Recently, Jennifer Siebel Newson had found out that she was pregnant and was having a baby girl,

Throughout reading the story, I felt the mother and daughter always had a problem with people accepting them for who they were. The theme about wanting people to accept you is a hard one to talk about because I feel that everyone wants to feel accepted. Some people want that to happen without them changing themselves and some people will change themselves if it means that they’re with the rest. Acceptance is what the mother really wants because she’s always had problems with men and it hurt that her husband left her for an even heavier woman. The daughter, on the other hand, still wants people to accept her, but she’s come to terms with ‘reality’ that she’ll never be the lucky one, “I’d lost this contest at birth...I’d lost the contest in borrowed shoes and an out-of-date dress...I’d lost the contest with the engagement ring on my seventeen-year-old finger” (Mauk & Metz, 2016, pg. 36).

He introduces the story of JonBenet Ramsey who had been murdered as a result of competing in pageants and becoming the eye of the media. “JonBenet Ramsey, who would have turned 21 had she not been brutally murdered, remains the most famous pageant girl in the world. All one has to do is say her name and the images come flooding back—not those from photos of her home in Boulder, CO, where she was found in the basement on December 26, 1996, but those of the 6-year-old pixie strutting across pageant stages, looking like a baby Marilyn Monroe with makeup more suited to a woman several times her age” (Hollandsworth 2). The appeal to fear fallacy accompanies as we see different occasions where Hollandsworth is trying to warn the parents by showing them all the negative effects pageant life can have on young girls. “After JonBenet's death, a few journalists went so far as to suggest that her tricked-up pageant look was the reason for her murder” (Hollandsworth 4). Guilt comes frequently to ensure that readers have remorse in supporting the child pageantry in any way. “The message these little girls take away is that natural beauty isn't enough — that their self-esteem and sense of self-worth only comes from being the most attractive girl in the room, not from being smart or resourceful or tough or creative” (Hollandsworth 3). An

Jessica began struggling with her mental health and how she viewed her body in seventh grade, the year she made an account on the popular social media site, Instagram. Jessica’s world started to change as she spent more time online viewing the mirages of perfect lives. Everyday, she consumed edited “thinspiration” photos, and with each passing day Jessica felt more insecure about how her body measured up. She became intoxicated in the world that was social media and obsessed over popular Instagram models (people who earn endorsements on the site and advance their modeling career through Instagram). Instagram was once a fun way to interact with friends, but each time she used the website, she fed the growing destruction within her mind. Extreme dieting seemed like the only way for Jessica to achieve the pinnacle of beauty she saw every time she went on her phone. She sought validation of her appearance in likes, comments, and followers. When she didn’t get as many likes as her peers, her self-esteem plummeted. Satisfaction was never achieved for Jessica; no matter how toned her body became or how many followers she gained, she never felt like it was enough, as someone always looked better than her. After several years of maintaining detrimental habits, Jessica started to realize that social

Sarah’s mom suffered from effects related to diabetes and passed away and her father passed away from cardiac dysfunction. Also, Sarah and her husband begin to have problems with her marriage. In her early 40’s, I decided that Sarah and her husband were in an unhealthy relationship and needed to file for divorce and live separate lives. She begins to focus more on herself and being with her children and close friends after the divorce. Ten years later, Sarah finds a new romance and is again married. At this point in adulthood, Sarah’s children are all grown up at this point in adulthood. Hannah graduated from school, gotten married, and has a child named Lucy. Sarah’s other child Will, has gone to college and is attending a top-ranked program for engineering. Sarah’s health must be watched closely during this stage in adulthood because previous stressors in her life caused significant weight changes earlier on in adulthood. As Sarah enters late adulthood, she comes to terms with her identity and is always finding new ways to engage in different

It seems like every young girl dreams of becoming a model these days. Every young girl has the desire to get thinner than other girls in order to look like models on T.V, magazines and so on. The New York Times publishes articles for the majority of the audience to read, which is mostly adults. Mim Udovitch’s article, “A Secret Society of the Starving” talks about two major eating disorders that are anorexia and bulimia within many girls. Udovitch reports stories about three girls that are going through these disorders or have gone through them. The three girls Udovitch includes are Claire, Chaos, and Futurebird. Ken Jackson’s interpretation of

     Something that Mary Pipher has brought up in the first chapter of her book was how society is causing young women to suffer many different problems. One of the most common and worst problems that arise is eating disorders. The media may be the culprit for this issue. Girls who are striving to be thin, and fit the mold of a star may never reach their goal, under natural conditions. As a result

In a recent survey done by the National institute on Media and the Family, fifth graders, ten year old boys and girls told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show “Friends.”(4) If this isn’t shocking enough, the research group reported that at the age of thirteen, fifty-three percent of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to seventy-eight percent by the time the girls reach seventeen. Also, eating disorders are beginning to start at an alarming young age. Statistics show that girls are developing eating disorders at the age of six.(1) Young girls that are exposed to appearance focused television programs, and magazine shows feel that they need to look like the models that they see. Most of these girls are not even have fully developed bodies yet and are already trying to perfect themselves. One girl had even shared how one of her best friends discovered that her fifth grade cousin was bulimic. Girls at that age should not even be concerned with their bodies yet and eating disorders being developed is a harsh wake up call as to how young girls everywhere are being effected by the media each and everyday.

