Copy and paste your two questions from blog 1.
Did your book answer the questions?
What were the answers? Please cite the page numbers, and include a quote.
If your book did not answer the questions posed, then describe where the information could be found. Cite specific books, and websites to obtain this information.
Eunice Rah
ReplyDelete1) I hope to learn why girls are afraid of speaking up to their so-called friends and keeping the relationships that are breaking the girl.
2) It would also be interesting to learn why girls don't usually fight physically but slyly attack each other by backstabbing, gossiping, etc.
Yes, the book answered both of my questions. For number one, girls are afraid of breaking up their relationships with their abusive friends because they are scared of being alone. Having relationships and friends are the most important things in a girl’s life, and she would rather have an abusive friend no friends at all. “In her work with boys and girls, she found that girls perceive danger in their lives as isolation, especially the fear that by standing out they will be abandoned” (Simmons 30).
For number two, girls fight mentally and emotionally because society teaches girls that they are not supposed to fight physically. Therefore, they resort to backstabbing, gossiping, pointing, glaring, and other cruel methods. “To elude social disapproval, girls retreat beneath a surface of sweetness to hurt each other in secret” (Simmons 22).
My question was (I only posted one):
ReplyDeleteI would like to know why teenagers exclude each other.
The book sort of answered my question. Clark mentioned that teenagers form groups of friends called "clusters". Not being part of the "cluster" could be a reason why some teenagers act very excluding. "Size: Clusters can contain as few as for or five or as many as eight or ten (and rarely, more) members ... A cluster is familial in that once it is formed, there is a strong implicit agreement to remain loyal and intimately and regularly connected to the members of the cluster" (Clark 80). This would suggest that, because of a need to be loyal, many teens feel the need to be exclusive so they can stay loyal to their "cluster".
1. While reading this book, I hope to finally understand the adult perspective on teenage behavior and their beliefs on why we behave that way. I would also like to understand the reasons for the formations of varied and numerous social cliques.
ReplyDelete1. "Most parents believe that their childrearing will play a crucial role in shaping their offspring...family background is a stronger determinant...Therefore...parents are at fault..." (Milner 14-15). This passage presents a parental point of view towards teenage behavior. It is apparent that most parents or adults believe that their parenting, or lack thereof, is the reason that teenagers misbehave and rebel.
"The usual explanations of teenage behavior tend to focus on the importane of hormones, psychological development, parenting styles, and social background characteristics...these factors are much less important...focus on the way adults have used schools to organize young people's daily activities, and the teenage status systems that result from this way of structuring..." (Milner 3-4). This passage reveals the main two reasons that teenagers act as they do. The first is due to the way parents and adults structure thier lives. Since teens almost always have to comply to this schedule and structure, they feel powerless and unimportant. This feeling causes them to search for power, and rebel. The second reason is the pressure of their peers and society. In an effort to look cool, teens must be know, purchase, and wear the latest clothes and gadgets. They must also adhere to and support most of the actions of their group to avoid alienation. These pressures force teens to act inappropriately and enter into constantly fluctuating social cliques.
Born to Buy.
ReplyDelete1. How old are children when they first become aware that some products are more expensive than others? How do many companies that sell products through ads target people by their age range?
Unfortunately, both of my original questions were not answered due to the fact that the answer to the first one is constantly changing and has no set age. The second one however could be found in another parenting book or maybe even just through visual references.
Rikki Fearon said...
ReplyDeleteI wonder why is he so certain we are in any kind of pain? I also want to know why does it seem that he only asks the over sensitive teens?
In my book his message is repetitive he Believes adolescents suffer from abandonment and emphasizes it with new reason each chapter in ch.1 page 4 he goes off on how it's because of parents ignorance to our needs and suffering. As to why he seems to only choose over sensitive teens I didn't find a reason in the book. I believe the only way I'd ever disclose that information is by asking him in person. I wouldn't write because most likely I'd receive a lengthy letter stating the same thing over and over in astute sentences.
Reviving Ophelia
ReplyDelete1)What causes girls to be self concious of themselves.
2) Why are girls so emotional?
My book answered both questions. There are many reasons that make girls become self conscious of themselves. They try to please boys, meet social standards, and fit in. They notice that their personality does not fit the requirements to be popular in present day society so they change to become accepted. They try to please boys so they can receive attention and recognition.
