Facing Society

Is it really only the second day? It feels as though I already know and connect with my classmates on a level deeper than just knowing names. Our morning consisted of two small group discussions. During the first one, we listed the characteristics of a leader that we thought were most essential. To name a few, we came up with patient, self-motivated, understanding, and persistent. Of all the different aspects of being a leader, my group and I agreed that the most significant quality of a leader is the amount of passion they portray in certain situations. My classmates and I were put into groups of three for our second group discussion of the day. This was probably my favorite part of the morning because we (Molly, our new friend Lizzie, and I) touched base on our personal strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, passions, and purposes in our world. It was nice being able to once again open up and share our true feelings about different ideas. One thing that we were all able to relate to was our tendencies to shrug off a compliment because it's so hard to take, due to our insecurities and lack of confidence. My talk with these two ladies boosted up my confidence itself, so I really enjoyed that.

Hanging out with Mr. Bear before Zumba.

Later, we spent the last few hours of class watching a documentary film entitled Miss Representation. The statistics, words, and images that were presented in the film were all completely mystifying! I learned a whole lot about the various ways that society places women. For the most part, women are generally degraded and thought of as an object in the media. Go to a convenient store and grab a random magazine. What do you see? Turn on your TV and watch MTV. What do you hear? In my opinion, the most shocking part of it all were the layers of makeup and levels of Photoshop enhancements it takes to create a "perfect" picture. A "perfect" example of what all women should look like -- long hair, hour glass body, high cheek bones, flawless skin. The "perfect" woman that guys always look for. Throughout the years, society has shaped itself to have a mindset that a person's outward appearance defines what's inside. There was so much more information that I'm unable to tackle, but this is what struck to me the most. I highly, HIGHLY recommend that you watch this film.

Homework on the Main Green!

This definitely motivates me to do something to make an impact among the young ladies in my high school and former middle school. I believe that every person is subconsciously guilty of sharing the same mindset as the media that a "perfect" figure exists, and that one's not worthy of anything until your physical appearance is acceptable to society's standards. I personally catch myself wishing I can have the face of models and the body of Kim Kardashian. Today I realized that I don't need all of that to be beautiful. The film encourages girls and women of all ages to feel comfortable in their own skin. I want to come back to my middle and high schools and spread the word to my fellow ladies. I know a lot of them lack confidence and couldn't go a day without their makeup. It concerns me to see my friends stress about their weight, whether it be "overweight" and "underweight". I put those in quotes because those girls usually perceive themselves as imperfect when they're actually fine the way the are. It's really just society's image of the ideal body that causes them to feel uncomfortable in their own bodies. I want to make an impact on at least one girl at a time. As a leader, I want to educate them and be their role model. That way, they will be inspired enough to raise awareness in the following generation and the generations after.

The topic of social stereotypes among women appealed to me so much that I think my Action Plan will pertain to that. I don't want to share my ideas because, well, I want it to be a surprise! 

Note: The photos are pretty irrelevant, but I thought I'd share our experiences outside of class as well.