Society and its Role in Developing Female Adolescent's Self Image

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Lately, it seems as if interest toward adolescent issues is becoming popular among writers. The reasons are numerous but even more amazing are the results these authors are finding. Adolescent girls today are faced with so many struggles. It has been found that families and schools play a significant role in shaping girls' private and public images. Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia, is one author who believes adolescence is an especially precarious time for a girl, a time when the fearless, outgoing child is replaced by the unhappy and insecure adolescent girl. Things have changed a lot over the years and now it is becoming increasingly important to deal with the very real issues that are facing adolescent girls. A girl's self image and self-esteem determines how she will hold up against society and its cruel realities (Pipher 1994). Pipher says cultural changes in the last decade has made America a traumatic place for teen-age girls. We live in a more "sexualized and media-saturated culture" where a girl's appearance is the only thing that seems to matter. She argues that girls in junior high are doing drugs and having sex because they are pressured to "be beautiful and sophisticated." The protected space we call childhood has grown shorter. We live in a look-obsessed, media-saturated, "girl poisoning" culture. Despite the advances of feminism, escalating levels of sexism and violence cause girls to stifle their creative spirit, and natural impulses, which ultimately destroys their self-esteem. Pipher also notes that depression, eating disorders, addictions, and suicide attempts are more widespread than ever before among teens. Girls today are overwhelmed by the complexity of choices facing them as well as contradictory messages about women in mainstream media. There is a lot of adjustment and self exploration involved in being an adolescent

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