Represent!

How can women be represented globally? Well they are...but in a negative way. When news happens and women are in the head line it's normally because of rape, murder, kidnapping, or some other injustice. Women are nearly never held in a positive light when it comes to representation unless the topic is breast cancer survivors, or new mothers. But even then, the good news is tainted by the woman's cultural background.

Our news stations, newspapers, and magazine covers are littered with the horrors that women face on a day to day bases across the globe. I believe women could be represented MORE globally if instead of the negative the positives were highlighted. For example there is a woman, Asma Jahangir, and she has spent most of her career defending the rights of women, religious minorities, and the children of Pakistan. (www.jazbah.org/asmaj.php, 2011). She has done so much for her community, but very few people have actually heard of her and her great works. Just because the news is littered with horror stories, doesn't mean women are incapable of defending themselves, living a strong, independent life, or being a success.

Stereotypes are deeply embedded within our culture and they exist for everyone no matter the cultural background, economic status, or race they exist, but breaking them is the hard part. Generalization and the stories that come from these generalizations are what create these stereotypes and our society needs to realize that everyone despite their cultural background, economic status, or race they are all individuals and should be treated as such. Once this is accomplished then everyone, not only women, will achieve equal representation.

Women of Pakistan - Asma Jahangir. (n.d.). Jazbah Magazine - Profiles and Interviews. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from http://www.jazbah.org/asmaj.php

My Own Ideal Beauty

The media is everywhere. Billboards, music, radio stations, iPods, laptops, the internet, TV, movies, commercials, video games, books, magazines, and etc...it is literally everywhere. It is believed that the average person sees over 3,000 adverts a day (McCarver, 2011). Media saturation, we absorb the media like a sponge and we are dripping with it. Within the media saturation there is agenda setting. The media doesn't tell us what to think, more so they tell us what to think about. The only way this can be combated is through media literacy. We need to be fluent in the media language, look at media from a critical view, and look at media through an educated lends.

These are all things that Smart Girl has done an excellent job of addressing. The best example of how this is done is through the idea that models seems perfect, but yet not perfect enough. There is an activity that we do with the girls: we look at magazine ads, articles, and pictures. We have them pick one that really stands out to them for whatever reason and then we discuss it as a group. The goal is to show them what's real and what's not. We also talk about the processes that the models go through to look the way they do in those ads. We also show them videos that show the process. We also show them pictures of anorexics - the models that have taken it too far. We de-mask the beauty ideal.    

It's important for the girls to realize that what they view as real isn't. We then have the girls take their magazine and throw it, really throw it. It's a powerful exercise that really hits home, not only for the girls, but the guides as well. It brings up all types of emotions ranging from anger to sadness. Once all the smoke and mirrors are taken away it's much easier to see that the elephant is still in the room.

I once had a shirt that said, "I know I'm not perfect, but I'm so close it scares me." We, as humans, aren't anywhere close to being perfect, but I also believe that perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I think I am perfect just the way I am, but it's difficult to not give in to the saturation I face day to day. The goal in the end is for the girls to feel the same way, but that can only be done if we help them stop thinking about being the "ideal" beauty and show them that they are their own "ideal" beauty.


McCarver, G. (Director) (2011, March 15). Media & Communication. Gender & Communication. Lecture conducted from Communication Department, Denver.

Pray for Me...I Work with Teens

I'm not crazy, I haven't gone temporarily insane, I have not been committed, and I am not on drugs! There's nothing wrong with me, I just enjoy working with teens. However, it's easy to see why people think I've gone a bit peculiar. Working with Smart Girls has really made me look back on my teenage years and think about my life as compared to the girls I'm helping today. And the teens today have so much more to face in their day to day lives than I did seven years ago. 

Firstly, kids are being exposed to the media world at a much younger age. Newborns are being put in front of the television so Mom can get a moment (Barta, 2009). In 2006 the average age of the first internet exposure was eleven and in 2009 it went down to five (Barta, 2009). Now "the largest consumer of internet porn is 12 to 17 year-olds" (Barta, 2009). Music, movies, television shows, iPods, and iPhones, are making it easier for this age group to burst their innocents bubble. And also, a commercial is 60 seconds long and a television show goes to commercial every 10-12 minutes - this is the leading cause of teens' shrinking attention spans. The average adolescent's attention span is 11 minutes (Barta, 2009). Now take that attention span and try to teach it math.

Also, their work load has grown. Teens are expected to be miniature grown-ups instead of just enjoying their youth. 80 percent of teens have a job and are working before they graduate high school and are working a minimum of 20 hours a week (Barta, 2009). For example a high school student is at school from 7:30 AM to about 2:30 PM - that's approximately seven hours a day - which is roughly 35 hours a week, then add their work load. 80 percent of teens have a 55 hour work week and that's not including the time spend doing homework. Is it a wonder why they don't want to get out of bed in the morning? In middle schools and elementary schools school boards are debating whether or not to get rid of recess and making school start earlier and get out later (Barta, 2009). 

Along with media and work teens are also faced with hardships within their social spheres. It is common knowledge that teens have issues with their peers over drugs, alcohol, sex, and for girls eating disorder, and a common stereotype that teens don't get along with their parents. The family sphere is actually more important in a teen's development than that with their peers (Barta, 2009). Family time is very important for teens, but because of media quality family time has almost disappeared. Adolescents in America spend an average of four hours a week playing outside, spending time with family, and socializing, whereas adolescents in Europe spend an average of five hours per day with their families, playing outdoors, and generally socializing (Barta, 2009). Also the rate of teens growing up in a divorced family is rising. "1/3 of first marriages end in divorce" (Barta, 2009). And the difference between genders and divorce is staggering. Girls are more likely to sleep around and boys are 1/3rd more likely to get a sex change if they grow up without a father figure present (Barta, 2009).

There are several stereotypes surrounding teens and those who work with them. I personally get irked when someone says to me, "Why work with teens? They're beyond help." They are never beyond help despite all the statistics out there because they are just that - statistics. It's really about having the patience and being humble enough to remember you were once in their shoes and NO ONE is perfect. So when people tell me I'm crazy, I've gone temporarily insane, I need to be committed, or that I am on drugs I just smile and say, "Someone's gotta do it, and it might as well be someone who cares about them and their drama." 

Barta, M. (Director) (2009, August 19 - 2009, November 30). Adolescent Psychology. Lecture conducted from  Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver.