasizing on verbal and physical fights, berating other women, and competing for the man. These shows are the complete opposite of what young girls should be watching. On the other hand, sheltering children from media is impossible because its everywhere. Some examples of these shows that Douglas mentioned (to give a mental image) Next, The Flavor of Love, America's Next Top Model, The Hills. Douglas's main point in the reading is we have come far in equality but media misrepresented women in a variety of ways. Either tv shows and movies show women in positions of power, making the same as men and having a family or sexualizing women deeming them materialistic; both misrepresentations.
Peggy Orenstein, the author of "Cinderella Ate my Daughter" argues the mass production of materialistic things such as Disney Princesses, Barbie Dolls, American Girl Dolls, ect has influenced young girls to become obsessed with these products. First of all, lets not blame the parents of the children who "need" these products. The whole point of a company to be successful is to market and sell in the most effective way. Companies take their product and manipulate it in any way possible to make more money. Cinderella dresses, cups, tiaras, dolls and shows. Disney on Ice is a huge seller and when children see this, they must have it. One of the main points that Orenstein presents is the idea of "want" and "coercion". There really is no evidence that shows this obsession with princesses leads to low self-esteem but there is evidence that shows the more media consumed there is more importance on being pretty and sexy. This also presents the idea from Orenstein of "have it all but be it all". Orenstein also explains the rise in number of girls concerned with looks and weight and reports of stress levels and rates of depression and suicide.
From these two readings I asked myself:
From thinking about tv shows and movies, are we still heading in a progressive path, away from shows like "The Bachelor". Are we watching these shows because we think they are funny because people actually act this way or are we using these shows as a base for our lives?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/15/psychology-materialism_n_4425982.html
Susan J Douglas, the author of "Enlightened Sexism" argues that even though much progress has been made in the equality of men and women there is still much work to be done in how the media represents young girls and women. Douglas defined enlightened sexism as a response to the possible threat of a new gender regime. Now that equality has been fully achieved its okay to resurrect sexist stereotypes of girls and women. Within the media there is still the objectification of girls and women, there is still anxiety of females in power and the punishment of female sexuality. There are so many cases of women being sexually assaulted that turn the women into the reason for being assaulted; and we wonder why this is happening. Media is such a big part of our life and its almost impossible to see the line of where it enters our lives to when it becomes controlling. Douglas continues to discuss how media influences the population. Many shows specifically on MTV (reality love shows) focuses less on the finding love aspect but on the competition between young women, emphasizing on verbal and physical fights, berating other women, and competing for the man. These shows are the complete opposite of what young girls should be watching. On the other hand, sheltering children from media is impossible because its everywhere. Some examples of these shows that Douglas mentioned (to give a mental image) Next, The Flavor of Love, America's Next Top Model, The Hills. Douglas's main point in the reading is we have come far in equality but media misrepresented women in a variety of ways. Either tv shows and movies show women in positions of power, making the same as men and having a family or sexualizing women deeming them materialistic; both misrepresentations.
Peggy Orenstein, the author of "Cinderella Ate my Daughter" argues the mass production of materialistic things such as Disney Princesses, Barbie Dolls, American Girl Dolls, ect has influenced young girls to become obsessed with these products. First of all, lets not blame the parents of the children who "need" these products. The whole point of a company to be successful is to market and sell in the most effective way. Companies take their product and manipulate it in any way possible to make more money. Cinderella dresses, cups, tiaras, dolls and shows. Disney on Ice is a huge seller and when children see this, they must have it. One of the main points that Orenstein presents is the idea of "want" and "coercion". There really is no evidence that shows this obsession with princesses leads to low self-esteem but there is evidence that shows the more media consumed there is more importance on being pretty and sexy. This also presents the idea from Orenstein of "have it all but be it all". Orenstein also explains the rise in number of girls concerned with looks and weight and reports of stress levels and rates of depression and suicide.
