Media

Media

Adolescence is a time for growth and learning. For some it can be a revelation of new experiences and ideas, while adolescence can also be a difficult, stressful time for those trying to discover themselves. Major issues that are problematic for developing adolescences are body image, substance abuse. This can be attributed to the portrayal of woman in the media. Adolescent girls will see these women and may want their image as their own, and some will go to any lengths to acquire this. This in turn could lead to the idea that during this process of change and growing up, adolescents are often concerned about their physical image, which is influenced by the media. Adolescence is also a time when peer pressure rises. Things that teens may get pressured into do are substance abuse problems with alcohol, drugs, or even cigarettes.

One major source of media that influences young females especially is magazines. When looking over an issue of Seventeen Magazine, I discovered images of models that are too thin and air brushed celebrities that flaunt their thinness. The entire magazine is filled with these images. However there is one page titled, “I Love My Curves”. This page showed a plus size model and suggested clothing tips to flatter that particular body type. Only one page out of two hundred and thirty was dedicated to a plus size model. The rest of the magazine was filled with images of what the media portrays as “beautiful” which is thin, long legs and long blonde hair. As it says in the text book, the cultural ideal of the female body is presented to adolescent girls at the same time they being to develop curves and biological bodily changes that make then more rounded instead of the boyish figure they once had. The adolescent girl begins to think that she is too fat even though she may be by medical standards just right.

Looking back at teen magazines from the 80’s and even the 90’s there were ads for alcohol and cigarettes. It’s hard to forget the ads for camel cigarettes that were in cartoon form to be more appealing to a younger population. Today’s magazines have however gotten slightly better than what teen magazines used to be. Today the ads include things for beauty products, clothing, or television shows. In this issue of Seventeen magazine, there is a page called,