Here at Drama High!

The most vulnerable individuals seem to always be viewed or thought of as tweens and teens, so who better to ask advice and hear some thoughts from a high school senior, Gabrielle S.

"It seems as though everyone in high school is always caught up in some form of drama", as said by Gabrielle herself. There are so many ways all of us are affected by the standards of media and society as well as the ways that we allow them to effect us. What if our most vulnerable times, (between tween-teen age) was different. What if we could understand ourselves outside of the pressures and insecurities, What would we sound like, look-like, be-like, how would our lives be different, and how would our futures be shifted ?

According to Gabrielle, the media and society affect more than just your view of self but also skews your understanding of the world ou
tside of high school.  Gabrielle only being a senior in high school and not yet having the experience to live or see outside of her high school life, although she is very mature she feels a sense of competition and pressure from standards that are difficult to live up to and not always realistic in her last year as a high school senior.

Gabrielle is in midst the of feeling the stresses between her, her classmates and group of friends while planning prom witch she feels everyone seems to think is going to be "the most rememberable moment for the rest of our lives". It isn't just prom that has everyone's panties in a bundle, this is just part of the many stresses that senior year comes along with. Aside from all the build up of drama from the facebook prom dress groups, Gabrielle finds her friends are also concerned with what there lives are going to be like as a high school senior graduate. College shopping, Dorm room decorating, and hearing the many rumors of what college life entails along with coping with the severe symptoms of senior itis- Gabrielle just wants to graduate already. One day she and all her friends may look back and have a different opinion on it all. Don't/didn'
t you?

Gabrielle personally feels, that the media affects the way that she looks in terms of body image and facial structure. She feels that she is constantly surrounded by images of completely unrealistic body shapes, sizes and beauty. As a very creative artsy but personable girl, she still thinks of these types of images as "Warped". She doesn't understand how she or anyone can have the knowledge to know that they aren't real and still be impacted negatively by them-including her!

As Gabrielle prepares to be an adult, she states "Mindset, If you dont have a strong mind, what do you have?". She also suggests that on days that she gets to the gym a little earlier, or pushes herself a little harder, and strives to eat healthier for the week that she feels better about herself.
Knowing this and how strong the power is versus the power of the negative images around her, she knows exactly how to bring herself back to a healthy state of mind.

With a strong passion of the arts, and film  Gabrielle understands strongly that she will always be bombarded with these types of pressures, In no though-way is she always confident. Just like everyone else she has hard downs and ups.

So to end the year off right Gabrielle will continue to build her self confidence and mind set for all the exciting things to come, for she knows that if she doesn't as challenging as this may be-there could be a lot she'd miss out on.

Dear sorority and college student self,

 

     When most of us think about college, we think this is a terminal point of growth, were reaching a pivotal time of acceptance and it’s that moment before we spread our wings fully to adulthood.

Sorority, and senior student at Adelphi University speaks up about the challenges she faced at these moments and what her understanding of this time means. Coming out of high school, I was sad to say goodbye but excited to start a new, nervous and anxious I stepped foot in my first class as a freshmen, to the start of my college experience. I knew I wanted to make the most out of college and really spread myself out there, to allow myself to experience it all so I turned to the ideas of joining a sorority. These are the thoughts experienced by Emily K.

As nerve racking as all of this was, I chose to see what sororities were about, I went against all the judging rumors and comments society and the media presented it to be. Today, Emily is happy for her final decision to seek out the perfect sorority for her. She learned quickly that everything the media and society made it out to be was wrong. Funnily, Emily connected to every part of her growing relationship with her sorority.

Just as her sorority and any sorority are judged, Emily felt judged as well. She faced many bittersweet feelings, anxiety, and fear, but also joy and fun experiences. To Emily’s, understandings this is normal, “don’t we all feel pressure from the media and society?-good and bad?”.

Growing up, she felt extreme pressure about her personal and families’ financial status,. She explains that she sees a lot in the media and in her eyes it is all about money, success, and power. This sets a bar for what society accepts and rejects. And this is where as an individual in society I felt pressure. Her greatest examples of being pressured, starts her senior year of high school. Emily felt that as a senior everyone graduating needs to have a car- and she got one, but every senior in her high school had one.

Emily remembers most kids in middle school and high school feeling easily pressured. As she could best explain it,

“It is like being at an open house party during your high school years and everyone is smoking. And there is that one kid that you can feel his vulnerability and willingness to do anything to fit it so he tries smoking-why? Because that’s what you do, that’s what you think at that age. It’s all about fitting in and being cool!”

Today, Emily is a few months away from graduation. She has hopes and plans to go on to graduate school and become a high school guidance counselor. With her experiences she hopes to walk many children threw and be helpful during these times. Especially, in a growing technological world. She feels even though she still battles with her own identity and insecurities, that in a way it’s normal.

As Emily gets closer and closer to graduation, she knows that her experience’s, in the past, present and in the future will only help build her as a better guidance counselor and she will hopefully fill many high school seniors with positive and curious mindsets about growing into the college scene while finding your sense of self and identifying when, what and how society and the media impact each one of us.

Emily is the greatest inspiritaion for many young adults heading into the beginning of the adult life; and if you wish to seek any further interest in her you can reach her at;

https://www.facebook.com/emily.kummer.58/  

Unbalanced, but Strong...