“Girls become “female impersonators” who fit their whole selves into small, crowded spaces. Vibrant, confident girls become shy, doubting young women. Girls stop thinking, “Who am I? what do I want?” and start thinking, “What must I do to please others?” (Pipher 22)
Girls are emotional for various reasons. One they are adolescent and going through puberty. The hormones released during this stage cause girls to have mood swings and be emotional. Also as the go through the process of adolescent, the move away from their family members and try to become people they are not. This puts stress on the girls who don’t know who they are and what they want.
“ Even sadder are the women who are not struggling, who have forgotten that they have selves worth defending. They have repressed the pain of their adolescence, the betrayals of self in order to be pleasing.” (Pipher 25)
Reviving Ophelia
ReplyDelete1. Why do girls seem to hate their parents so much?
2. And why do girls gang up against one another and make each others lives a living hell?
My book answered my first question. Teenage girls do not understand that parents set limits and boundaries to protect their daughter and over all make them happier. But the daughter feel suffocated and thinks the parents want to make her miserable and punish her so they lash out and hate them.
"Most parents of adolescent girls have the goal of keeping their daughters safe while they grow up and explore the world. The parents' job is to protect. The daughter's job is too explore. Always these different tasks have created tension in parent-daughter relationships, but now it's even harder" (Piper 24).
As for my second question, girls want to be accepted. They will change their entire image and who they are to find their clique and a place to belong. If putting down other girls is the source of entitlement and acceptance then they will go down that path. Bullying for females is recognized as obvious exclusion of fellow peers and encouraging back talking about a particular person. (Information found from: Odd Girl Out and "How Girls Bully- The Different Ways That Girls Bully Peers" internet article.)
Reviving Ophelia
ReplyDelete1.Why do so many girls go into depressions at such a young age?
2.What are the steps to prevent these types of depressions?
My book answered my questions. However, the questions were worded differently by the author. For example, the author does not always call the problem a depression, but she explains how the girls blame themselves for the problems in their lives, so it seems as if they are in a depression.
Adolescent girls go into depressions for many reasons. Divorce is particularly hard on teenage girls, who are already stressed by cultural forces… Some withdraw and sink deep within themselves to nurse their wounds. Many react by rebelling” (136). In Ellie’s case, “she [felt] it was her fault and that she should have been smarter and prevented what happened” (222). In the book, it explains how depressions can also be brought on by blaming oneself for what went wrong. Throughout Pipher’s book, these were the two main reasons for the adolescent girls entering depression.
Pipher explained the ways to prevent depression while in her sessions with her patients. In Ellie’s case, “[her father] bought her a punching bag and hung it in the basement. Nightly she went down and punched it. At first she had trouble connecting with her anger as she punched, but I told her to keep trying” (223). Because Ellie blamed her self for her rape, she entered a depression. With counseling and the punching bag, Ellie finally overcame the idea that it was not her fault and it was the men’s fault. In the case of Danielle, she was depressed and turned to alcohol. The first step to help her get out of her depression and prevent it from returning, “She admitted she had a problem and talked about it with her family in an honest, open way. She’d promised not to drink and drive again. I agreed with her parents that her health was the most important thing, but I wasn’t sure that Danielle needed a treatment center. We could try therapy first” (198). In the book, Pipher explains several different ways to prevent depression and it was specific to each girl’s problem.
James Porter
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers
1. Why are there so many negative stereotypes about teenagers?
2. How have teenagers changed from the past and what caused this change?
1. There are so many negative stereotypes about teenagers because adults compare today’s teenagers to them when they were teenagers. Because teenagers today are different than previous generations, adults, then, typically stereotype them with negative remarks. Also, adolescents live in multiple layers of life and create their own adolescent world. Adults do not understand this, so, as a result, they give negative stereotypes to adolescents. In addition, “few [teenagers] are able to easily trust an adult who does reach out” (Clark 54) to them, which adults might take offense too.
2. Adolescence has changed from a brief two to three year period to a five year process with two main stages: early and late adolescence. The causes of this change occurred during the 1960s with the rise of the cold war that almost led to a global nuclear war, assassinations of powerful leaders, and the start of the Vietnam War. All these events lead to “a tremendous sense of confusion, societal insecurity, and cultural instability” (Clark 32) and a focusing on the individual in the decades to follow. “For youth-directed organizations, institutions, and systems, the shift in focus was not immediate; in fact, it evolved over several decades. But as society in general moved from being a relatively stable and cohesive adult community intent on caring for the needs of the young to a free-for-all of independent and fragmented adults seeking their own survival, individual adolescents found themselves in a deepening hole of systemic rejection” (Clark 33).
