TV Shows
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
The Secret Life of the American Teenager is a show that is basically centered around the false perception of American teens. If a foreign person sees just ten minutes of the show they will come to the assumption that all teens have sex, and all teens get pregnant. The show displays a constant race by teens to have a boyfriend/girlfriend, loose their virginity, and be like "everyone else". The false portrayal of American teens is showing the real teenagers what their "secret life" should be like. It's underlying messages are that everyone does it and it's okay to get pregnant at 15. The media is influencing some teenagers to be sexually active, when they don't necessarily need to be and they are not mentally and emotionally ready.
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show that brings models to a place where they compete against each other to move to the next round and eventually be America's Top Model. The show displays what America is perceiving to be the "perfect" women. Watching the television show you really get a feeling of what beauty should look like. Being beautiful does not mean you're 5 11" and 110 lbs. What it really means is you have a smile on your face and you walk tall and are confident. Shows like America's Next Top Model really can influence how you feel about your body. Like magazines and celebrities, America's Next Top Model can alter your body image and make you feel like you're not good enough. The women on the show get criticized for minuscule imperfections. It really makes you dwell of the imperfections of your own body and lead to doing unhealthy things such as not eating or purging. 69% of girls in one study said that magazine and TV models influence their idea of a perfect body shape.
Hannah Montana
Like many other child sitcoms, Hannah Montana promotes the positive idea that kids can do anything, be anything, and achieve anything. Although it is stressed by not only the media, kids need to learn to be a little bit more realistic in choosing their goals and aspirations. Hannah Montana makes little girls think it's possible to be a regular teenager and a pop star! It isn't very possible to be a fake celebrity and basically lie about your identity to the entire world, but still go to school everyday and maintain normal relationships. The television series shows children that it is possible to basically live two lives and that it is okay to lie to half the world about your identity. The show also hides the flaws and stresses of being a celebrity and makes kids think that you can lead two lives. It also can alter the body image of a young teen or child that is influenced to believe that beauty is perfection.
Jersey Shore
The hit television series, Jersey Shore became a craze. The show not only influenced partying, but it took influence to a whole other level. The Jersey Shore created a life style of young adults and made drinking and fighting appealing and the "it" thing to do. The show displays a group of 25 year olds that are far too old to be spending the summer partying, having fun and going clubbing at the beach. The cast picks up girls at clubs and basically does what every parent tells a child not to do. Not only did Jersey Shore create a new generation of lazy, drunken, young adults, but it also put a false label on Italian Americans. The stereotype that all Italians are vulgar, obnoxious, and trashy is a very offensive label that is now associated with Italian Americans. While some may be like this, real Italians are definitely not. I don't thing any culture endorses drinking until you become unconscious or going home with a random stranger you met at a club.
