GirlPower,Reinstated（恢复的女孩力量）

Girl Power, Reinstated.
By: Elizabeth Rojas
A t present, a gener a tion of
impression a ble teen a ge girls a re being influenced by their f a vorite celebrities, television a nd film st a rs, musici a ns, a nd well known soci a lites. These entert a iners—m a jority women—h a ve the power to influence the beha vior a nd a ctions of these teena ge girls, fostering the ide th t dressing nd beh ving disreput bly is “trendy,”
a nd “in style.” These idea s, being hea vily implemented into the he ds of these teena gers a re ca using this genera tion to a ppea r more ma ture, enga ge in ma ture a ctivity, a nd grow up a t a fa ster ra te th a n the norm. The questions th a t must be a sked in turn, a re “Is teena ge society cha nging their norm,” a nd “Will older genera tions a nd pa rents a llow this change to take place?” In researching the power of influence, a nd exa mining ca ses of celebrity infa tua tion, it is importa nt to recognize the problem of teen girls tod a y being too e a sily influenced by women in the medi, nd submit to beha ving in the wa ys the media ta rgets them to beha ve. It is a lso importa nt to recognize th a t ch a nge needs to be implemented by me ns of h ving positive, well-rounded fema le celebrities a dvoca te for hea lthy beha viors in girls,
nd restore a hea lthy body ima ge, a s well a s strong self-esteem.
People so often throw a round the terms feminist a nd sexist, feeding into the gener l ide th t men re more powerful tha n women, a nd should be held in a higher rega rd (Gra nt, 2013). In a piece by New York Times journalist Ada m Gra nt, entitled “Why Men Need Women,” he st a tes, “It’s often s a id tha t behind every grea t ma n sta nds a grea t woma n. In light of the profound influence that women can have on men’s generosity, it might be more a ccura te to sa y tha t in front of every grea t ma n w a lks a gre a t wom a n. If we’re wise, we’ll follow her le a d” (Gr a nt, 2013). In this opiniona ted piece, Gra nt points out the influence women ha ve on men’s generosity a nd “soft side.” While this is true, the importa nt thing to notice in this piece lies in the context, in which Gra nt, a ma n, a cknowledges the fa ct tha t women should no longer be pla ced sta nding behind men, but ra ther, in front of men, le a ding their p a th. Women a re influentia l in this wa y. Women a re influenti a l by me a ns of the qua lities of ca re, empa thy, a nd sensitivity, which are very commonly and ea sily expressed. Teena ge girls a re more
ea sily influenced by the a dvertisements they are exposed to on TV, and in social medi, s well s in m g zines, nd book portra ya ls. As sta ted by K. Nola Mokeya ne of Globa l Post, “Teena gers a re exposed to a ll sorts of media outlets, from television, movies a nd a dvertising to socia l media sites such a s Fa cebook a nd Inst a gr a m,” m a king them e a sily influenced by the things they see on these sites (Mokey a ne, 2014). Some well-known a nd a cknowledged fem a le role models h a ve included Opr a h Winfrey, Ka tie Couric, Princess Gra ce of Mona co a nd Ja ckie Kennedy Ona ssis. These women, each inspirational for their work—whether it be in television, film, politics, or news media—have gained the respect of the America n people in one wa y or a nother. Ea ch of these women a re rightfully fa mous, pa rticula rly a s a byproduct of their persona l successes. Tod a y, m a ny young girls idolize celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Kim K rd shi n, Meg n Fox nd Beyoncé Knowles. These st a rs, a lthough h a rd working, nd often t lented in some w y, re being used by v riety of public a nd socia l media outlets, a s well a s ma rketing a nd public rela tions firms to get people to buy a product or dress a certain way by means of endorsements. In Codes of Online Sexuali y: Celebri y, Gender and Market ing, a uthor Ja cqueline Lambiase suggests that female celebrities a re prima rily used for their sex a ppea l, especi lly in m rketing nd press for product endorsement, a nd online a dvertisements (L a mbi a se, 2014). She sta tes “Celebrity sexua lity ha s been used throughout the ge of Hollywood to promote movies, to sell products, a nd to entice viewers to identify with celebrity ima ges”(La mbia se, 2014). From this, it ca n be understood tha t while women do in f a ct c a re for their self-im a ge a nd representa tion, they a lso a re a wa re tha t their “supersta r” roles a s celebrities, including h a ving to t a rget a m a le a udience, a re ea sily a tta ined through sex appeal.