Queen Bees & Wannabes
ReplyDeleteWhy do girls always make a big deal of something that really is not that important? Why do girls that are picked on think of it as a life threatening situation?
My first question was very broad so the author answers it in a more specific sense when she says, "Most girls are obsessed with their looks. If they aren't, they've found another way to express themselves through a talent or skill that builds their self-esteem" (152). The answer was because girls need a way to keep their self-esteem high. The second question was also answered when Ms. Wiseman explains, " Why do girls do this to each other, even when they "know" it's wrong? Especially in early adolescence, girls change friendships frequently, and it's common for those changes to create a high degree of anxiety. When this happens, it's common for girls who used to be friends to turn on each other, and the verbal cutting can be brutal" (195). The answer to this second question is that girls are teasing each other go be the most important person in the group, the "it" girl.
Semi Lee
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Odd Girl Out
Why do girls like to exclude the girl out because of a boy?
Unfortunately the book did not answer the question since it was more of personal reasons. But I think this question can be found in other book that talks about the similar content.
Do girls bully other girls to raise their self esteem?
Yes they do, they bully girls because they want to be popular and also because of jealousy. "Relation aggression harms others "through damage (or the threat of damage) to relationships or feelings of acceptance,friendships, or group inclusion." It includes any act in which relationship is used as a weapon, including manipulation. First identified in 1992, it is the heart of the alternative aggressions, and for many girls an emotionally wrenching experience" (Simmons 43). The girl who's bullying the other girl wants to feel more higher in the social hierarchy. The girl also wants to have more attention and feel superior than the person she is bullying. The girl is able to destroy their relationship to be more popular.
Queen Bees and Wannabes
ReplyDelete1. What's all the "drama" and "fuss" that girls go through about?
2. How do I relate in these goings-on?
The answer that the book offers is as follows: problems that girls go through boil down to their own insecurities about themselves. "Far too many others, these moments [of insecurity] dictate an entire self-concept" (Wiseman 80) Their insecurities about themselves can lead them to do things they wouldn't normally for assurance. Any sort of drama stems from trying to fit in or be more popular so as to secure their standing with themselves and others.
As a boy my thoughts or opinions towards a girl could reflect her behavior. Mrs. Wiseman states "Boys are perceived to be the judges who award the girl who come closest to their ideal with the ultimate prize: their attention" (Wiseman 177). A girl might seek the approval or attention of a boy to secure herself just like she might with other girls. "If your daughter has sacrificed herself to please her clique, she'll likely do the same with boys" (Wiseman 177). The opinions of anyone in a particular girl's world matter to the point that they would change themselves for the opinion to be favorable.
Alyssa Pepper
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Queen Bees & Wannabes
1. What influences girls to act the way they do towards each other?
Girls are mean to each other for several different reasons:
1) They follow what their parents do. If they hear their parents gossip they feel it is okay if they gossip. Otherwise, it is a double standard. (Ch.11)
2) Girls will put each other down for their own personal gain. It could be to raise their standing on the social hierarchy or to gain a boys attention by eliminating her "competition". When girls are younger, the fighting over boys is usually limited to things they say to the boy to trash the other girl or telling the girl something to make her feel terrible..."( pg.303-304).
3) A girl may say something mean to someone purely to humilate them. "It's really more akin to being cut with words, because the person is being attacked precisely where they feel most vulnerable and exposed and where it is most likely to cause the most pain" (pg. 194).
2. Why does the author think her techniques for settling drama are the best and how has she tested those techniques?
Rosalind Wiseman thinks her techniques are the best for she has tested them many times throughout her life. She has tested her techniques by visiting schools, where the same results occur every time, and by giving her techniques as advice to many teachers, parents, psychologists, etc. "I'm reaching out to you, as parents, educators, and role models, to show you what i think girls are up against as they struggle to become healthy young women who will make our communities better"(pg.20).
1) I hope to learn about what the generic teenage life is through an author's point of view, so that i can compare and contrast it with my own.
ReplyDelete2) I also hope to learn ways to communicate better with my parents so that I can successfully convince them of my opinions.
