The Beauty Queen$

Girls who participate in child beauty pageants are more often harmed by the experience than helped. Many suffer from low self esteem and/or eating disorders because they simply do not know their own value. If one has been participating in beauty pageants since she was a toddler, her parents basically have been telling her for years that she was never good enough.  She wasn't pretty enough without makeup, so they caked it on.  She wasn't popular or well liked enough, so they made her into a stage act. You can only imagine what this does to the mind. Just think about the culture between the competitors, little girls are judging each other based on their appearances, based on a skewed and unhealthy standard of beauty.  Photographer Zed Nelson said, "When everybody around you has had their breasts enlarged, their teeth whitened and their skin peeled, then you become the odd one out, you become the freak". These girls very quickly learn what it takes to win, be noticed and be appreciated in our society.

Later, the participants are displayed to the world, and American females quickly learn what will get them noticed, that is whatever the girls on TV are wearing/doing. It is not surprising that these values that are being instilled in girls are for economical purposes, and in this case, they are fueling the beauty industry. By telling girls that they aren't pretty enough or skinny enough, the beauty industry can make thousands of products that will "fix" their problems. Women who are unsatisfied with their bodies make excellent target costumers. We all want that "luscious beach hair", the "silky smooth legs", the "voluminous mascara" or the "seductive perfume".

It is sad that the American beauty industry is set up in a way that takes advantage of women's flaws in order to make money. In my mind, the harm that is being done psychologically outweighs the potential good that could come from beauty pageants.

What happened to childhood?

Many have questioned my topic for Junior Theme, because it doesn't seem like a relevant problem in American society. But it is.

Child beauty pageants are disgusting. In my eyes, it is almost a form of child abuse. Little girls, babies, put on a facade to entertain adults. They wear an unrealistic amount of makeup, get their hair done, wear fake teeth, fake eyelashes, padded bras, high heels and put on a show in order to be broadcasted on television.  They are sexualized at the age of toddlers, dressed to look like women, and are taught to dance provocatively for the world. It's disgusting. As portrayed by the "before" and "after" images provided, the changes that one must undergo to look like this are very dramatic. The image on the right side, doesn't even look like a real girl.  It looks like a cartoon character, or a barbie doll. 

Not only are the girls participating harmed by the experience of beauty pageants, but the viewers are as well. These television shows teach young American girls that they are only valued for their looks, and that they have to look/act in a provocative, sexual way in order to get attention from others. According to USA Today, "Glitz pageants are a multibillion-dollar business, having exploded since Toddlers & Tiaras came on in 2009". Because so many Americans are viewing shows like Toddlers & Tiaras, the demand for child beauty pageants has skyrocketed.

The window that we are giving to children to grow and develop is becoming smaller and smaller.  The media and society expects girls to be dolls that are put on display, and by making them into "women" so soon, they are not given a childhood. 

What's on Your Bumper?

During dinner tonight, I had an interesting conversation with our Norwegian exchange student about bumper stickers. She was commenting on how her NT soccer team was selling car magnets, and that in Norway NO ONE has bumper stickers or anything of that sort on their cars. America, on the other hand, is a different story. Here, it is almost rare to see a car without a bumper sticker. This made me wonder about why we use bumper stickers and what American values the use of them portrays. The messages on bumper stickers vary immensly, as it can range from supporting your kid's sports team, to expressing political or religious views, to supporting US troops or even breast cancer. These stickers are a way for people to express their opinions to the world without any consequences. The person behind you at a stoplight reads your thought provoking sticker, and goes on with his/her day without having a chance to talk to you about it. It is almost like a one way conversation with the world. Bumper stickers are a window through which random people that you might not ever meet can categorize you and learn something about you.

On my family's car, we have a New Trier sticker, which informs everyone that we live in the New Trier district, and probably like our school. From knowing the location of New Trier, people probably could guess that we are a middle to upper class family. We also have a Depauw University sticker, which tells the world that someone in the family has a college education and is proud of their school. There is a New Trier track and field sticker, which suggests that we value sports and physical activity in our family. The most interesting sticker on our car is an AFS (American Field Service) sticker that says "Changing lives, sharing cultures". This shows that my family values international experiences, and maybe has hosted exchange students or been exchange students in the past. The idea of bumper stickers supports the American values of individuality, freedom of speech and expression, and superiority. By having different personal values on the back of your car, you are making yourself known to the world, showing that you are a unique individual. Obviously you see bumper stickers of all sorts,  and some might be offensive or criticizing, but we have the right to express ourselves. I think the most important value that bumper stickers showcase is that of superiority/I'm-better-than-my-neighbor. Bumper stickers are kind of a way to brag and promote things that you are involved in. What do you think is so American about bumper stickers? What kind of bumper stickers does your family have on their cars? What does this reveal about your family?

Unexpected?

The other day I was listening to Pandora and a very strange advertisement (on right) popped up on my screen. Pictured was a pregnant man, and the caption read, "Unexpected? Protect yourself and your partner. Avoid unplanned pregnancies and STIs. Use condoms." It is obvious that we are making progress in that our generation is the least homophobic generation that America has had, but I think that this ad is taking it to an extreme. This is simply uncalled for. This is not an attractive advertisement to me, and actually I find it quite sexist and racist. Everything about this advertisement is "unexpected". For biological reasons, it is simply impossible for a man to become pregnant. He also looks extremely sad and ashamed, which I find degrading to women. I think that pregnancy is a beautiful thing, and this ad makes it seem disgusting and something that is unwanted. He has lost all hope, because his life is now ruined thanks to this unexpected occurrence.

