Media Blog

More teenagers today have anxiety than any generation of teenagers in the past. In an article I recently read called, "How Big of a Problem is Anxiety?," the author states that the average high school student today has the same level of anxiety as an average psychiatric patient in the 1950's. Because this article was written in 2008, it is possible that anxiety levels have increased since then. I suspect that they have. At school, it is impossible to miss the anxious aura that most of the students in my classes let off. In HISP, the workload leaves many of us stressed all the time. I am so constantly stressed that I often worry when I do not fell stressed. Such stress gives me a constant sense of anxiety that I can't seem to shake during the school year. Even while writing this, I feel a tiny bit anxious. Though school definitely contributes to the overall anxiety that teenagers feel, there are other societal factors that leave many teens to feel stressed, anxious, ...

The other day, I was at the doctor waiting for a vaccination when an unsightly image caught my eye. On the cabinets in the pediatric section of the doctors office, I saw two stickers. One was of Mickey Mouse, wearing his normal clothes and looking pretty normal. In contrast, to the right of Mickey I saw Minnie and I was a little disgusted to be quite honest. The sticker was of the picture above, where Minnie Mouse is coyly leaning back as her skirts seem to lift in the breeze. Her eyes are pointed upwards as if she is looking up at someone taller than her and it is reasonable for one to assume that their person is a man. This image bothered me because of how an innocent child cartoon character can present the message that women are supposed to be docile and be okay with being sexual objects. Although I would not initially consider Minnie Mouse to be a character that portrays detrimental messages to young children, this image made me begin to rethink my first verdict. Because of the ...

In watching the documentary "MissRepresentation," I was especially impacted by the idea that many  women have begun to objectify themselves. Self-objectification occurs when a one sees oneself as an object and believes that one's looks are his or her most valuable asset. I believe that the reason women have begun to see themselves this way is the result of the version of women that the media perpetuates in our society. Over the years, women have been constantly objectified in the media, leading more and more women and young girls to incorrectly learn that they are most valuable for their looks and their sexuality. Our society as a whole has extremely unrealistic expectations of women. Oftentimes for a woman to be recognized for her accomplishments, she must first be perceived as beautiful or sexy. But usually once a woman is seen as attractive, she will be molded into a sex object by the media. Almost all forms of mainstream media only portray beautiful women or criti...

The film MissRepresentation discusses the roles of women in our modern-day American society, revealing the progress that still must be made until women are given the same value and opportunities as men. One portion of the documentary focused on the fact that female politicians are often represented by the media as less then men in some way. Instead of using full titles for women politicians, such as Senator or Mayor, a journalist may write "Miss." Dropping  a woman's title for "Miss" makes her seem less powerful. It is a sly way for media that claims to be unbiased to convey the message that women are inferior and should not be taken seriously. Other words can be used to convey the same idea. An article might say that a man "stated" his point while a woman "complained."The use of the word complained makes the woman seem more emotional than the man, and therefore less worthy of a high power job in government. Sneaky cues in media such as this ...

In the Frontline episode, "Merchants of Cool," I was introduced to the concept of the "Midriff". This character is a prematurely adult woman portrayed in the media. She is a sexual object and proud of it. A "Midriff" promotes the idea that a woman's greatest asset is her body and that she should use it it order to be successful. In 2001, when "Merchants of Cool" was released, Britney Spears epitomized the idea of the "Midriff" with her scandalous videos and sexualized lyrics. In her "Baby one More Time" music video, she is dressed up as a hyper sexualized schoolgirl with a short black skirt and a cropped white button down blouse. She dances down the hallway of her fictional school with undeniable confidence as she displays her body and her sexuality. This image of Britney Spears sent the message to an endless number of teen girls that they could empower themselves through showing of their bodies and owning their sexualit...

In class, I recently watched the Frontline film, "Merchants of Cool," which discussed marketing techniques used in the ever growing teen market. What struck me as particularly intriguing was the fact that the teen market today has much more sway than any teen market in the past. The teens of previous generations barely had a fraction of the money that teens today have at their disposal. For the first time in history, teenagers have enough money at their disposal to sway an enormous market. Because of the fact that teens today have so much power as consumers, companies see the potential revenue in developing advertisements and products that appeal directly to teenagers. One quote from "Merchants of Cool" that stood out to me was that companies view teens as "Africa, like a country ready to colonize." I know subconsciously that teens are just being manipulated by companies in order to sell products and I dislike the fact that we are merely a platform for h...