Regarding my first question, I belive Wiseman shows what the many teens go through daily when she inserts quotes throughout the book. It is obvious that my life, in many ways, is relative to the lives of the girls whose words were published in the novel.
In regards to my second question, I feel that the book did not answer my question as much as i would have hoped, as it focused more on the tactics parents should take to communicate with children, and less in terms of how daughters can communicate mre effectively with their parents. This information would have been better displayed in the novels Hurt and Reviving Opheliea.
Hurt - Inside the World of Today's Teenagers
ReplyDeleteRicky Valentine
1) I hope the book will answer the TRUE feelings in which we, as adolescents endure in everyday life; not in the shoes of an adult, but as one of us. I also hope that the book gives us the viewpoint of the average adult and how they view us, annoying or naive?
2) My book is organized by average events that concur with everyday life, including peers and parties.
- My first question was answered by the book with great detail. As Clark traveled the unforeseen, he was able to put into words of what he experienced. Although mostly horrid feelings, he was still able to answer the question of how the average teenager felt living this seemingly impossible world.
- My second question was also answered by Clark. He was able to get so deep into the world of both adolescent and adult. Combining these two heterogeneous species, Clark was able to come to a conclusion that most adults have a prejudice viewpoints of us, as mischievous tyrants who want to cause trouble. This viewpoint is but limited as the average adult abandons their child and are incapable of determining the problem that causing us to be
"delinquents".
Odd Girl Out
ReplyDelete1) Q: Why do girls feel the need to fight eachother
by backstabbing, gossiping, exclusion, etc.
instead of fighting each other physically?
A: Girls might bully each other by backstabbing, gossiping, exlusion, etc. which are examples of certain agressions such as relational, indirect, social, and alternative because of jealousy, competition, or the need for revenge.
"Relationally agressive behavior is ignoring someone to punish them or get one's own way, exluding someone socially for revenge, using negative body language or facial expressions, sabotaging someone else's relationships, or threatening to end a relationship unless the friend agrees to a request" (21).
"The next day, marissa and Lori ignored her during homeroom, and her eyes nearly burned out of her head trying to hold their gaze. Later that morning, two girls informed Stephanie that people had been talking. Something was going on behind her back...Soon Stephanie learned the truth. The whispers found her in th ecafeteria as she sat alone behind a crowded table: At Lori's house sh ehad flirted with Steve. Marissa had a crush on him and was furious" (108).
2) Q: What makes a girl feel the need to make
alliances with her friends to exclude the
girl she hates?
A: Girls use alliance building to make sure they win the fight and dominate. They also make the fights last longer and can change the conflict's reason for happening.
"During alliance building, discussions spread like wildfire through the circles of friends, growing in intensity until they dominate the day" (81).
"Alliance building can distort the conflicts, and it makes fights last longer than they would have if they had been played out directly" (83).
"The phenomenon of alliance building evokes the image of a daily relational minefield for girls. Each and every day present the possibility of a relationship's endangerment" (87).
Melissa Gahungu: Odd Girl Out
ReplyDeleteWhy do girls exclude each other?
This was the main idea of the whole entire book so the question was thoroughly answered.
"Ganging up is the product of a secret relational ecosystem that flourishes in an atmosphere where direct conflict between individuals is forbidden. By engaging in conflict as a group, no one girl is ever directly responsible for her aggression. Anger is often conveyed wordlessly, and the facade of the group functions as an eave under which a girl can preserve her "nice girl" image. The loser usually ends up isolated from others, giving her exactly what she fears conflict begets: relational loss. The specter of isolation is often enough to make people "forget" their angry feelings.(125).
How can people help girls being bullied?
The book doesn't really say specific ways a person can help a girl.
Born to Buy
ReplyDelete1. I hope to understand how advertising affects children and teenagers. I would like to know how advertisers are able to manipulate children into buying their products.
2. The book is organized into large chapters, each having its own topic. Then, each chapter has sub-chapters that are shorter and describe specific pieces of information.
1. Advertisers have a large affect on children. They are able to manipulate the children into buying their products. Because the kids are so easy to manipulate, they go to their parents, who will ultimately purchase the product. The advertisers make the kids think that the product will instantly make them cool. "What else is cool? Based on what's selling in consumer culture, one would have to say that kids are cool and adults are not." (Schor 51)
2. They way Schor organized the book allowed the reader to understand what they were about to read. The book was organized in a way that allowed it to show the different arguments against advertising to children.