I can remember her standing in front of the mirror looking at herself. How she thought she was beautiful, I don’t know. Because the image I saw was of a person who looked like a living corpse. She had to have weighed only 100 pounds, her hair so thin, the black bags under her eyes, and her overall grayish complexion made her look as if she were a dead. As she saw me staring at her in the corner of her eye, she slammed the door in my face. That was the big sister that I knew now. She was no longer the big sister that I could go to and get advice from or have a good laugh with. No, she was too busy with her own schedule and not to mention her terrible mood swings. My older sister

The book staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher focuses on two best friends in high school named Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune. These two friends as well as many other characters endure both emotional and physical trauma after the discovery of Sarah Byrnes being in a mental hospital due to her abusive father. The eventful tale told by Eric shouldn’t be banned or challenged. Reasons for this include the upbringing of sensitive topics that are discussed from chapter to chapter. As well as an important lesson of the true meaning of friendship.

Katie is raised by a single mother like Tyrec and uses the childrearing method of natural child growth. That’s it. The Brindle’s are a poor family struggling to make ends meet as Ms. Brindle is currently unemployed as she raises her eighteen month old child “Melmel” and lives off the welfare system and child support she gets. Due to the abusive lifestyle that she has experienced as well, she has taken a larger toll, physically and psychologically, than a lot of thirty-seven year old women. Katie herself has experienced difficulties with her being sexually abused in the first grade that has affected her life. Therefore, the involvement of Katie’s extended family is huge. Her grandmother plays a role in being an additional caregiver in her life. Social problems seem to be an everyday occurrence for the Brindle’s as they try to live their everyday lives. As a result, Katie acts older than her age (nine years) due to the added responsibility of trying to take care of herself at times. Ms. Brindle’s parenting style of natural growth may have affected how mature Katie is, but it the Katie’s past and current environment that has had a greater influence in her

Sarah had and might have some intellectual setbacks. She is below her peers intellectually and has had some learning deficiencies with articulation, mathematics, and chemistry. At the age of 12 her father died and that was when she had taken a turn for the worse. Argued and fought, had gotten a boyfriend who made her feel bad about her weight and lowered her self-esteem. Mother had found diet pills in Sarah’s room, but Sarah lied about them. During Sarah’s interview she was asked if there was anything she would change about herself and she said that if she could change anything it would be her appearance. She

Now, at the age of nineteen, Abigail is helping girls of all ages with their life struggles. Abigail's Tumblr account, "MixTapes & Winter Coats" addresses all things life-related. From what to do when you have low self-esteem, to love advice, to it's okay to feel the way you're feeling, "Abbie" covers it all. Most importantly, she sends the message that she's always here no matter what. Through her Tumblr, females find a place to stay when they're struggling with life. They take refuge in Abbie's social media account and it helps them feel less alone. Abbie's completely understanding and nonjudgmental. She's been through the life struggles of a girl, she knows what the pressure to be thin, beautiful, and perfect feels like, and she's overcome heartbreak. She still struggles every once in a while, but Abbie shows females that struggling is a part of life, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. She shares her struggles, she spreads positive words, encouragement, love, and it's like one giant internet

Currently in the United States Congress, only one of five individuals are female. There has never been a female president, and out of the 9 judicials in the Judicial Branch - only one is a woman. It is clear that men hold most of government positions. Men hold other authoritative positions as well, in business, in schools, and at home. Is this a surprise? Why don’t we see more women in these worthy roles? Women acquire many qualities that can benefit the world, but the crazed, advanced society shuts women down. Yes, men have proven themselves to be very successful and smart; but today’s society coerces women to climb mountains to achieve the respect, and the jobs that men receive. In foreign countries like Pakistan, women are taught not to

(Heubeck 2006) For many young people, especially girls, the ideal continues to chase them as they grow into young women. Young girls begin to internalize the stereotypes and judge themselves by media’s impossible standards. The power that the media holds in impacting the lives of young girls is detrimental and eventually affects their body image, their satisfaction of their own body, and portrayal of their body as an object.

Traumatic experiences may negatively impact one emotionally. Neglect and lack of support from one’s care taker can take a toll on one’s mental health. In the film, Jennifer is struggling internally because her father refuses to establish a relationship with her. He chooses to see the worst in her, which leads her to feel isolated. She is unable to feel joy about her accomplishments because she does not have her father’s approval. The Principal at her school encourages Jennifer to believe in herself and value her accomplishments. She empathizes with Jennifer and confides in her about her own father’s disapproval. This helps Jennifer feel like she is not alone and that it’s possible to move on without the support of one’s parent. The reassuring words of her Principal instill Jennifer with a sense of pride, instead of her usual feelings of disappointment and worthlessness. This indicates that lack of positive reaffirmation is impacting her development. This impacts her cognitive development. She is experiencing negative feelings and self-doubt due to the lack of support from a parent figure. There is another significant event