From these two readings I asked myself:
From thinking about tv shows and movies, are we still heading in a progressive path, away from shows like "The Bachelor". Are we watching these shows because we think they are funny because people actually act this way or are we using these shows as a base for our lives?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/15/psychology-materialism_n_4425982.html
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Selfies
Connections
In this blog post the website http://selfiecity.net/# and Teen Vogue's http://www.teenvogue.com/story/no-selfie-day-self-esteem will be discussed. In the website selfie city, five different countries were analyzed in the poses and expressions of people in thousands of selfies collected. In the website demographics are collected showing that more women take selfies than men, specifically in Moscow females are 4.6 times more likely than males to take a selfie. Overall, taking selfies is considered a thing that young people do, which is true based on the information from the website. However, in every city the data shows that more older then (30) post more selfies. Smiles and expressions were also analyzed; most selfies are of people smiling but in Moscow people smile the least. I believe that selfies do matter and they mean something. Personally, I don't really take selfies or even post them on social media but when I do I find myself to over analyze the picture to make sure everything looks good. I feel like this is the problem with taking selfies especially too many. Teenagers spend hours on their phones looking at other people's selfies and possibly comparing themselves to others. Social media reinforces the dominant ideology that Grinner discussed in explaining SCWAMP (straight, christian, white, able-bodies, male, property holder). We are able to identify the dominant ideologies today and teenagers are the forefront to picking out what is accepted and normal.
Teen Vogue's article on "No Selfies Day" and why you should participate discusses the word selfie as the "word of our generation". Everyone takes selfies and theres even a song about it but what is shocking is that the average girl spends 1 hour and 24 minutes preparing for selfies each week. I remember being in high school and putting on makeup and trying on clothes just to take a selfie. Within taking selfies there is a need to feel noticed and to get positive feedback. Today, access is unbelievably rapid with front facing cameras, editing, and filters. By the end of the editing process, the selfie that is about to be posted doesn't even look like the person who took it. Being a teenager is about "becoming". As Raby discussed in “A Tangle of Discourses” (2002), becoming is about self discovery and forming an identity. If teens are spending so much time taking and editing selfies and worried about what others are thinking are they really forming their true identity or just molding into what society wants? The discourse of teens being "at risk" relates to the idea that selfies can be influential, negatively. Teens are more at risk to eating disorders but why is this? Is it the comparison of selfies? With anything that is posted on social media there will always be negative feedback and someone who spent an hour editing a selfie gets negative comments will think "that wasn't enough editing" or "I'm not pretty enough".
My question is; What are we getting from taking selfies and is it really worth it?
Teen Vogue's article on "No Selfies Day" and why you should participate discusses the word selfie as the "word of our generation". Everyone takes selfies and theres even a song about it but what is shocking is that the average girl spends 1 hour and 24 minutes preparing for selfies each week. I remember being in high school and putting on makeup and trying on clothes just to take a selfie. Within taking selfies there is a need to feel noticed and to get positive feedback. Today, access is unbelievably rapid with front facing cameras, editing, and filters. By the end of the editing process, the selfie that is about to be posted doesn't even look like the person who took it. Being a teenager is about "becoming". As Raby discussed in “A Tangle of Discourses” (2002), becoming is about self discovery and forming an identity. If teens are spending so much time taking and editing selfies and worried about what others are thinking are they really forming their true identity or just molding into what society wants? The discourse of teens being "at risk" relates to the idea that selfies can be influential, negatively. Teens are more at risk to eating disorders but why is this? Is it the comparison of selfies? With anything that is posted on social media there will always be negative feedback and someone who spent an hour editing a selfie gets negative comments will think "that wasn't enough editing" or "I'm not pretty enough".
My question is; What are we getting from taking selfies and is it really worth it?