Jacob Thurber
ReplyDeleteHurt
1. Why do teenagers act the way they do?
2. Why is the adolescent world changing?
1. Chap Clark answers this question very easily at the beginning of the book. After showing a few examples, he states that abandonment is why adolescents act the way they do. "What is interesting is that many parents highlight these and other activities as proof of their commitment to the young. "I drive my kid to all these activities. I sacrificed my own life, work, avocation, and enjoyment in order to take the kids to soccer games, concerts, and competitions." This statement is in and of itself yet another subtle form of abandonment" (Clark 46).
2.Clark also answered this question. He said that the biggest change in the adolescent was the shift in focus for adult systems and institutions. "Until the late 1960s, adult-led organizations and structures were primarily focused on caring for the individual as well as corporate needs of adolescents. Youth sports, activities, education, and even religious movements saw each young person as a gift to be cared for and cherished. But as society began to unravel, adults found themselves trying to find a safe place, a haven of security and rest. No longer was there energy and health available for giving to others. Instead, adults waged a fight for emotional and relational survival, and this in turn spilled over into the developmental longings of adolescents" (Clark 32-33).
1. Why are we reading parenting/self-help books in an English class when we could be reading great literature?
ReplyDeleteI don't believe this question has been answered. My English has not been improved by this assignment, nor do I feel that I better understand the adolescent female mind. My cynicism leads me to disbelieve everything that the author claims. Nothing qualifies a person to debate the innerworkings of another's mind. If Pipher would like to judge the mental state of adolescents or other's parenting methods, I would like her to first evaluate her own thoughts and actions first. In regards to the above question, I do not believe the answer can or will be found.
2. Why does the author stereotype all adolescent girls as having issues when the book appears to be about overcoming stereotypes and judgement of others?
As it is a commonly accepted opinion that all adolescents are emotionally unstable, the author groups together all adolescent girls as essentially one brain. Although each girl mentioned in the book has a different issue such as substance abuse or unhealthy relationships, she treats each girl as if they are similar, when in reality the problems stem from various factors. To answer the question above, the author sterotypes adolescent girls because she is ignorant. A PhD can get you many things, but it will never win you superiority over "common folk."
1.I would like to know why companies choose to advertise with children?
ReplyDelete2.Also how it may cause a change in the childrens families lives?
1.“Companies are advertising because kids are buying. Every half-second, somewhere in the world another Barbie is sold. McDonalds, despite its current woes, still manages to attract 8 percent of the American population everyday…” (Schor 22-23).
2.The relationships have changed because now “The core of what I call the new discourse of kid empowerment is the idea that ads and products help children feel powerful. It says that kids need to feel independent and master their environment to feel in control of their parents” (Schor 179).
queen bees and wannabees-I hope the book tells me why girls are prone to being mean is it natural vs grew up that way, and how it affects them later in life? I'm also curious on actual studies the book shows on the media's affects.
ReplyDeleteMy book did not entirely address my questions, because my book was not set up to answer these kind of questions exactly, but I could get an indirect answer for them.
Bullying has reached a new level is in part because of technology; the technology now adays is amazing and it enables you to “bully” someone all day-on the internet and at school. “Parents are buying into a culture that believes it’s “cute” to buy trendy, sexy clothes or funny that an eight-year old can lipsync the latest Britney Spears or Katy Perry song…So it’s not that girls are being pushed to be meaner. It’s that they are being pushed to be older (as opposed to more mature, which would lend itself to increased sense of responsibility (Wiseman 56).” So, the author is saying that it is natural for us to have a level of wanting to gossip (and etc.), but that it has escalated because of the culture we live in.
My book does not actually say how it affects them later in life, but it does mention throughout the book that parents need to check their baggage, and make sure experiences they had as an adolescent affected them. “…it’s important to remember that your experiences as a girl are both your greatest gift and liability as your daughter navigates your own friendships”(Wiseman 8). Also, it mentions how if something happens for example having a controlling friend it can affect you later on and may lead to abusive relationships since you didn’t learn to stand up for yourself and are used to being controlled(14-16). My book doesn’t present actual studies (like percentages type things), however it does mention countless true stories and things girls have written in to ask her.
1. Why do girls create clichés and treat other girls unequally? And why do teenagers feel it's necessary to make fun of others to boost their own self esteem?
