Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Body Image, Peer Pressure, and Identity in Mean Girls Essay

It has not been too long ago that I still remember my adolescent years. I always remember the unintelligent things I did that I wish could change, but this Psychology class made me realize that all adolescents go through the same things I experienced. Adolescents are known to try to find their identity, go through peer pressure, make mistakes, and try new things. The move I picked that closely represented what adolescents go through was â€Å"Mean Girls†. Some of the scenes in the movie seem a little exaggerated, but it has happened in certain high schools even though I had not experienced it personally. In the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, there is a new girl named Caty that moves back to the United States from Africa. She was home schooled all†¦show more content†¦Berger states that â€Å"appearance is connected to sexual drives since appearance attracts sexual interest. Young adults care about how they look because, quite naturally, they want attention from each other† (2008, p. 453). Teenagers spend lots of money on the latest trends of clothing in order to make themselves look better. Some adolescents start to become self conscious about their looks when they are insecure. In certain cases, some adolescents develop an eating disorder. They forget that being healthy is the most important thing during this time of their life. A lot of adolescents go through puberty and if they do not eat properly, it can cause harm to their growth. In the movie, Regina wanted to lose 3 pounds. She did not eat and decided to only eat the protein bars that Caty gave to her. Regina thought the protein bars would help her lose weight. However, adolescents do not know that a healthy diet and exercise can actually help them lost weight. Instead, adolescents choose to become anorexic or bulimic. Anorexia is when an individual â€Å"voluntarily undereat and overexericis, depriving their vital organs of nourishment† (Berger, 2008, p. 459). The National Institute of Health states that â€Å"Young people with anorexia nervosa, for example, have difficulty maintaining a minimum healthy body weight. Anorexia affects one in every 100 to 200 adolescent girls and a much smaller number of boys† (National Health, 1999). BulimiaShow MoreRelatedYoung People ´s Sexuality and Sexting1436 Words   |  6 Pages0 activities such as social networking sites. It has been defined as the ‘exchange of sexual messages or images’ (Livingstone et al., 2011) and ‘the creating, sharing and forwarding of sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images’ (Lenhart, 2009) through mobile phones and/or the internet. There are many factors associated with sexting. This includes that fact that it is coercive, this means that sexting does not refer to a single activity but rather to a range of activities which may be motivatedRead MoreEffects Of Media On Body Image1544 Words   |  7 Pages Bayer, A.M, Body image is the internal representation of one’s outer appearance which reflects physical and perpetual dimensions. For the purpose of this paper, body image can be defined as a person s perception, thoughts and feeling about her body , this can be altered by significantly altered by social experiences. This paper explores my personal experience and findings of empirical studies that examine the effects of media on body image in young women. Internalization of body ideals that areRead MoreResearch Paper on the Effects of Mass Media on the Perfect Body Image1569 Words   |  7 PagesHow can you determine what body image should be? The desire for the perfect body has been prevalent throughout society for a vast majority of time. What makes teenage girls feel the need to strive for this â€Å"perfect body†? Some have asked, â€Å"†¦a rapidly growing body of research addresses the question of whether body perfect ideals in the mass media are a core risk factor for negative body image, particularly in women† (Dittmar, Helga) My hypothesis is â€Å"Does the media influence adolescent girl’s weightRead MoreAdolescence and Puberty1617 Words   |  7 Pageshave learned that Erikson argued that the childs early sense of identity comes partly unglued because of the combination of rapid body growth and the sexual changes of puberty (Bee, 2000). It is during this phase that a young person makes the transition from a child to an adult. During this stage Erikson refers to the identity of adolescents as going through a crisis. He refers to the crisis of adolescents as a stage of identity verses role confusion. The first approach that will help explainRead MoreSocial Media And Its Impact On Society1224 Words   |  5 Pagesapproval or validation by their peers or other individuals in society; in effect, societal norms are generally abided by many individuals. â€Å"People want to be accepted by others in their social environment and often end up conforming to behaviors that they believe the majority holds as appropriate,†(Power, 2011). Often times societal norms create a strong scrutiny of individuals, which in turn can create poor body image, body dissatisfaction, and more. Poor body image and body dissatisfaction can be theRead MoreEssay on Fascades of Current Society1087 Words   |  5 Pages men, and children have all felt the pressures and manipulations by the media through some faà §ade style form or shape. A Faà §ade by definition is a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect, which is primarily imposed or placed on an object, group, or even individual. Thr ough the use of words, deliberate images, and material items advertised within society, as a result have become pressures felt by all types of individuals. Many of these pressures forced upon individuals, prevalent inRead MoreThe Effects Of Consumerism On Children s Lives1522 Words   |  7 Pagesof brand identity and image. Marketers plant seeds of brand recognition in very young children, in the hopes that the seeds will continue to grow into a lifetime relationship. This has led to a change in the way children socialize with each other, interact with adults and view themselves and the world. Advertisers also know that parents are willing to buy more for their kids because trends such as smaller family size, dual incomes and postponing having children until later in life mean that familiesRead MoreThe Veil: Marjanes Journey to Individuality Essay1198 Words   |  5 Pagestheir hair and eye or nose shape; showing that all Iranian women are unique. (Add more) Ultimately, Satrapi’s images of the indistinguishable characters accentuate the perception of a western reader to see the Veil as quite oppressive. In America, young teenagers live in a society where clothing and hair is meant to define and express themselves. It is normal for a 17 year old girl to curl her hair and go on a date with her boyfriend. However, in Iran, this is not the case, and as evident in PersepolisRead MoreTeenager Is A Teenager, An Exciting, Scary, Horrible, And Overall Stressful Time1483 Words   |  6 Pagesreally all about. When an adolescent enters their teenage years, puberty begin s. The body goes through major growth spurts that affect the body and mind. Boys will shoot up in height and develop a deeper-toned voice leaving them to feel like a man. A girl’s body will fill out as they develop breasts, pubic hair, and begin their menstrual cycle. The increase of hormones comes into play and mentally alters a girl s perception and attitude. Also, their voice will change too, but it will not be as dramaticRead MoreA Culture Of Perfection : Media s Influence On Adolescents1362 Words   |  6 Pageshow early these destructive habits begin and why. The media’s influence is everywhere and its’ messages are instilled in us from a very young age. The body images promoted by the media implant an unrealistic view of what is â€Å"beautiful† and perpetuate eating disorders, low-self esteem, and depression among adolescents, especially females. Young girls are being raised in a society that tells them they are â€Å"not enough†. They are not thin enough, beautiful enough, sexy enough, or feminine enough to deserve

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.