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Raby, “A Tangle of Discourses”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/14/california-elementary-school-bans-kids-from-playin/
As Raby had discussed in "A Tangle of Discourses", teenagers have been seen as a social problem and banning certain activities and games that may cause problems. The article that I have linked in this posted is a story about a California elementary school that banned kids from playing tag during recess. Even though this article is about elementary school kids I find that it is still related to the topic of teenagers. This school was concerned with the game becoming too aggressive and wanted to stop an issue that could have occurred. the issue that I have with this is that any child can play tag outside of the school so violence and aggression issues will not stop they just might subside on school grounds. By banning the game they are hiding the fact that there might be a aggression issue and by banning it the school may be ignoring and missing the fact that they need to change the way their students are interacting; it's not the games fault. This idea that children and teens are a social issue is starting at a very young age stopping them from just being young and playing fun games that never seemed to be a problem before.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/14/teenage-brain-neuroscience_n_7537188.html
Teenagers are also seen as moody, hating life and parents and wanting to surround themselves with tons of friends. As Raby discussed in a conversation with one of the girls about how she has been moody the girls points out that she has been stressed, over socialized and tired. I found an article about why teens are so moody and I agree teens are over socialized. They spend hours on their phones, making plans, texting during school and playing sports. I remember one worry that my mom had when I was in high school was that I was not socializing enough. The teenage brain is also still developing and hormones are going crazy during this time. The article discusses that hormones causing moodiness is a myth but there is an imbalance within the brain
Monday, May 29, 2017
Media Matters
Towards the end of 8th grade I for some reason felt the need to want a Myspace account; unfortunately at that time my mom was very strict on social media and using the Internet too much. So, being a teenager and not listening to parents, I went behind my moms back and made a Myspace account. Doing this felt kind of good and rebellious considering my mom still had a child protection on my AIM account and a child lock on MTV. I remember not having a Myspace and how left out I felt because so many of my friends had one and my sister who is eight years older than me had one too. As a teenager you thrive to be accepted into some group of friends and possibly do anything to be a part of it. Myspace and Facebook were becoming more popular for my age group around this time and this need for social media was pushing through middle and high schools.
My Super Sweet 16 is a show that was on MTV that featured very wealthy families giving their children overly extravagant, expensive and unattainable sweet 16 birthday parties. The parties had celebrity guests, expensive cars, the best venues and hundreds of "friends" that would have died to go to the party. As a teenager who is greatly influenced by media, I compared my life to the unattainable lives of those in the show. It showed me that if I had a lot of money and a lot of material "things" then a lot of friends would follow.
Teen magazines that featured some of the top celebrities when I was a young teenager were one of my favorite things. These types of magazines would have quizzes about love and compatibility, the hottest trends and make-up tips and all information on teen celebs. As teens we were smothered by these magazines and TV shows that showed us how to be teenagers. They influenced us in a way that having crushes, drama and gossiping was the way to be a teen. Love quizzes showed us that romantic relationships were only between boys and girls and we didn't really know otherwise. These magazines also came with large posters that I would hang up all over my walls and so did most of my friends. We surrounded ourselves with celebrity media and used that as a way to show that we were teens.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Framing Youth
Bogad, "Framing Youth"
Quotations
"As adults we believe we know youth-we once were youth, and some of us share our daily lives with youth as teachers, parents and friends. But to rely on that which we already know is to reproduce that which we already "know"(Bogad, 3).
The technology and media that children and teens use influence their lives in both positive and negative ways. Technology today is more versatile and assessable than 30-40 years ago and it is being introduced at a much younger age. Cell phones, tablets and the internet are some of the first tools of media that children know how to use. Toddlers now are showing parents and grandparents how to work their phones and download apps. Many parents say "I was a kid too, I know what it is like". In some ways that is true. Every teen wants to feel like they belong no matter when they grew up but social media and other media platforms change the way teens now grow up. This relates to the text "Framing Youth" by Bogad discussing the representation of adolescence relies on the normal social meaning.
"The cover photo of Holmes helps the consuming public recognize teenagers as a brooding sort, caught in flux between the innocent child in a floral sundress, and the seductive young women with pouty lips and a sparkling choker necklace" (Bogad, 5).