ReplyDelete2. Odd Girl out is just continuous chapters of girls’ personal problems, how they dealt with it, and what the author's perspective is.
“In clique expulsions, punishments range from pretending the girl never existed to embarking on campaigns or scorching cruelty. These expulsions may seem sudden, arbitrary, and just plain mean…Yet if we listen to the voices of the girls, it does not take long to understand the intensity. Their anger is explained not by a root evil churning deep in their hearts, a pathetically common explanation, but rather by the imperative to about all be nice. Because these girls lack the tools to deal with everyday feelings of anger, hurt, betrayal, and jealousy, their feelings stew and fester before boiling to the surface and unleashing torrents or rage” (Simmons 88). This quote answers both of my questions.
Christine Smudde
ReplyDelete1. Why do teenage girls feel the need to shut themselves up and what makes them become so depressed?
2. What is being done to try to make it easier for girls to grow up in present day society without the pressures of unrealistic ideals?
1. Mary Pipher answered my question about depression in her book. When girls withdraw into themselves, it is usually because they are grieving for their authentic self that they lost during adolescence, but other times it is because they have lost the warm and loving relationship with their parents. “Some may destroy their true selves in an effort to be socially acceptable. Others strive to be fully feminine and fail. They aren’t pretty enough or popular enough in just the right ways at the right time. Others make the sacrifices necessary to be fully feminine, even as they are aware of the damage they are inflicting upon themselves”(Pipher 150). During adolescence, girls feel the pressures of our culture and it is difficult for them. “All girls experience pain at this point in their development. If that pain is blamed on themselves, on their own failures, it manifests itself into depression”(Pipher 150).
2. The book indirectly answered my question. Mary Pipher did not discuss any improvements in the culture of present day society, however she did explain what she is doing to help girls define themselves as a person and not as what others expect them to be. “I encourage them to stay focused and goal-oriented, to steer toward their own self-defined sense of who they are. Maturity involves being honest and true to oneself, making decisions based on a conscious internal process, assuming responsibility for one’s decisions, having healthy relationships with others and developing one’s own true gifts”(Pipher 256). In her book, Mary Pipher describes all the needs of adolescent girls. Her whole last chapter is dedicated to their needs and how parents can help them develop into healthy, confident adults.
Sofia Roberts
ReplyDeleteperiod 4
Reviving Ophelia
1. Why are girls so mean to each other?
2. Why are girls in constant competition with each other?
1. Yes, my book did answer my question. The answer it gave me is that the reason girls are mean to each other is because they try to put down the one's who cannot reach the society's impossible standards set for women and they also are mean to the one's who dare to be different and stand out. "Many girls become good haters of those who do not conform sufficiently to our culture's ideas about femininity. Like any recent converts to an ideology, girls are at risk of becoming the biggest enforcers and proselytizers for the culture. Girls are punishing other girls for failing to achieve the same impossible goals that they are failing to achieve" (Pipher 68).
2.The book also answered my second question. Girls are in constant competion with each other in all aspects especially to look good because appereance is important to how you are perceived and how other people act towards you and the girls who are the prettiest receive the most praise, repect, and attention in the eyes of the society. "Beauty is the defining characteristic for American women. It's the necessary and often sufficient condition for social success. It is important for women of all ages, but the pressure to be beautiful is most intense in early adolescence" (Pipher 183).
Rachel Reinard
ReplyDeleteQueen Bees and Wannabees
Sorry, I'm not exactly sure what happened but I'm pretty sure that my post did not stay up from the first blog, so I'm going to answer someone else's questions.
Rosalind Wiseman cut right to the chase. Both of my answers could be found in the introduction.
1.What influences girls to act the way they do towards each other?
"Everyone knows that girls are under tremendous pressure to fit in; this is one of the reasons why they suffer from a decrease in self-esteem as they enter adolescence. This decrease is usually attributed to teen magazines, MTV, and other aspects of popular culture that give negative and conflicting messages to girls. While there's some truth in this, it doesn't explain the whole story. Girls have strict social hierarchies based on what our culture tells us about what constitutes ideal femininity. At no time in your daughter's life is it more important to her to fit these elusive girl standards than adolescence. But who is the prime enforcer of these standards? The movies? The teen magazines? Nope, it's the girls themselves. They police each other, conducting surveillance on who's breaking the laws of appearance, clothes, interest in boys, and personality—all of which have a profound influence on the women they become. Your daughter gets daily lessons about what's sexy (read 'in') from her friends. She isn't watching MTV or reading quizzes in teen magazines by herself. She processes this information with and through her friends.
