Media and Body Image - Essay Essay Example for Free

Media and Body Image Essay Essay How does the media influence our body image? In what forms, does the media influence our perceptions about our body? These were the two questions that I asked myself in order to do the research paper and the panel discussion. In my opinion, I would agree that the media does influence and promote women and men to believe that the cultures standards for body image are ideal. Hence, the phrases, thin is in and the perfect body are two examples of eye-catching headlines that I observed in many women magazines. I learned that the media influences us through television, fashion and health magazines, music videos, film, commercials, and various other advertisements. Sadly, as a result, this repeated exposure, the thin ideal, can lead many young girls in triggering eating disorders, depression, low self-esteem, stress, and suicide. After acquiring this relevant information, I decided to focus my research on what type of media influences elementary school children and the adolescent teenager. The three central types of media that I found that did indeed influence body image are: Fashion magazines, famous top-models and actresses, and teenage or young adult women in the music industry. According to the Seretean Center for Health Promotion, the term, body image has been coined to describe a persons inner sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the physical appearance of her/his body. (From The Wellness Column, April 1, 1996.) In my research, I found that many young girls are dissatisfied with their bodies and many strive to look like the waif-thin models or actresses one sees on television or in fashion magazines. There was a lot of information and facts on body and image that I found on the Internet. However, one website, Just Think Foundation, supported my belief that the media, magazines in particular, do indeed influence young girls to be thin in order to be popular and beautiful in our society. For example, I was in alarmed to learn that eighty percent of 10-year-old American girls diet; more than five million Americans suffer from eating disorders and ninety percent of those are adolescent and young adult women; the number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner; and between elementary and high school, the percentage of girls in the U.S. who are happy with the way I am drops from 60% to 29%. (from Just Think Foundation) These facts were  from the JTFs Body Image Project compiled by Jean Holzgang that is an awareness campaign on body image. In fashion magazines, many young girls see waif-thin models like Kate Moss who is one of many top models that sadly represents the perfect body image that young girls are striving towards. Unfortunately, many teen girls do not understand that looking exactly like their favorite supermodel is unrealistic. In fact, as for the supermodel photos, many are retouched before they are printed out, the fashion clothes are often duct-taped to enhance fit, many blemishes are covered or altered, there is at least two inches removed from the thighs, and the average fashion model weighs 23-25% less than the average woman. All this in order to create that ideal or perfect body image everyone is striving for and sadly dying for. This compulsion to be thin has led many young girls to have a negative body image that dangerously paves the way to eating disorders, such as Anorexia and Bulimia, in order for them to achieve their desire for thinness. In television and movies, many teen girls watch and observe these actresses, such as Calista Flockhart, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Gweneth Paltrow, Lara Flynn Boyle, and many others who have seemed to have went from an average weight to a sickly, death look. This seems to be setting a dangerous trend for the American culture, particularly women and young girls. In fact, there are endless images of thin women on television, in movies, in women and mens magazines and in commercials. For instance, these Hollywood role models do have a great impact on young viewers and many parents are very worried that their daughters are trying to imitate their favorite stars. According to Adrienne Ressler, body-image specialist at the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Fla., For adolescents, the ideal for the person they want to be when they grow up is either a movie star, TV actress or supermodel, and the emphasis is very much on external appearance. Our patients would die-and practically do-to look like Calista Flockhart. ( People, 10-18-99) In the music industry, the most popular media influence is the music video and the types of fashion trends the performer displays onstage. The most popular young adult performer is teen sensation Britney Spears. This pretty, young lady is only 17 years old and already has had a huge impact on the teen girls. For example, recently, Miss Spears was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and she stirred up controversy when it appeared to look like the singer had  breast enhancements or simply, breast implants. (In all fairness, I did not have a chance to view that cover of Rolling Stone.) Miss Spears has denied the bre ast implant allegation and is quoted as saying; her mother would kill her if she had such a operation. However, I read that many fans believe that she does look different from her first video, Baby One More Time, with her latest, Sometimes, in that her breasts do look like they were surgically enhanced. This rumor has a great deal of parents worried that their own daughters might want to emulate the teen pop idol because she is promoting the ideal image of a young girls body. Another example of a music video image is Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) of the well-known Spice Girls. She was considered a head-turner because of her curvaceous good looks and designer clothes. So, know one would have thought of her as over-weight or too curvy, but at a recent Fashion party, many onlookers were stunned to see Beckhams jutting ribs and collarbones that fellow guests replied, She definitely looks like shes had a dramatic weight loss. (People, 10-18-99) These two examples plus the dozens of others I have read through my research, have allowed me to come to the conclusion that, many of Hollywoods mo st notable actresses and performers have become partners in the thin is in look in this industry. In my opinion, this is very disturbing and very dangerous for many young girls who look up to these women as Role models. In conclusion, I hope that T.V., magazines, music videos, commercials, retail stores and other mediums realize that there are women of all different shapes and sizes, there is a higher percentage of women that are usually an average size of 12 and there is evidence that a lesser percentage of women who are a size 2 to 4. Unfortunately, it is the size 2 to 4 women who are being recognized as the ideal body image in our society. Furthermore, I would rather have more women like Kate Winslet, Rosie ODonnell, Emme, and many other average women on the covers of popular magazines and in television. These are the true role models for me, the ones who promote healthy ways to lose weight, promote healthy ways to like yourself for who you are, and not promote the unhealthy body image that engrosses our mind