This quote is a description of a magazine cover of Katie Holmes with an innocent but seductive womanly appeal about her leaving her life as a teen and entering adult life. During this time, many young adults are caught in between keeping their teen life and moving into the adult world. But the only difference is the age, nothing else is changing. At this age, teens are still looked at as mysterious and misunderstood. They still keep their life private but at the same time they are told to act like adults- which is difficult because they are not yet treated like adults but society. The life of a teenager is difficult to understand because they are trying to figure out life for themselves but still in need of some guidance and support.
"If I am arguing here that the transition between 12 and 13 or between 19 and 20 is merely a socially constructed event shaped by discourses of "maturity", "transition" and "adolescence" how do we account for the actual experience of such transitions which I would say are significant moments for many people in American culture? Does adolescence not feel "real" to adults and youth alike" (Bogad, 10)?
Overall, experiences vary from person to person, environment, gender, class and sexuality. There are some teenagers that have experienced more than others and some who have been sheltered most of their life. The idea of being a becoming a teenagers is important in American culture. I remember having my 13th birthday party and it being a big deal that I am now a teenager but looking back I was just another year older. This also reminds me of each birthday when someone asks "How does it feel to be 14" And the truth is, it feels just the same as 13 and is going to be the same as 15. The way adolescence are developing is different now than 30-40 years ago. Children used to write in journals are diaries, now, they post on social media as an outlet.
One of the difficult things about being a teen is feeling like you have no one to share or explain yourself too. Even if parents, family and friends are a positive aspect of your life it is important express yourself openly.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/12/readers-panel-whats-it-like-being-a-teenager-today
Quotations
"As adults we believe we know youth-we once were youth, and some of us share our daily lives with youth as teachers, parents and friends. But to rely on that which we already know is to reproduce that which we already "know"(Bogad, 3). The technology and media that children and teens use influence their lives in both positive and negative ways. Technology today is more versatile and assessable than 30-40 years ago and it is being introduced at a much younger age. Cell phones, tablets and the internet are some of the first tools of media that children know how to use. Toddlers now are showing parents and grandparents how to work their phones and download apps. Many parents say "I was a kid too, I know what it is like". In some ways that is true. Every teen wants to feel like they belong no matter when they grew up but social media and other media platforms change the way teens now grow up. This relates to the text "Framing Youth" by Bogad discussing the representation of adolescence relies on the normal social meaning.
"The cover photo of Holmes helps the consuming public recognize teenagers as a brooding sort, caught in flux between the innocent child in a floral sundress, and the seductive young women with pouty lips and a sparkling choker necklace" (Bogad, 5).
This quote is a description of a magazine cover of Katie Holmes with an innocent but seductive womanly appeal about her leaving her life as a teen and entering adult life. During this time, many young adults are caught in between keeping their teen life and moving into the adult world. But the only difference is the age, nothing else is changing. At this age, teens are still looked at as mysterious and misunderstood. They still keep their life private but at the same time they are told to act like adults- which is difficult because they are not yet treated like adults but society. The life of a teenager is difficult to understand because they are trying to figure out life for themselves but still in need of some guidance and support.
"If I am arguing here that the transition between 12 and 13 or between 19 and 20 is merely a socially constructed event shaped by discourses of "maturity", "transition" and "adolescence" how do we account for the actual experience of such transitions which I would say are significant moments for many people in American culture? Does adolescence not feel "real" to adults and youth alike" (Bogad, 10)?
Overall, experiences vary from person to person, environment, gender, class and sexuality. There are some teenagers that have experienced more than others and some who have been sheltered most of their life. The idea of being a becoming a teenagers is important in American culture. I remember having my 13th birthday party and it being a big deal that I am now a teenager but looking back I was just another year older. This also reminds me of each birthday when someone asks "How does it feel to be 14" And the truth is, it feels just the same as 13 and is going to be the same as 15. The way adolescence are developing is different now than 30-40 years ago. Children used to write in journals are diaries, now, they post on social media as an outlet.
One of the difficult things about being a teen is feeling like you have no one to share or explain yourself too. Even if parents, family and friends are a positive aspect of your life it is important express yourself openly.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/12/readers-panel-whats-it-like-being-a-teenager-today
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