Extra Show and Tell post

My mom and I were talking the other day about how Halloween costumes have changed so much, especially kids’ costumes.  I was looking online for costumes when I came across this site, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/sexy-halloween-costumes-for-girls_n_2011943.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular#slide=1687821.  On this website, it compares Halloween costumes from 1990 to 2012.  The differences are unsettling.  Please notice that all of these pictures are of young girls, no boys.

            Twenty years ago, you would not have found young girls dressed in outfits consisting of cut off tops and short skirts.  One lady reports that she went shopping for a costume for her 3 year old and was expecting to find big princess costumes and accessories.  What she was not expecting was costumes including knee high boots and pleather outfits made for 4 year olds.  She continues to report how the young models were posed, “hip thrust out, chest forward, lots of makeup, come hither look.”

 Like the title of the article states, Halloween costumes have shifted from fun and silly to almost sexy looks; and these girls do not know what their poses, expressions, and outfits even mean.  Halloween used to be about trying to be either the scariest or the silliest. It has now shifted to who can look the sassiest.  A quote from Mean Girls sticks out to me, “In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”  Granted, these girls are in high school and should have a clue about what they could be getting themselves into.

After looking through some of the pictures shown on this website, I have to ask myself, “How do parents think it is okay to let their child run around practically half naked?”  I know the kids do not mean anything by it.  They do not know what their cute little outfits symbolize, but the parents should know better than to, in my opinion, objectify their children.

Show and Tell post 2

After Liz Fletcher-Brown’s presentation Monday, I became very curious about guys’ views on self-image and body image.  I never really thought about how a guy’s mindset about constantly going to the gym and to bulk up is related to a girl’s mindset that she has to starve herself to make herself be thin.  For both sexes, the end result is all about giving themselves a better body image that they think society is looking for.  I found this website (http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/beautiful/male_bodyimage.html) that talks about guys’ body images.

            This website points out that during puberty it can be especially easy for a guy’s self-image to be based particularly on looks.  Puberty is the time when a teen’s body is changing greatly:  voice is changing, muscle tone is changing, and body hair is growing.  Being the first, or the last, guy to hit puberty can make some guys highly self-conscious.  Another point this website has is that body image can be in your genes.  A lot of negative body image comes from having high expectations for puberty and then not getting what was wanted.  A tip is to not assume to look a certain way, and to look at the family.  How are your father and grandfather built?  How are your uncles and cousins built? 

            It used to be said that only girls felt the pressure to be “picture-perfect.”  This is not necessarily true anymore.  Many magazines and ad agencies have put a great deal of emphasis on male body image.  In reality, that “as-advertised body” is unattainable because the males you see on the covers do not exist.  They have been photoshopped because even the “perfect bodies” are not perfect enough so they are taken one step farther.

A quote that I like from this website is, “Having a positive body image means feeling pretty satisfied with the way you look, appreciating your body for its capabilities and accepting its imperfections.”  We can get so wrapped up in what we think society wants from us, that we forget to be grateful for the bodies that we do have and the privileges that come with it.  We forget that no one is perfect and it is these imperfections that make us who we are.  They are what distinguish us as individuals in the world and not as a bunch of clones roaming around each seeking another way for attention.

Eating Disorders pt 2

Something that stood out to me in Mrs. Liz Fletcher-Brown's presentation is the fact that part of the condition of having an eating disorder is the person with the condition does not want to get help.   They do not want to get better.  The people with eating disorders are treatment resistant.  They think that what they are doing is good for them; they think it is healthy.  Although, treatment is extensive and expensive, it is still necessary for the person’s well-being.  Anorexia and bulimia have a 60% death rate.  

I also found it interesting that the ratio of women to men with this disorder is 7:1.  This, to me, is not surprising.  Women are much more concerned with their looks and appearance than men.  Society today puts more emphasis on women’s appearance, making it out to be that you have to have that perfect hourglass figure or you will not be considered beautiful.  This is a distorted belief.  It pains me to see people who starve themselves just to fit this fictional image of the perfect woman.  Some people go as far as committing suicide because they can’t handle the pressure.  I believe everyone is beautiful in their own unique way.  

Eating Disorders pt 1

I do not understand how someone has an eating disorder.  I do not understand how someone who is diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia can’t just start eating more or quit making themselves throw up?  I have always viewed eating disorders as more of a personal choice than really a disorder.  I guess my question is why can’t someone who is diagnosed with an eating disorder control how often they eat, how much they eat, and what they eat?  This has always been a great mystery to me.  I hope someone can help clear this up for me.  Thanks!

First Encounter

During my eighth grade year, I was acquaintances with a girl who claimed to be lesbian.  In a small town like where I am from, this is big news.  The rumors spread like wild fire through the school and town.  Many parents and students did not believe her and ridiculed her saying that she did not know what sex was and that she was too young and immature to know who she was sexually attracted to.  They all claimed that she was only going around spouting off that she was gay for attention; she did not really mean it.  After all of the drama, she then said she was bisexual.  This of course spurred yet another round of ridicule.  How could you be attracted to both guys and girls?  That was neither acceptable nor possible.  I could not understand why people were having such a conniption over this girl.  I, personally, had no problem with her.  She was still a girl who woke up each morning like the rest of us.  She went to school and did her homework.  She was not given any special privileges.  Who am I to judge her on whom she chooses to spend her time with?  It is not my place to tell her who she can or cannot see, just like it is not her place to tell me who I can or cannot see.  There is someone out there for everyone.  Whether that is a man or a woman, I do not know.