I chose to take a picture to try and portray how fast girls grow up, and strive to be like their "role models". Young girls need better role models than they see on T.V. or in a magazine to look up to. There is nothing to learn from people who are only worried about their appearances and wearing the most stylish clothes. The young girl I have in my picture is only ten years old, yet thinks she is going on 18. Every morning before school she needs to flat iron her already straight hair in order to be like the "other girls". Everything she owns has to be pink, including her clothes which can only come from Hollister. The parents of this child already let her wear make-up, and to school. This girl spends hours in front of the mirror trying to have the perfect look because that is what she perceives is beautiful. The reason I do not show her face is because I feel as though she does not have her own identity. She desperately wants to look like the girls from the media, and is always concerned how people view her. It is sad that this is how girls are and especially that it is happening at such a young age. I believe it really affects their self-esteem and confidence when they look in the mirror and do not see picture perfect.
10 comments:
I think that this is a very good depiction. The fact that her room in the background does show off that all her stuff is in fact pink and purple shows the impact of society on her. Her bed has pink sheets and her walls are painted purple, because those are the colors that girls are suppose to like, I think that this also shows that she has been raised in a society that puts gender rolls on everything, due to the fact that everything down to her room reflects traditional girlyness. The out fit she is wearing also shows the effect the media has had on her. Her Ugg boots that she has on had to be at least 100 dollars, and the shirt and skirt from Hollister had to together be about the same amount. The media says that to be cute and stylish she needs these expensive, name brand clothes. When in fact a girl who is 10 years old should not to be worrying about the clothes she has on or straightening her hair that is already straight. My favorite part of the picture though is the fact that the photographer chose not to show the girls face. The fact that she is doing all of this to fit in and look like everyone else, leaves her with no personal self.
In this photo I can see gender socialization taking place. The media and society create what a stereotypical women should look like. A young girl is straightening her hair while talking on a cell phone. Her straighter is pink which, is associated as being a girls color. The girls back is to us and she is facing a mirror but, we can’t see her face. I think her face isn’t showing because its not just this young girl acting this way but, most of all young girls are acting this way. In the back round you can see weights. Our media adversities a women as skinny and looking good. Also, beside the girl there is a make-up bag. This girl is probability too young to wear make-up but, the media only shows pretty girls with make-up on. By the make-up bag there are sunglasses which, look like what an older girl would wear.
This picture is indicative of how young girls are trying to grow up way too fast nowadays. How the picture is set up is very interesting and effective. The girl in the picture is ten years old. I can see that she’s wearing stylish clothes (note the Ugg boots), that are way too expensive for parents to let their children wear at that age, since that clothing is geared towards teenagers. She also has a lot of things laying around her that look like makeup bags and things to do her hair with. Obviously this represents that she’s very girly and cares a lot about how she looks. She has a very girly room, with purple walls and a pink bedspread and mirror. She herself is acting very feminine straightening her hair and wearing pink. The fact that she’s spending this time to make herself look attractive when she’s only ten, really portrays how girls are affected by the media and society. Girls are seemingly encouraged to be as feminine as possible and focus on being pretty at alarmingly young ages. This girl no doubt feels pressure to look a certain way, like the other girls at school, and wants to follow what is considered cool or trendy. The pressure that society puts on girls like this is even more successful if the girl has a older female figure in their house to try and copy. Also, I noticed the dog on her left. She’s more interested in her reflection and appearance than playing with a dog, something that I think most ten year olds would prefer at that age, and that is quite unnerving. I do not think a girl of this age should be wasting her childhood in front of a mirror trying to look like every other girl and losing her identity. I thought it was a good point by the photographer to make it so you cannot see her face, like she said, to show she has no individual identity because she is trying to look like other stereo typically beautiful girls and not trying to be herself. We all know that teenagers face peer pressure and pressure from media and society to look a certain pretty and trendy way, that’s bad enough, but now that its effecting girls in elementary school I think that should send up a huge red flag to parents. They need to encourage their children to enjoy being young, not encourage them to act older by buying the name brand clothes, makeup and hair straighteners.
