American Girl

log onto the internet. Television, magazines and movies have set out unrealistic representation of what the female body should look like. According to the author, “only 5% of North American women are underweight, 32 percent of female television and movie personalities are unhealthily thin” (ANRED sec.6). Many young girls and women look up to these movie and television stars as role models and can begin to feel inadequate about themselves especially when their friends also look up to and strive…

To Barbie or Not to Barbie Why does Barbie spark such an interest in younger girls if she has caused so much controversy over the years? There are many arguments that Barbie has a fully negative effect on little girl’s minds, but what about all the positive ones? Throughout the years Barbie has taken on more than 150 careers such as a CEO, Zookeeper, Racetrack Driver; you name it Barbie’s done it. “As an astronaut, she went to the moon 4 years before Neil Armstrong” according to the article…

In her article “The Caddie Woodlawn Syndrome,” Anne Scott MacLeod explores the typical upbringing of American girls in the nineteenth century. MacLeod notes that while the common assumption for a girl’s experience growing up in nineteenth century America was much different than Caddie’s, autobiographies written around the same time Caddie Woodlawn takes place tell a different truth. Elizabeth Allen, one of the women who wrote an autobiography, explains her experience growing up: “I suppose…

the main character, Esperanza struggle to find her place in Chicago, as well as within her own culture’s idea of the “perfect” woman, the ideal woman of her community and the ideal woman of the 80’s. In Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, we see two girls’ journey after they are abandoned by their mother in a small town located in Northern Idaho. Set in the 1950’s, we see Ruth and Lucille develop as they find their place within their small community and within society’s restrictions of this era.…

“America, you 're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you 're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the other, we 're being marketed makeup and clothing that obviously turns us into someone different” (Svitak, Adora). Society has created an image for the ideal body in today’s world that is harming girls everywhere. With the major advancements being made in technology everyday it is allowing for woman from multiple cultures to show off their bodies to the world.…

of beauty and the affect that it has on the average American teen and woman and how they are viewed by society and men. Our modern culture is shaped by actresses, celebrities and primarily supermodels, who have developed health disorders such as Anorexia and substance abuse, to fit the mold of beauty that has been formulated by the media and as a society we have been conditioned into believing that this is how women should look. “53% of young girls are unhappy with their bodies, this rate…

Why is it young girls look in the mirror and cringe? Why do young girls even look in the mirror at all? Perhaps it is the need to feel pretty. They dive deep into the mirror looking for “pretty” traits. Small waist. Wide hips. Long, Healthy hair. Flat Stomach. But then again comes the question, why do girls feel that being pretty physically is what matters. Society has taught us that it is on the outside that matters. The hair, the lips the eyes, rather than personality. For some what’s on…

listened to other guys’ stories about girls throughout his life. His memories start from when he was young, at around twelve or thirteen, when an older boy named Frankie talked about having sex with a girl and introduced him to pornography in the school yard where he felt “Wonderment. Not wonderful.” Later on, when he got more experience under his belt, the wonderment that he felt was substituted by embarrassment although he did not know if he was embarrassed for the girl being spoken about, the…

Jewish American women are faced with the prejudices of being female and of a persecuted religion. Despite the constant hate we receive, we make the biggest differences in the world. Women like Estee Lauder are people that young jewish girls can look up to. Coming from a religious background growing up in queens new york, Estee Lauder paved the way for female pioneers for future generations. Her legacy continues to this day in her cosmetic line, Estee Lauder. Lauder did not always see herself as…

A quinceanera is the spanish word for a girl who is fifteen. Among the many latinos in the United States today, quinceanera is the name also giving to the coming of age celebration on a girl’s fifteenth birthday. The word quinceanera has been around for centuries and has been in many different cultures and origins. A quinceanera can prepare a girl for womanhood, so the older women can teach them about the roles they will have to do in the near future. Today a quinceanera is a lavish party that…