"Seventeen, Self Image, and Stereotypes"

The article “Seventeen, Self Image, and Stereotypes” by Bakari Chavanu really struck a chord with me. In it, Chavanu discusses the effects of commercial advertising on children and teenagers, including the perpetuation of stereotypes and standards of beauty. It is amazing to think about the amount of advertising that we are constantly exposed to. Between TV, radio, Internet, magazines, and other print materials, these messages are all around us. According to the article, a child will have seen 350,000 television commercials by the time they are 17. And this is just through television! These advertisements are extremely influential and are shaping children’s ideas about what they should look like, have, and do.

Chavanu goes on to explain how he handled these issues in his class where he taught a media literacy unit on advertising. He had his students critically examine various forms of advertising including TV commercials and print ads in teen magazines. Students were able to clearly see advertising tactics (such as adding upbeat music or enhancing the coloring of photos) as well as point out how certain racial groups and women were being portrayed. In addition, they discussed how images and ads shape our values. This quote from the article pretty much sums it up - "Not only do they sell products; they also sell ideas about romance, sex, success, beauty, and power."

I see the effects these messages have first hand on the children in my life. My two younger cousins, 10 and 13 year old boys, are already concerned about “getting fat” (they are both no where near overweight). They are scarily aware of their body image, watching what they eat and even “working out” (beyond typical child’s play). When I was young those thoughts never crossed my mind but of course the culture was different back then. It is sad to see how advertisements and portrayals of what is considered acceptable have negatively impacted today’s kids.

I also see the influence of advertisements in my classroom. Even in Pre-K, children are already aware of the latest and greatest toys and clothing, especially those related to TV and movie characters (now that’s another story!). I even have girls who come to school wearing costume jewelry and carrying tubes of lip balm that they call their “lipstick.” These ideas of what is cool and how one should look are coming from somewhere, and it’s clear to see that advertising plays a major role. As the article says, it is important to teach kids to be critically conscious rather than manipulated consumers and both parents and teachers should work together to support this.