Send a better message to teens
Send a better message to teens
The average person sees 400-600 ads a day. I watched a video on YouTube called “Media’s Effect on Beauty” and my thoughts on society are turning negative. There is a major difference from teen life 20 years ago.
Seventeen magazines have a section on makeup and how to look pretty. I know a girl that won’t let anyone see her without makeup on; even though she is pretty without it. In another famous magazine, Victoria’s Secret, the models are shown having perfect, skinny bodies. What the majority of society doesn’t know is that the pictures are photo shopped. The YouTube video mentioned 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of becoming overweight. It’s unbelievable about how the rates of insecurities are increasing.
As a teenager, staying connected to family and friends is important, which is why social networking was created. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; you name it. Pictures, statuses/posts, and videos are posted that encourage partying, drinking, drug use and violence. I do have accounts to social networks and sometimes I feel like I wish they didn’t exist because they cause more problems.
Teenagers are negatively influenced through magazines and Internet. Young girls are imagining the wrong type of beauty; 25 percent of them have considered plastic surgery. Boys and girls are getting involved in more physical violence. I believe the media should show real, smart and positive messages to preteens and teenagers so they can have a healthy influence in their lives.
Annamarie Aiuppa
Itasca