From a ll a spects of the modern da y celebrity, being fa mous is not so much a byproduct of good work, but ra ther a lifestyle. The wa y some fema le sta rs portra y themselves lea ds to young girls w a nting nothing more th a n to look like their f a vorite celebrity, me a ning th t sc nd lous clothing nd non-ge appropriate attire is prominent. According to The Women’s Media Center’s yea rly publication, The St at us of Women in t he U. S. Media 2013, “Girls a s young a s a ge six a re sta rting to see themselves a s sex objects, ba sed on a combina tion of media influence, a mother’s pa renting a nd religion”(Klos, 2013). Although this sta tement includes a mother’s pa renting a nd religion, the true power lies with media influence.
As Family Circle Ma ga zine journa list Debora h Swa ney sa ys, “Mercha ndising linked to girls’idols doesn’t stop with dolls. According to a report by the NPD Group, girls 8 to 12 years old now spend $500 million a yea r on bea uty products of all kinds, including those endorsed by their idols (Swaney, 2014). Thus, parents’concerns a re not unw a rr a nted. Stores t a rget young girls a nd a im to dress
teens like their so-ca lled role models, ma king a ge a ppropria te clothing ha rd to find. As Family Circle a ga in sta tes, “It’s a coa st-to-coa st la ment a s mothers of girls shop a mong ra cks of child-size swimsuits with pa dded chests a nd slinky underwe a r for 8-ye a r-olds” (Sw a ney, 2014). Celebrity endorsed trends a re not only ma rketed to young teena gers toda y, but a lso to young children. In turn, these children a nd teena gers will not grow up with a n understa nding of a ge ppropria te clothing unless a lterna tives re shown to them by something or someone other tha n the media.
In a ddition, fem a le celebrities a re ble to connect with their fa ns on a person a l level through soci a l medi a sites such a s Twitter a nd Inst a gr a m, where f a ns a nd followers c a n e a sily a ccess a nything these celebrities sa y a nd think (Mokey a ne, 2014). This m a kes a ccess to these celebrities’lifestyles inst a nt a neous. In retrospect, these celebrities a re bra nding themselves with the things they wea r, the compa ny they keep, the words they use, a nd their go a ls in life. While these celebrities a re consta ntly working towa rds a good representa tion of themselves, they a lso need to understa nd tha t the things they do influence ll ges of girls, mostly ra nging from young teena gers to young adults.
The power of influence is one tha t ca n completely a ffect a nd cha nge a person. Influence, a ccording to a theory by Professor Robert Ci a ldini, comes with six different principles, a ll which pla y a pa rt on the influence of celebrities a nd the medi a’s a ffect on teena ge girls (Ha llett, 2014). The first principle is reciprocity, which is seen with celebrities a nd teens. Although this inter a ction of feeling “indebted to a person,” does not ha ppen on a n intima te level with celebrities a nd teens, a feeling of the fa ct tha t a celebrity ha s done or given something to a fa n is often experienced. One might feel tha t mimicking or reciproc ting by p ying a ttention to style or fa shion is a wa y to repa y a celebrity. The second principle of consistency falls directly in hand with the first. Once someone gets into the ha bit of a ppea ring or beha ving a certa in wa y, it is importa nt to keep consistent, in order to ma na ge a n a ppea ra nce. Soci a l proof a nd liking a re the third a nd fourth principles of influence, which both ha ve to do with societa l a ccepta nce of a look or beha vior. When teen girls see pictures of others wea ring something daring, or a celebrity endorsing something they own, it is a commonly a ccepted occurrence, m a king it e a sily influentia l. La stly a re the principles of a uthority a nd sca rcity. When something is unique to an individual, or hard to get a hold of, sca rcity is a la rge principle of influence. In turn, a tta ining something of sca rcity lea ves a n individua l feeling a uthorita tive, a nd often, in control of a situa tion. Since so ma ny of the things celebrities ha ve a re expensive or limited edition, the more r a re the item the better, giving the feeling of a uthority once the item is a tta ined.
These six principles ca n a ll directly correl a te to the power of influence
celebrities ha ve over others merely by mea ns of pictures in the ta bloids. This is then the psychology the minds of teena ge girls go through when wa nting to be like the people they look up to. In a ddition to a cknowledging a nd understanding the principles of influence, putting these tools to work c a n be beneficia l for teens a nd young girls.
According to Tom H a llett, the journ a list expl a ining Ci a ldini’s six principles, he st a tes, “By knowing bout the principles, you ca n become resista nt to people who try to use them to ma nipula te you,” ma king these tools work in the fa vor of young girls a nd teens (Ha llett, 2014). This power of influence is not a lw a ys a b a d thing, pa rticula rly in the ca se tha t the person being looked up to is a dmira ble with good rea son.