The Impact of the Internet on Schools :: Teaching Education Essays

The Impact of the Internet on Schools For this essay, I read an Article called: The Netgeneration: Internet as a classroom and community. After reading the article I came up with some very good points on how the internet has effected the way school are ran compared to the pre-computer and internet age. My conclusions are that the Internet has changed school classroom for the good by making information widely available and useable to even the poorest of schools. The internet has made it possible for teachers to communicate and learn what other teachers are doing in other countries by talking to colleagues in other countries and reading reports and research studies findings before they read the teaching methods books. The Internet also, gives teachers the ability to teach a class online so that their students will be able to stay on task when they are not able to come to class. The online class idea has also made it possible for the average person to get his or her degree with out having to go to a college campus physicall y. In total the Internet has not only increased the amount of learning possibilities in the classroom but it has created infinite amounts of learning opportunities for students and teachers. CLASSROOM Because of the Internet it is possible for schools to have access to books with out having them on the shelves of school libraries. New books and research studies are posted on the Internet daily for the world to read. In the past if you where from a poor school or a shelterd community that banded books from school libraries you may not be able to read some important infromantion. Making the student that had the oportunity to read and learn this new infromation better educated than a person whom did not have the same books in there school library shelves. The author of the article The internet as a classroom explains this fact when she says, "We have arrived at a new moment in history: a moment in which such terms as class, race, gender, sexuality, nationality and ideology are no longer useful" (Hendricks). This statement applies to education because information can be found on any subject on the web. If a school has a ban on reading a book a student can still find and read it online if he or she wants to. Censorship is not possible because of the technology called Internet.

