How do the so called "glamorous" affect teens?

Source
Author: anonymous
Main idea: How the pop culture influences the new generation and what affects they have on the teens.

The author wrote such an eye opening paragraph on how pop culture affects teens. The facts that were stated were shocking. The author states that 40% of nine to ten year olds have tried to lose weight (Body Image and Gender Identity,2002). The author also mentions that celebrities are becoming thinner and thinner, which causes low self confidence. It is mentioned that television stars and models are the main cause for this. A fact that catches the eye is that 5 million Americans are diagnosed with eating disorders. Weight is not the only problem stated, inappropriate content is being displayed on television. Parents are not always present to monitor what children watch, and this is causing a problem even in age groups as young as 7. The inappropriate content that is being mentioned by the author include violence and adult language. It is being called a media frenzy, due to the fact that children have access to shows, internet blogs and movies. This media provides them with information that should be provided by parents or trusting adults. The author mentions that "Newsweek, 2007" called this ' pop culture garbage'. The author argues that not only personality and looks are being affected by celebrities, but health is being affected too. The author mentions facts about celebrities checking into rehab again and that insane amounts of drugs are being taken!

This affected me very much. I think this article should be read by all teens and pre-teens. It affects the way you think about the media and bring up so many questions. Two main questions that comes to mind are: "How has pop culture affected the way I think and act?" and "How can I make others realize what a big problem this is?". I noted that more parental supervision should be provided, referring to : "children are exposed to unsuitable matter for their ages.". Most of these problems lead back to parents, as they are not making extra precautions to try and prevent their children from being exposed to this. The author and I both agree with the Above the Influence program, they stated that :"Pop culture icons need to support a drug free program instead of using harmful substances.".

This was a very inspiring article and I hope it reaches out to other people. How important is pop culture to you? Do you think that it has affected you?
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