It is also interesting that the man is of color. The advertisement proposes that this sort of thing would only happen to a minority, maybe suggesting that they are not as educated in this topic. This makes me wonder who the target audience of this ad is. Is it targeted towards minorities? Maybe African-Americans and/or gay people? What do you think about this sort of advertisement? Is it too much?

"Only in America"

As I was browsing through the articles under the US tab on The Week website, I noticed that there was a new sort of series called "Only in America". It is set up in a flipbook style, and there are hundreds of short stories that feature different Americans who did something that apparently only an American would do. 


After flipping through several articles, I noticed that almost all of them showed outrageous things that Americans would do, which shed a bad light on certain American laws, policies and culture. For example, the first one is titled, "Suing the people who saved your life". It briefly talks about a man in Colorado who is suing the people who rescued him from a flood, just because he thinks that they didn't rescue him fast enough. The man (Roy Ortiz) shockingly said, "I'm really happy to be alive, but I'm looking for some help in paying my bills." Only in America would someone take advantage of the justice system to basically steal money from the people who saved his life.





Some of the stories are much more severe, as the next one that caught my eye was "Throw a snowball, get arrested". This one is about a 13 year old kid who threw a snowball at a police officer, and was charged with a felony and got arrested. Only in America would a police officer arrest a kid for being a kid.

It is interesting to think about the American values that the authors of this series are trying to portray. I began to notice a trend within this series. It seems as if these Americans were taking advantage of their power with self gain in mind, which shows the American value of the individual over community. It also shows people overreacting and taking seemingly harmless situations to an unreasonable level. In the eyes of many (specifically foreigners), the actions of American people (especially the government) seem ridiculous, and I think that this series is trying to show the American people how crazy some of the everyday occurrences that might go unnoticed really are. 

Under the Red Dress

When I was scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed today, I saw that several of my friends had liked a page called, "Under the Red Dress". I clicked on the page, and was shocked to find one of the most interesting, beautiful and in my opinion most effective breast cancer campaigns that I have ever seen. Beth Waanga, who is an Australian mother, nurse and breast cancer survivor recently created this extremely bold campaign that vividly displays the normally unseen effects of breast cancer on a woman's body. First we see a beautiful, normal picture of Beth in a red dress, where she looks completely healthy and unharmed. As you scroll further, Beth shares nude photographs of herself after her battle with breast cancer, revealing the total bilateral mastectomy, navel reconstruction, hysterectomy scar and stretch marks from rapid weight loss to the world. I don't even know what half of those fancy medical words mean, but as they say, a picture says a thousand words. (to view the more graphic images on her page, click here)

 

Although some view these photos as inappropriate, too graphic or even sexual, I think of them as art and as an amazing way for Beth to tell her story. It is amazing that a woman would make herself completely vulnerable to the world, simply exposing herself in every way possible, in order to educate women about the dangers of this terrible disease. So brave. So selfless. So smart. Obviously Beth knew that the only possible way to inform people of the battle scars and the aftermath of having cancer was to show this body, this uniquely beautiful body, to everyone. Whether they were ready to see it or not. Although things often appear "normal" or "untouched" on the outside, but by taking a peek on the inside we can often uncover a different story. The biggest problems and challenges in life are often ones that we don't see coming or are temporarily invisible, and Beth is making a statement in that everyone should be proactive about breast cancer and take it seriously.

What are your thoughts on Beth's photo shoot? Do you think that she takes it too far? Do you think that this will be an effective way of conveying breast cancer to the world?

Is Allegiance a Convenience?

Today when I was driving around town, I stopped at a stoplight and noticed an interesting bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It read, "I pledge allegiance, not thoughtless obedience." Obviously this sticker is referring to the pledge of allegiance, a topic that I blogged about in the beginning of the year. From this sticker, it seems as if the person agrees with the meaning and thought behind the pledge, but doesn't necessarily agree with the way that it is implemented and executed within our society. He is telling the world that he is SINCERELY dedicated and loyal towards his country, and not just saying so because of routine or because other people tell him to be. I agree with him in that many children simply recite the pledge everyday out of memory, without even understanding it's meaning. However, I still think the pledge is an important tradition, and a good reminder of all the blessings that we have in this country.

All of this made me wonder why we even have a pledge in the first place. I know that the U.S. is one of the few countries that has both a national anthem and a pledge of allegiance. After some research, I discovered that the man who wrote the pledge, Francis Bellamy, desired to "instill into the minds of our American youth a love for their country and the principles on which it was founded, and create in them an ambition to carry on with the ideals which the early founders wrote into The Constitution." (from Margarette S. Miller's I Pledge Allegiance) I think that Francis' motives were solid, but how realistic are the benefits of reciting the pledge? I think that kids saying the pledge won't make or break the country's future, nor the loyalty and allegiance of it's citizens. However, it is a good way to instill patriotism into our daily lives and insure the identity of the American people.

Do you see any benefits of having a Pledge of Allegiance? If so, what benefits? Is there a better way for people to show their allegiance and patriotism to our country? Is it necessary to show allegiance to the United States in the first place?