American Agriculture

Analyze the ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period of 1865-1900. in your answer, evaluate farmers’ response. The period of 1865-1900 was one of the most crucial times in American history. It was a time period, in which America was mending, repairing, improving, reshaping, and reconstructing its society, economy, culture, and policies. Basically it was changing everything it stood for. This continual change can be seen in the following events that took place during this time. These events are both causes and effects of why America is what it is today. During the Civil War the economy in the North boomed — a continuation of the industrial advances from the 1840s. Technology was rapidly moving, economic conditions were rapidly changing, everything in the United States was booming—population, expansion, industries, etc. Technology was probably the most vital aspect of this time period. Railroads was/is the most influential thing that happened to the United States. If it wasn’t for railroads, America wouldn’t be what it is today. The railroads were a positive chain reaction. It changed American agriculture, delivering goods from state to state, sea to shining sea, etc. Railroads opened and expanded business in the Far West, where not much has been developed. There was much controversy concerning government policy and economic control. Individual enterprises fought diligently to dominate economic affairs but the government was obligated to intervene when unjust activity was apparent. It was unanimously believed, among businessmen, that the government should have very little say in economic issues, the basis for Laissez-Faire. Laissez-Faire was definitely incorporated in every issue concerning government policy. Many people are outraged with the political speakers. The people are saying that the political leaders have misled them. The Interstate Commerce Act was enacted to limit the freedom and wrongful capital gain of railways to benefit the people. The Senate passed the Sherman Antitrust Act, heavily influenced by the monopolies. The purpose of the act was to oppose the combination of entities that could potentially harm competition. Economic conditions during this time period were extreme. The Depression of 1893 was the most serious blow to the United States politics during the Gilded Age was the five-year depression that began in 1893. When the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad collapsed, a stock market panic ensued. Banks, railroads, & businesses closed, 20% unemployment; led to 1,400 labor strikes in 1894. Coxey’s Army in 1894 demanded government action to end the depression & job creation programs. Technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture for better and for worse. Farmers had many problems during this time. Farmers were plagued by falling prices, high railroad & mortgage rates, & deflationary policies. Farmers usually lashed out at Eastern bankers, railroads, and U. S monetary policies, as well as the continued debate over gold and silver currency. Farmers were generally outraged about overproduction and how they don’t earn enough. There is a lot of supply, but the demand is very low. This time period was probably one of the most changing times in American History. American Agriculture Technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period of 1865-1900 in numerous ways. In the late 19th century, new farm machinery made a huge impact. It gave farmers the opportunity to produce more crops then they ever previously been able to produce. Railroads also had an effect on the agriculture. They charged farmers fees that they were barely ever were able to pay back. The industry played a role in which they created monopolies and gained immense amount of wealth which dominated the farmers. The monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt, eventually producing outcomes such as the crop-lien system and sharecropping. All of these tie into government policy, which, more often than not, favored the large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers. Over the period of 1865-1900, Document A shows that agriculture was steadily declining. Wheat went from $2. 16 a bushel to $. 62. Cotton and corn both declined also, dropping from $. 83 to $. 10 a pound and $. 52 to $. 35 a bushel, respectively. Farmers were gradually losing profit from their produces. They thought they could compensate by producing more and more products, but this eventually caused overproduction and the prices hastily fell. Document A shows the trend of overproduction. Document G shows that all of the farmers’ difficulties could not just be blamed on overproduction alone. Railroad technology grew between 1870-1890 as Document B points out. As farmers exhausted soil in the eastern and central parts of the country, they had to continue spreading westward. As they expanded farther west, they reluctantly became more dependent on the railroads.

