Popular Culture Assignment 1-4 Weekly Written Analysis 1

Erenne Coleman
Assignment 1-4
Weekly Written Analysis 1
Reading Dieting Articles Linked to Eating Disorders
Teen girls susectible to messages about weight-loss, study finds
"Get the body you want" or "Hit your dream weight now", is how the article begins. When you read an article with this type of headline, you already know where it is leading to. Weight, dieting and so on.
Are teen girls really being enticed by these headlines? A study says so, but I want to know exactly some case by case scenarios about these situations. Okay, it is saying that teen girls who read magazines on dieting are more likely to practice "extreme" weight loss, I think that it is suggesting that if a teen girl reads a magazine article about dieting, they are more likely to become anoerix or bulimic.
Predictions from studies have found that teens will be more likely to practice "unhealthy weight loss behavior", when reading magazine articles about dieting. Again, begs to differ in my opinion. I read those types of magazines when I was younger and it had no effect on me at all. Is it suggesting that our culture and society now is forcing teens to be mindful of their body and appearance? What has happened of being proud of who you are and how God made you?
In the article it states "But the underlying message these articles send are "You should be concerned about your weight and you should be doing something". What? Yes, if these teenage girls feel the pressures like this and are reading in between the lines in articles like this, then yes, this could be a problem. But again i raise the question, is pop culture to fault here?
Studys may be inaccurate because, teens may feel the need to tell reserachers what they think they want them to hear and not really how they feel at all. We have all been at this cross roads before when taking surveys, so really how do we measure the information correctly?
Yes, parents should be talking to their kids about this. You can only read so much, but to me positive reinforcement from home can go a long way with teens today. Would you agree?
Seventeen magazine reports they are not trying to decieve teens, but trying to promote "healthier lifystlyes". I have had a chance to view some of their articles and can agree that they give tips on recipes that are healthy and excersising as well. I found it to be positive while reading.
It was interesting to read at the end of the article "The study adds to evidence that girls' attitudes toward their bodies are shaped by popular culture". Well now, here it is. I want to look like a fashion model. Why does Tyra Banks look so nice. Some teens may feel the need to starve themselves to get the perfect body for the quick fix. Who wants to slave in the gym hours on end anymore. This statement hit the nail on the head in my opinion.