Hw 51: Paper... A day in the Academic, Home and Social Life of a Teenage Girl

Adolescence is always looked upon as a difficult stage in any young persons life, because it is a period of rapid change. A loss of innocence and freedom puts kids in various crossroads when choosing what kind of identity they want to fulfill as young adults. They are given higher expectations and more responsibility, yet still instructed to obey to the orders instructed by authority figures. Its a confusing time, but especially complex for the female student.

Being a girl in the 21st century has its perks and disadvantages. The uprising of technology has made completing school assignments much easier. Transportation is more advanced, innovations in and outside of homes make thinks easier to use and niftier to play with. But all this digitization also makes escaping social standards difficult as well. It seems that the Internet and constant communication takes away from any person's time alone with just their own thoughts. People don't always take a quiet moment to reflect on things anymore, or to really THINK matters about the world through. Rather, we are calling, texting, IMing or chatting with others their age, always looking for a second opinion, always seeking an opportunity to converse.

It could be the persons desire to receive affirmation from another. Without being available, there would be no way to gain acknowledgement or acceptance. Your have to be seen to get noticed. Always ready. Anytime, anywhere. Even in school.

School has become a battleground for many growing girls. There is not only tremendous pressure to meet the academic expectations set by teachers and parents, but in hitting a certain age there is social expectations as well. Freud has a theory about a child's "Latency period" a stage where "during the latency period, children pour this repressed libidal energy into asexual pursuits such as school, athletics, and same-sex friendships." This comes right before puberty, and the confusion of hormones and sexual desires begin to confuse and distract the individual. In the prepubescent period, girls act more like their true selves without having deal with the burden of worrying to please anyone but themselves.  "But soon puberty strikes, and the genitals once again become a central focus of libidal energy." In this stage, once girls begin to develop sexual feelings for the opposite (or same) sex, things like appearance and acceptance become more of the central concern.

Because girls are raised in a culture where the mass media promotes constant double standards and unrealistic portrays of beauty, these young gurls resport to mimicking the dangerous actions of the unstable role modles they see on T.V. and in fashion magazines. They are brainswashed to beleive they must use a certain product, have a certain style and look a certain way in order to fit in and overall, be happy with their lives. At school doesn't prompt them to believe anything else since they are told what to do there too.

Conforming becomes a scarpegoat from the constant badgering of keeping up in school, because its easier to gossip then write a 5 page paper. But if girls were encouraged to express themselves more and follow their passions, maybe they wouldn't need to seek affirmation from one another when they fall short with their parents at teachers.
Authority figures need to be more realistic with the boundreies they give their followers, because by pushing them too hard they might completely push them to unhealthy rebellion.

For girls this is especially hard due to their sensitivity and fragile ego's. Girls are told from a young age that their role in this society is to be the damsil in distress, to wait for a strong handsome man to save and marry them, and then to have their children. Men are encouraged to be successful, power hungry and beings that embody masculinity. Gender roles are a bit scewed and this effects the way girls look at themselves and their futures greatly.

Some girls become people pleasers, not really listening to themselves for guidance. They go to extreme measures to fit the social norms, which could potentially by harmful to their heath and overall wellness.  Our girls are being raised in toxic enviornments, and that may be why some grow depressed and unstable.