Rational Choice Theory Essay

A Significant theory to me will be the Rational Choice theory. This theory explains how people make decisions by seeking the most cost-effective means to achieve a specific goal without reflecting on the worthiness of that goal; to maximize personal advantage by weighing costs against benefits without moral or ethical values. It is a popular theory as it is an efficient system that explains and predicts a behavior of a person, and to larger extent, a collective group of people. Understanding this theory would allow a person to understand quickly how decisions are made, and the impact of the decisions on a society — how it functions and performs economically. Based on this theory, people’s measured decisions are often calculated based on financial benefits and costs. Singapore, by and large, has functioned on this theory, which has benefited from this tool of measurement and prospered since the days of nation building. However, this theory will work perfectly only if eve ryone in the society shares the same values, had perfect information, and the ability to make the most rational decisions at any point in time. People living in a society with homogenous values, such as Singapore, have similar behavioural patterns, which enable this theory to work. However, on a global scale, this theory will no longer work as peoples’ values are varied and culturally diverse. The most rational choice for one man might be an irrational choice for another. And when this occurs, there will be unpredictability and the results that follow can be disastrous. The Great Financial Crisis is a good example of the rational choice theory gone awry. Financial institutions’ goal is to maximize profits. To maximize profits, financial institutions have to find ways to create profits. One of these methods was to get creative with offering mortgage to people who wanted to own homes. Credit terms were made easy and the securities in place to safeguard the process were ignored. These consolidated loans were sold to big investment banks which resold them as securities offering high returns. Credit agencies working for these investment banks told investors’ that securities were safe. Selling a financial product based on a large group on loans was supposed to limit the risk if a few loans went bad. However, a large number of loans, later known as toxic, were borro wed by individuals with no financial means. Furthermore, many of these loans were offered in the form of adjustable rate mortgage, which started out with an initial period of low interest rate, and later ballooned up to three times the initial rate. All these borrowers were saddled with a monthly mortgage payment way beyond their monthly income. To make matters worse, the sprint to own a house on such easy terms had created a housing bubble, causing house prices to escalate astronomically. This phenomenon further pushed people to borrow way beyond their means. Consequently, millions of homeowners were unable to repay their mortgage loans. The financial institutions disregarded moral and ethical values to draw up shady credit schemes. Consolidated mortgages were bundled in with the toxic ones and resold for profits. Individuals felt the need to buy a house simply because everyone else was buying a house without the discretion of affordability and the hyper-inflated housing prices. Ea ch acted on imperfect knowledge to maximize personal benefits and disregard moral and ethical values. Rational choice theory can be an efficient method as a decision-making tool to attain goals, but it is definitely too simple an application on a macro context. To make a good decision, one has to balance cost-benefit analysis with moral and cultural factors.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Essay Example

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Essay Example The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Paper The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Paper In society, the standard for success is extremely high and sometimes overwhelming. Everyone has the same goals, but not everyone has the means or the opportunity to reach them. In high school, specifically, times are hard. Students are treated like kids but expected to make adult decisions about their lives. To most people, including myself, being successful is having money and power. But being successful is being happy. That’s because most young people are not happy with the stress and pressure put on them by adults to be successful. Success should not be defined by an admission to college or by numbers, it should be defined by whether the person really gained something of value. Society’s standards for success are illustrated through many different platforms such as literature, movies, and everyday interactions. In some parts of the world, the idea of success is only fantasy because the system instills that the poor will always be poor and the rich will get richer. Balram, from Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger, describes the government system in India as â€Å"a . Joke† because of the strict caste system. He was born into a poor family in a town that was nicknamed, â€Å"the darkness of India,† where he was surrounded by people who truly believes that they will never amount to anything. Most people in his hometown have only one standard of success: money. Balram is different because getting out of â€Å"the darkness† is what he considers successful. He celebrates wearing a uniform, rather than his old, raggedy clothes, and having a bed to sleep in, rather than sleeping on the streets. Although his uniform is old, and his bed is bug infested and dirty, he remains grateful. Balram knows that the only way he can move up in his society is to do something drastic, like killing his employer. It is evident that everyone is not granted the same opportunities simply because of where they live, or their ethnicity. For many years, America’