I agree that the picture does show gender socialization for little girls. Everything is pink and purple for the young girl. I like the idea of the mirror and not showing the face of the girl. It makes me wonder what expressions would be on her face as she is looking in the mirror. One thing I don't agree with is that the media is a major influence on the little girl. A girl at this age should not be worried about her hair or make up. I happen to feel that it is the parents that want her to look like this. How does she get to Hollister? Sometimes parents want their kids to act like all the other kids. If she wasn't allowed to dress the way she does or wear make up then the media may not have a role in her life. I also feel even though she is trying to be like someone else for her appearance does not take away her full identity. Behind closed stores there is still a sweet young girl that is hiding.
This picture definitely portrays gender socialization in children. This little girl is surrounded by the typical “girl things”. She has a make-up bag, hair products, exercising weights, sunglasses and she is using a hair straightener. This little girl looks about 8 to 10 years old. It is alarming that at this early of an age girls are already being influenced to look like the “ideal women” that the media has promoted. She is applying make-up and straightening her hair to improve her looks when really she should be outside playing hop-scotch or jump rope with her friends. She has a pair of exercising weights in front of her which tells me that she is focusing on her body image. At this age she shouldn’t be worried about her weight nor her looks. The media has been promoting the “waif look” which is a near impossible body image to achieve. If this little girl has already been influenced by the media at such a young age, then something has to be wrong. Exercising to be healthy is a good thing, but exercising to make yourself more like societies standards is not good at all. Her bed covers, carpet and mirror are all a form of pink which is the color that is linked to women for no reason at all. These objects are more examples of this girl conforming to society’s gender socialization. Although she may not realize it, but she is just like the other girls who lose their identity when they try to be like everyone else. The fact that this picture was taken from the back and does not reveal her face is a great way to show this. She is becoming another anonymous face without her own identity. There is a stuffed animal on a fancy pillow and I’m not quite sure what these objects imply, but to me they make me think of the celebrities who spend obnoxious amounts of money on their pets. If she is pretending she did the same thing then this is really just another thing that the media has promoted to little girls in our society. Children should worry less about their image and more about school and friends. They shouldn’t try and be older than they are and enjoy being a kid because one day they won’t have the option.
In my opinion, this photo does an excellent job in showing gender socialization in children. What first caught my attention was the way in which the girl was sitting. It looks as if she is posing. I’d expect girls her age to be sitting either Indian style or on their knees. The focal point of the picture, the mirror, explains that the girl is viewing herself, and attempting to “beautify” herself, the way in which the media tells/shows her. Not showing the girl's face is a way to symbolize that the girl doesn’t have her own identity, she is made up of this “ideal girl” image that the media portrays as so. The photo draws attention to the girl’s hand that is holding her hair straighter. She is more concerned with making herself look “beautiful” in the moment, and less concerned or maybe even unaware of the long term damages that a hair straighter has on her hair and the potential danger she is creating of burning herself. Her room and most of the things shown in her room are pink and purple, colors that the media portrays as feminine and commonly associated with girls. A typical ten year old girl should be out playing with friends and enjoying her youth, not staring in a mirror, judging herself by her looks. The photo shows how young girls are growing up so fast and acting more like teenagers at such young ages.
This picture is very good, but disturbing at the same time. I cannot believe the parents of a ten year old would allow her to have make up, and let her walk out of the house wearing it. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until highschool, and even then I still didn't use it unless I was going to a highschool dance. Girls need to embrace their natural beauty, instead of trying to mask it with fake straightened hair, and pounds of makeup on their face. I don't get why she feels the need to fit in, becuase if you want to get noticed than you would be the one who is different so you stand out in the crowd. There is too much emphasis to conform in today's society and its putting pressure on girls who are getting increasingly younger in age.
It seems like this little girl never got to grow up. When i was ten i wouldnt even think of wearing makeup or straightening my hair for school. It is crazy to see how much things have changes and how girl feel like they need to look to fit in and be cool.
This picture does a great job showing that society puts alot of pressure on young girls to all look the same. They should all have the "cute girly, I'm going to pretend I'm older then I really am look" which I think later on in life takes a toll on all these young girls because when you're 10, that's when you begin to find yourself and if you're always worried about fitting in and being just like everyone else when all these girls are older none of them will know how to break out of these shells and become their own people. When you're 10 instead of worrying about if you're hair is the right shade of blonde you should being worrying what kinda hobbies or sprots you want to get into that way you can start to create an identity for yourself.
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