One of the most prominent problems facing teenage girls
today is the latest media technology that is available to them at their
fingertips. Despite the fantastic changes it has made to society, it also has a
more negative affect on some aspects of our lives.
Firstly, the invention of the contraceptive pill in the
1960’s enriched the lives of so many people. It meant that children were not
born into families where they were unwanted or could not have a stable life,
and it gave women a choice about what they wanted to do with their lives. However
in these modern times, this easily obtainable pill has become far too common so
more and more girls (and their partners) take for granted the fact that they
can have sex without getting pregnant. This increases the pressure for girls to
have sex in an unstable or new relationship.
Additionally, the development of media in the 21st
century means that role models to young women have dramatically changed.
Whereas 100 years ago, girls would have looked up to authors such as Jane
Austen and Louisa May Alcott, or their favourite characters from books, with
the invention and success of the television, they now look up to the likes of
the Kardashian family, people from reality shows like ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ and
other such celebrities. This means instead of having realistic aspirations such
as becoming a servant for a rich family or having a respectable and well-paid
job, girls are now obsessed with mimicking the ‘model’ look and becoming famous.
These expectations encourage girls to try and change their image to look like
their favourite celebrities, which in some cases makes girls want to become
super-skinny and painted in make-up. Young women do not have as much time, nor
money, to achieve these looks so as a result, try to rush their appearance
using crash diets and overpowering make up.
Furthermore, new technology such as digital cameras mean
that girls are bound to be snapped anytime they socialize, so for them, looking
good is a necessity. Networking sites such as Facebook make it so much easier
to share photos, and also comment quickly and easily. This gives girls another
insecurity; it is too easy for people to make comments or judgements over
people they barely know, so girls are unconfident and self-conscious, forever
needing to look attractive. In television, one style usually takes over the
world of celebrities for a few months and so in this time, normal girls are
expected to take on this image – girls who don’t are usually bombarded with
offensive labels and stereotypes, such as being ‘emo’.
The recent progressions in the world of plastic surgery now
teach different morals to young women; the fact that it is so easy to have a
blemish removed, or body parts changed gives the idea that imperfections are
not acceptable and we should all change ourselves to become ‘perfect’. Cosmetic
surgery pressurizes people about their image, and celebrities whose surgical
enhancements have been widely publicised advertise the fact that unnaturally
changing the body is the ‘cool’ thing to do. Additionally, when girls eagerly
look over the latest glamour magazines they see beautiful models pictured in
articles, they do not realise that these have been airbrushed or photoshopped,
so therefore they believe that they should look like this – this is a massive
confidence breaker. With so many pictures of influential people looking perfect
and fault-free, it is becoming an expectation that girls should look this way,
when in reality nobody does.
I think technology has many fantastic advantages but as with
many things, it also comes with a price. Our mothers and grandmothers would
have been influenced by the Hollywood film stars of their day and would have
tried to have copied their look and behaviour (like the craze of smoking).
However, the difference today is the constant 24:7 bombardment of mass media
and technology which makes it so difficult for young girls to be individual and
stand out from the crowd.
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