Rod Rosenstein Biography

Rod Rosenstein Biography Rod Rosenstein (born Rod Jay Rosenstein on January 13, 1965) is an American attorney and former criminal prosecutor who investigated tax fraud and public corruption before being tapped by Republican President George W. Bush to serve in the Department of Justice as a U.S. attorney in Maryland. Rosenstein enjoyed support and respect from Republicans and Democrats alike and served as the second in command at the Department of Justice under Bushs two successors in the White House, Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump. Rosensteins political legacy, though, will very likely center on his controversial move to appoint Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Russias attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Fast Facts: Rod Rosenstein Full Name: Rod Jay RosensteinKnown For: Deputy U.S. attorney general who appointed and oversaw special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential electionBorn: Jan. 13, 1965, in Lower Moreland, near PhiladelphiaParents Names: Robert and Gerri RosensteinSpouses Name: Lisa BarsoomianChildrens Names: Julia and AllisonEducation: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 1986 (B.S. in economics); Harvard Law School, 1989 (J.D.)Key Accomplishments: Winning respect from Republicans and Democrats alike in Washington as he became the longest-serving U.S. attorney in the country during the administration of President Donald Trump Early Years Rod Rosenstein was born and raised in Lower Moreland, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where his father operated a small business and his mother served on a local school board. It was there, he said at his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate, that he learned straightforward values. Work hard. Play by the rules. Question assumptions, but treat everyone with respect. Read widely, write coherently and speak thoughtfully. Expect nothing, and be grateful for everything. Remain gracious in times of defeat, and humble in moments of victory. And try to leave things better than you found them. Rosenstein attended public schools and graduated from Lower Moreland High School in 1982. He then entered the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied public policy, management, and economics. His interest in government led him to Harvard Law School after graduation. Rosenstein served as an intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts, a position that had a lasting impact on his career as a public servant. Career in Law Rosensteins long career as a government attorney began in 1990, when he first joined the Department of Justice as a trial attorney with the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division. From there, he launched into decades of prosecuting drug dealers, white-collar criminals and public corruption. As the U.S. attorney for Maryland, Rosenstein pressed for longer sentences for felons and battled inner-city gangs. Among Rosensteins most high-profile cases were prosecutions of: Baltimores elite Gun Trace Task Force, whose mission was to get guns off the streets and violent criminals behind bars; eight of its nine members were alleged in 2017 to have abused their power by shaking city residents down for cash, drugs and jewelry. Some members of the squad confessed to robbing residents, planting drugs on innocent people and reselling the substances to others.A Baltimore man who shot and killed a 3-year-old toddler who was playing on her front porch in Baltimore in 2014; the case remained unsolved for about three years when Rosenstein in 2017 accused a 28-year-old gang member of firing the gun at a member of a rival faction. These cases do not solve themselves. They get solved because of extraordinary work by honorable, decent, diligent law enforcement officers, Rosenstein said at the time.Dozens of people in prison-corruption scandals at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover; employees there were accused of smuggling drugs, cigarettes, cellphones an d pornographic movies into the facility and selling them. Rosenstein also: Recommended the firing of FBI Director James Comey over his handling of the investigation into Democrat Hillary Clintons email servers.Appointed Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Russias attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the case. Legal observers describe him as a tough, law-and-order prosecutor who is also fair-minded and nonpartisan. Heres a look at the various positions Rosenstein held prior to his time as deputy to Attorney General Sessions. 1993-94: Counsel to the deputy attorney general;1994-95: Special assistant to the Criminal Division’s assistant attorney general;1995-97: Associate independent counsel under Ken Starr, whose office investigated Bill and Hillary Clintons business and real-estate dealings in Arkansas.1997-2001: Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland.2001-05: Principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, supervising criminal sections and coordinating tax enforcement activities of the Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Internal Revenue Service.2005-17: U.S. Attorney in Maryland, overseeing federal criminal and civil litigation.2017-Current: Deputy U.S. attorney general following President Donald J. Trumps nomination on Jan. 31, 2017, and Senate confirmation on April 25, 2017. Personal Life Rosenstein and his wife, Lisa Barsoomian, live in Maryland and have two children, Allison Liza and Julia Paige. Barsoomian worked as a government prosecutor and, later, as a lawyer for the National Institutes of Health. Important Quotes It is important to separate the role of politics in setting priorities and the decision to prosecute cases. And in the Justice Department that is what we do on a daily basis, that is how are trained. - Speaking to an ABC affiliate about his role as deputy attorney general.â€Å"The oath of office is an obligation. It requires me to support and defend the Constitution of the United States; to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution; and to well and faithfully discharge the duties of my office. I have taken that oath several times, and I have administered it many times. I know it by heart. I understand what it means, and I intend to follow it.† - Speaking at his confirmation hearing in 2017. Role in Trump Russia Investigation Rosenstein was a relatively unknown political figure outside of Maryland, even after being tapped as deputy attorney general and assuming oversight of Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. Rosenstein drew Trumps ire after appointing the special counsel, but threw his career into jeopardy by suggesting to colleagues he secretly record Trump in the White House to expose the chaos consuming the administration. Rosenstein also was said to have discussed recruiting cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows for the forceful removal of a president outside of the constitutional impeachment process.  Rosenstein denied the reports. While Rosenstein held onto his job after that controversy, Trump passed him over for a promotion in late 2018 when Session was fired as attorney general. Rosenstein had been the heir apparent to the position because of the terms of the federal Attorney General Succession Act, which gives the deputy attorney general authority when the top position becomes vacant. Sources Davis, Julie Hirschfeld, and Rebecca R. Ruiz. â€Å"Caught in White House Chaos, Justice Dept. Official Seeks Neutral Ground.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 May 2017.â€Å"Meet the Deputy Attorney General.† The United States Department of Justice, 21 June 2017.â€Å"U.S. Attorney in Baltimore Is Trumps Pick to Be Deputy Attorney General.† The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 Jan. 2017.Vignarajah, Thiru. â€Å"A Look at the Past Work of the Deputy AG Who Called for Comeys Firing.† Vox, Vox, 10 May 2017.

