Self Image and the Media
From the time that we are little kids, the media bombards us with images of what we should buy, wear, eat, and just about everything else. We are also presented with an “ideal” body image, thin, beautiful, six pack abs, everything. So what effect does this have on young kids as they grow up holding themselves to this unattainable image? Research from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm has shown that 25% of college age girls use dangerous dieting techniques to keep their weight down. And this epidemic of unhealthy dieting doesn’t just affect grown women, 35% of girls between the ages of 6 and 12 have dieted at some point. Why do so many young girls have a negative body image? It has been shown that women’s magazines have 10 1/2 times more weight loss adds than men’s. And 75% of women’s magazine covers have information on how to change your looks one way or another. Some through dieting, and some more drastic measures like plastic surgery. This helps to lead to lead to a distorted body image and a wish to live up to an unattainable ideal. It also might explain why over half of all normal wieght girls consider themselves overweight. But not to worry, there are plenty of gadgets, gizmos, pills, diet plans, you name it, that all promise to help you burn fat, drop pounds, and get that six pack you’ve always wanted. The diet industry is a 100 BILLION dollar business in the US that feeds on people’s insecurities.People feel preaure to reach this perfect image and are willing to pay to try to get there.
Word Part Project :)
Here is the link to my word part project video!
Categorizing…harder than I thought
The “Sorting People” exercise on PBS is an extremely eye-opening activity. It makes you see that there is no way to classify someone on the basis of their looks. We think that we can easily categorize people based on race, but it’s actually much more difficult than it seems. People of the same race don’t always fit our stereotypical view of that particular group, and they might not self-identify themselves with the race that we perceive them to be. Although most people don’t consider themselves to be racist or stereotypical, we still have preconceived ideas about what people of certain ethnicities should look like. So when you start sorting the people, you identify them with the group that most closely matches your subconscious picture of where they should fit.
I was surprised at myself when I found out that I only correctly categorized 8 of 20 people in this activity. I thought that it seemed like an easy enough activity. Look at a picture of someone, and decide what race you think that they are. Even when we think that we don’t, we do this every day. Sometimes going as far as applying stereotypes and prejudices to that person as well because of their race. People never like to think of themselves as “racist”, yet we still categorize people all too often. This exercise showed me how pointless categorizing people is, we do it all the time and most of us aren’t even good at it.
Contemporary Novel- Next
Next captures your attention from the very first chapter. Set in a futuristic world where genetic testing, gene patenting, and transgenic animals are reality instead of science fiction, Next raises very serious ethical questions about what should be considered acceptable and morally right.
The main plot line follows Frank Burnett, a man who is suing a company called Biogen for the unlawful use of his cells. The court has ruled that his cells are “waste” and that the doctor who removed them can do whatever he wants with them, including using them for research or selling them without his consent. This eventually involves his daughter and grandson who get caught up in a wild chase trying to escape from bounty hunters trying to harvest cells from them.
With several different plot lines to follow, Next is a roller coaster of a story that will get you thinking and questioning. The multiple plots also guarantee that the reader will never be bored. Although it is rather hard to follow at first, all of the pieces eventually intertwine to form a surprising and extremely interesting story. This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in science fiction, especially genetics. I was fascinated with the unusually thought-provoking storyline and the fast paced action from start to finish.