More import a ntly th a n the ide a s of influence, nd the ppe r nce nd beh vior teen girls h ve tod y, b sed on celebrity influences, is the idea tha t this shift in teena ge beha vior could be ha rmful to the teen (Nega tive, 2014). In so ma ny ca ses, glorifying a nd looking up to a celebrity ca n ca use emotiona l nd ment l h rm. Often, ppe r nces a re a ssoci a ted with neg a tive body im a ges, a nd c a n le a d to beh a vior a l issues ha rmful to the body. These ca n ra nge from menta l disorders, to things like a norexi a a nd bulimi a (Neg a tive, 2014). As Globa l Post writer K. Nola Mokey a ne st a tes, “Teens should be t ught to v lue their own definitions of be uty bove ll else.” (Mokey ne, 2014). With this comes a n importa nt understa nding tha t teens should indeed see a nd a cknowledge inner be a uty before trying to cha nge themselves for the benefit of others.
The primary way to fix the impending shift in the minds of teena ge girls is to present them with positive messa ges from the medi a, encour a ging them to seek their inner bea uty instea d of trying to promote dress a nd beha vior tha t is not a ge-a ppropria te. In a ddition, positive a nd well-rounded celebrities should be endorsed more th n those who a dvoca te outer bea uty a nd glorify neg a tive beh a viors (Mokey a ne, 2014). These people ma y include the likes of: Jennifer L a wrence, Anne H a th a w a y, Hila ry Duff, Ka te Middleton, Michelle Pha n, a nd Sa ra Ba reilles. These fema les a ll ha ve been in the limelight; however, h ndled their situ tions involving the press with gra ce, a nd ma turity.
As better exa mples a re set for young girls a nd teens, society might then see a nother ch a nge, hopefully influenced by role models who a re fa mous a s a byproduct of ha rd work, a nd positive endorsements. In ddition, bi-monthly or yea rly a ssemblies in schools should be held to remind young girls a nd teens a bout self-worth, a nd positive body images, as well as high self-esteem. La rge compa nies a nd corpora tions ca n a lso p a rticip a te in promoting he a lthy mind a nd body im a ges inste a d of promoting photo-shopped im a ges of fema les. The body ca re compa ny, Dove, is currently doing this with their Campaign for Real Beau t y, using re a l women a nd men in a dvertisements
r a ther th a n p a id models (The Dove,
2014). This m a rketing str a tegy lends
itself to the idea tha t society ca n crea te
a generation of young girls and teenagers
h a ppy a nd comfort a ble in their own
skin, influenced by people with positive
life goa ls a nd missions.
In conclusion, the pa th to crea ting a
society of well-rounded a nd influentia l
fema les ma y not be ea sy, but with good
implementation, and strong commitment
to positive medi a, m a rketing a nd
dvertising, it c n be done. It is no
question tha t teens a re ea sily influenced
by the things they see, rea d a nd hea r.
Bec use of this, they c n be just s
ea sily influenced in a positive ma nner
by being exposed to positive messa ges
from the media, and a form of a positive
mess a ge on a school-wide level. By
doing these things, the future of girls
in terms of thinking, a ppea ra nce a nd
beh a vior will be fostered by positive
thinking a nd optimism.
References
Grant, Adam. (2013). Why Men Need Women.
The New York T imes.
Hallett, Tom. (2014). Cialdini’s Six Principles of
Influence. Mind T ools Ltd.
Klos, Diana M. (2013). The Status of Women
in the U.S. Media 2013. Rep. New York City:
Women’s Media Center.
Lambiase, Jacqueline.(2014). Codes of Online
Sexuality: Celebrity, Gender and Marketing
on the Web. ProQuest Database.
Mokeyane, K. N. (2014). Media’s Positive &
Negative Influence on Teenagers. Global
Post.
Negative Influences of Media on the Society.
(2014). Influence Guide.
The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty. (2014).
Johnson and Johnson.
Elizabeth Rojas is a sophomore at the University of California,
Merced. She is currently pursuing a degree in Cognitive Science
with a Public Health minor. Elizabeth has been passionate about
Women’s Studies since attending her alma mater,Flintridge Sacred
Heart Academy,in La Canada,California. Elizabeth has aspirations of
becoming an Obstetrician-Gynecologist,and is currently a member of Phi
Delta Epsilon International Pre-Medical
Fraternity.。