Girls and their Role Models (or lack thereof)

For my project, I will be discussing the lack of positive role models for young girls. In a time where the media has so much prevalence and influence over the lives of children and young adults, especially girls, role models are especially important to help inspire the youth of our current, and future generations. Although boys are also affected greatly by the images seen in the media, I feel as though girls have an even tougher time growing up in our patriarchal society without any positive images of what to aspire to do or be.

Women are barely represented in the media, and when they are, they are not displayed in a favorable light. They are either sex symbols, for men to desire, or homely homemakers who seem to live to clean. Neither image helps instill a good depiction of womanhood for girls to aspire to. Furthermore, dolls, which are simple plastic toys, aid in the destruction of girls proper development. Barbie, and other brands of dolls, with strangely proportioned bodies brainwash girls into believing that a manufactured toy is the ideal standard for beauty. Barbie’s have been proven to cause a negative emotional effect on girls, causing them to grow up with poor body image and low self esteem.

            Celebrities and other prominent women in the media, barely help to instill some sort of positive values into these girls who continue to grow up with poorer self esteem as time goes by. Girls who are too young to even be concerned with their appearances are now beginning to have negative views of themselves due to the recurrent images. Girls are forced to grow up too fast, and although many can blame the parents for not being more in charge of what is viewed by their children, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for parents to effectively monitor everything that a child sees. It is hard to walk down the block without being confronted by an image that aids the corruption.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792691/

http://www.willettsurvey.org/TMSTN/Gender/DoesBarbieMakeGirlsWantToBeThin.pdf

http://www.divinecaroline.com/life-etc/momhood/negative-effects-barbie-young-girls-long-term-results

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/women-role-models-girls-stem-education_b_2796192.html