We can't just point the finger at the media for the things girls do to each other. We also have to point to ourselves for not challenging the culture that creates these problems, and we must, as must our daughters. Girls will only reach their full potential if they're taught to be the agents of their own social change. As we guide girls through adolescence, we have to acknowledge it, name it, and act to change the effect of Girl World on girls" (5).
Why does the author think her techniques for settling drama are the best and how has she tested those techniques?
"I teach girls today in a variety of settings—from weekly health classes to speeches in front of high schools, universities, and youth organizations. Whether I'm teaching in the most exclusive private school or the largest public school, the girls all bring the same concerns and fears. No matter what their income, religion, or ethnicity, they're struggling with the same issues about the pleasures and perils of friendships and how they act as a portal to the larger world" (6).
Born to Buy
ReplyDelete1. Why does the media have such a strong influence on today's youth?
2. What does the media do to manipulate youth?
Both of my questions were answered with much detail and attention. i learned that advertisers have a very strong influence on post-modern america and can be very manipulative towards children and parents alike. The book focused on the mainly the fact that kids want to be "cool", and the media feeds on this to manipulate and brainwash children. "...what's selling in consumer culture, one would have to say that kids are cool and adults are not." (Schor 51). I found this quote to be very interesting and pretty much sum up the novel. The media uses this same technique to manipulate children into buying their products and i thought the author did a swell job of comparing and contrasting the techniques used by advert. companies, along with parents and children, and children in todays media-influenced world as opposed to older generations. i especially liked the book due to the fact that she didn't necessarily add her two cents on how to fix your demanding children- she just stated facts and her opinion on how today's youth is essentially going downhill. She also notes peer pressure and compares it to the media and how both are very influential key roles in todays society.
1) I would want to learn what caused teenagers to act the way they do and (2) why adults stereotype teenagers even though some have not done anything wrong at all.
ReplyDelete1) My book did answer this question. For the first part, I found out that teenagers get or feel abandoned by their parents. Sometimes, caregivers do not really think about what things teens are going through. They think that they have an easy life and are lazy. One of the students that was interviewed said, " 'My parents don't know me....The only people who really know me are my friends.' "(Clark 73) Teenagers want someone who is there to support and love them. Although, for some, it may seem as if they do not want to be loved, deep down they do.
2)The second part of the question was due to the fact that they think teenagers are naturally rebels and reckless. Adults see some teens that act this way and presume that every teen is the same way, which is definitely not true. Although adults may not know it, teenagers have a lot of things going on in their lives from having to deal with problems in school, at home, or outside world. All those problems puts more pressure on the teen which then makes him or her start to get frustrated in life. Parents reactions to their frustration results in the teen being grounded or punished which later leads onto more stress and rebellion. "To nature adolescents, we need to understand their changing world and provide boundaries so that their choices have as few serious consequences as possible." (Clark 180) The book states that any teen caregiver should be more responsible, lovable, and understanding towards teens. Doing so would help teenagers have a better, more comfortable life.
Kaila Sells
ReplyDeleteReviving Ophelia
1.Why is it so common for adolescent girls to become depressed?
2. How does the author know that she has a true understanding of what it is like to be a teenage girl today?
The book answered both of my questions. The author believes that adolescence is an extremely complicated time, especially for girls. She blames the media and its unrealistic images for most of the pressure young girls experience. She also thinks that problems with the family have a major impact on adolescent girls. She explains that there are many aspects that can cause a girl to become depressed. “Some girls are depressed because they have lost their warm, open relationship with their parents. They have loved and been loved by people whom they must betray to fit into peer culture”(150). Most of the causes have something to do with the media, family, or peers.
The author also explains that she is a psychologist who sees many adolescent girls as patients, which allows her to see many of the common problems adolescent girls face. She also has a daughter of her own that has already gone through adolescence. In the book she compares today’s teens to back when she was a teenager. She realizes that times have changed. I think this allows her to have a better understanding of the problems modern teenagers face. “Of course there were girls who were traumatized in the fifties, and there are girls who lead protected lives in the 1990s, but the proportions have changed significantly”(246). She is willing to stop comparing modern issues to her childhood and looks at them from a different perspective.