For my photo blog assignment I showed the socialization of gender in children I took a picture of a fifteen year old girl doing her makeup in the mirror. The girl is wearing purple because according to gender schema people believe that the color purple is feminine color. Purple is an acceptable color for a girl but not for a boy. The pictures on the mirror are of celebrities. The pictures represent the affect media has on young girls. Girls have become concerned about their looks and bodies by younger ages as years go on. Girls believe that to be pretty you must look like the female celebrities they see in the media. Even magazines give girls the idea of what it is to be a woman. Most teenage girl magazines are full of stereotypical topics such as beauty, love, and fashion. These stereotypical topics encourage gender role of children. The girl putting on makeup is a symbol of the insecurity women go through. Some women believe that without make up they don't look good. A study shows that men say women who wear makeup are pretty and feminine but women who wear too much makeup are slutty. The picture of the women's body on sink is representing the weight problems girls go through. Women feel like they are expected to have an amazing body like the models they see. Girls have more dissatisfaction with their weight then boys are. Many girls perceive themselves as overweight and are trying to lose weight.
5 comments:
It is true that girls in general feel less confident with their bodies. My cousin who is only nine feels as if she can't wear clothing when it has been torn a little or if it has a little spill on it because the public will laugh at her. I didn't realize that so many young girls had low self esteem even though they are very prett. Because the are not a certain way they feel so insecure. This is why females suffer from major depression and are more likely to try and commit suicide than males.
The picture represents alot of factors that shape feminity. First the color she is wearing purple. Sencond the fact that many women as mentioned by the author are "programmed" to feel more beautiful when the wear make up and finally the fact that she has media (magazine) to remind her how "beauty" should look like. Young girls are reminded of what media considers to be pretty everyday. The female characaters in the Disney and Nickelodeon shows are always wearing sparkly things, and doesnt matter how your they are ,they always wearing make up . I feel like this leads girls to believe that as soon as they are able to wear heals and put on make up they are fully grown adults. Hence, we have seen the raise in teenage pregnancy or babies raising babies. Media sends this mixed message that if you look like an adult you must be able to to adult things, but thats a lie. Girls ignored the process of growing up many times by having to help their own kids to grow up. Media like we see in the pictures will show you step by step what to do in order to be able to look pretty.
This day and age girls are pressured by peers, and by images of young celebrities who are painfully thin or very slender with improbably large breasts—girls growing up today can feel immense pressure to meet the same standard. Trying hard to look like their idols, some fall prey to eating disorders, and some abuse drugs to help them lose weight
This picture reminds me of a commercial for make up I recently saw that stated "Love the way you are". They both ask the question why do women need make up to feel like they look good? Maybe the problem is the commercials, not the way women look.
I thought this was a good example of how teenage girls go through whatever they can to feel pretty. They look at pictures of celebrities and feel the pressure to look that way. But it doesn't seem like teenage boys go through the same pressure's with their looks. If the media didn't portray these women as these "perfect" supermodels I don't think most young girls would feel the same pressures as they do today.
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