Basing Sentencing on Retributivist Principles is the Most Effective Essay

Basing Sentencing on Retributivist Principles is the Most Effective Means of Producing a Less Punitive Range of Outcomes - Essay Example Retributive principle has had both supporters and critics. Many believe that retributive justice is the way to go as it brings justice to the victim and punishes the offender. But its critics argue that it is based on negative emotions such as revenge and does not contribute positively. It is backward looking and not forward looking. This debate has been on for a long time and many scholars and researchers have tried to address this issue. One of the main arguments supporting retributive justice is that it helps in reducing similar offences and injustices in the future. This essay revolves around this idea. The author of this essay believes that basing sentencing on retributive principles is the most effective means of producing a less punitive range of outcomes. This essay is aimed at justifying this ideology. In order to effectively justify the above, it is first necessary to understand retributive justice. And then the author argues why it is an effective means of producing less p unitive range of outcomes. Retributive Justice Retributive Justice is based on a simple concept that the wrongdoers or criminals must be punished and the punishment should be proportional to the damage caused. In simple words, people must get what they deserve. This means that a labour who works hard deserves to be rewarded while those who break the rules deserve punishment. Also everybody has a choice in the way they treat others. Hence, people only deserve to be treated the way they choose to treat others. It is on these simple ideas that the retributive principles are based2. The simplicity of the idea behind retributive principles is what has lead to the confusion over retributive justice and has attracted criticism. The basic requirement of retributive justice is that punishment is proportional to the crime and cases that are similar must be treated in the same way. Wrongdoers inflict harm and cause damage and hence the punishment and blame that they deserve must be in direct p roportion to the damage and harm caused3. Criticism of Retributive Justice Retributive principles have been criticised by many. One of the main criticisms of retributive justice is that it is backward looking. The retributivist theory does not look into the future but is only concerned about the crime committed in the past. Punishment is only looked from the perspective of a victim or the aggrieved party. Punishment according to retributive principles is a response to the crime and not a way to bring about social good (to the offender or the society). Critics of retributive principles take utilitarian views to support their argument. Utilitarian justice is forward looking and punishment is looked at as a tool to bring in social benefits. The severity of the punishment is not proportional to the crime but is with a purpose to reduce such crimes or offences4. Failure to take various factors such as social, economical, etc into account during imposing a penalty is another argument that critics use against retributive principles. That is if an offender is awarded with a penalty only based on the factor that it is proportional to the crime committed, then it might not be an effective one. For example, if a millionaire and an unemployed offender are both awarded the same penalty or fine based on the crime committed, then it might create an unjust situation. For the unemployed offend