As an average individual growing up, we face many challenges. This is obviously becomes more difficult when dealing with the almighty power struggle of finding our true self, with the overshadowing effects of the media and society.

In my own struggles with life at a young age, on top of my search to find myself without fault or argument, I met my best friend Danielle Cocchi.

When I think of strength I immediately think; "Danielle-Cocchi". I for sure had my own share as any other girl with insecurity issues. I was constantly fighting myself, whether it was weight, my hair, my clothes, grades- you name it- I found reason to argue it.

 There is no doubt that most of my own issues came directly from what the media and society present to me as acceptable.

When Danielle was born;  her small but tough, baby self-battled many health issues. So clearly-Danielle was born a fighter, so who else better to learn from?

Danielle’s intestines were mangled making it difficult for food to reach her stomach. In the immediate 6 hours of being born on July 19, 1988, she received surgery and was at great risk of death.

After her surgery, her health faced more complications, when she was 1 years old she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Danielle most certainly did not give up fighting even though this gave her several challenges, including learning to walk. 

At 6 years old, she received a surgery that rotated her hips and would hopefully make it easier to walk. Danielle had a small limp in her walk, but it never took anything away from her smile and confidence- at least from an outside perspective.


At 13 years old an age full of insecurities, uncomfortable hormonal growth changes and middle school issues. Danielle was diagnosed with a seizure disorder, but didn’t stop fighting. And today, Danielle is still one of the strongest individuals I know today.

She made me realize that life is so much more than standing in a boxing match fighting yourself- In Danille's mind, "There is enough bad in the word, why choose to see more negative?"

This boxing match never challanged Danielle, she was always overcoming of all quick punches, undercuts and uppercuts. She taught me in several ways just leading as a role model how to win these fights myself. 

She is not just a powerful role model to me; she positively influences many more than I believe she even realizes herself. This is why I chose to interview her.

Danielle chooses to see the media as an outlet; she believes that society itself is filled with so much bad she does not understand seeing more negative. She creates her own rules, battling all that she has and getting threw it gives her confidence.

She continues to build on her own confidence even with daily reminders that are inescapable, like her scars; while the media also greatly affects how she feels about her weight and face.

So for a girl like me, who found it difficult to face myself at times? I turn to people like Danielle, whom I never saw walk down any school hallway without her most necessary accessory- Self Confidence.

And for anyone else whom wants to ask Danielle more, or chitchat, you can find her at;  http://www.facebook.com/dcocchi1 




For more info on the two types of seizure's Danielle has-
Grand Mal- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000695.htm

Petit Mal-http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000696.htm

A Behind the Scenes Point of View...

It is clear that, media and society affect every individual. What ways do you think you are or have been impacted, weather positive and negative?

We will all most probably contemplate many different ideas about how people are influenced or persuaded but may all agree “everyone is”. This includes the makers, creators and everyone involved behind the scenes, as well. But being manipulated personally can steer you blind of who are affected.

  Do you think being behind a camera, or behind the scenes of entertainment changes the way a person is influenced?

To give you a different perspective of this I sat with Deb A., a recent graduate, and Master Control Operator for Viacom/MTV Networks, specifically networking for MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. She is an average 25-year-old ordinary girl outside of work and school, no different from any of you. 

Deb suggests there are many angles and ways to interpret media and how it affects you; she chose’s to let it inspire her. Deb's job makes her responsible for assuring that there are no complications for airing TV shows. The pressure and importance of her job has given her the opportunity to build on her confidence and experiance differently everyday.

We can usually find Deb in her control room; in jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. Her comfortable casual work attire doesn’t make her feel like she needs to impress anyone or get extra “beautified”. She feels she has great relationships with her colleagues and she doesn’t particularly think the media in any strong negative sense affects them, this is possibly the attitude you may need to be a working as a professional in this type of field environment.

She also stated strongly, that if she did not suggest days were she might have felt, “ugly or pretty” she’d be lying. Aside from her job, Deb feels that just like every girl in the world we feel up’s and downs. No matter the type of pressure we feel, if we remember that even the most beautiful, successful and popular girls the world have the same struggles time to time, everything else is easier to digest. 

 In the most simplistic way Deb’s attitude suggests that to be affected by the media, society or each other is being “human”, it is also a decision solely on the individual to choose what will affect you and what won't.

Spoken in her words from behind the scenes of entertainment TV,

“Perception is everything, the media can affect me but I choose how. I choose to not let the media control how I feel about my body or self-image in a negative way”.

Just yesterday Deb was a little girl who was usually found in front of a TV with big dreams and a growing passion, growing up all to quickly to find herself on the other side of TV as a grown working professional.

She learned that over the years your confidence and self-reflection change and grow, but today Deb finds herself confident in her own light and vision even if she is surrounded and involved in a job that keeps her right in front of the creation of spotlight entertainment.

On a concluding thought, I’ll leave you with this powerful statement, that tells us a lot about Deb’s character;

“I choose to look at the powerful women in the entertainment industry as inspiration and motivation. If they can achieve their dreams, look great and raise a family, so can I. The media can put pressure on you to be many things but if you see those things as negatives then of course you’re going to feel controlled by it. But if you see some things as positives and use it to better yourself as a person and who you are, then you can feel inspired, motivated and empowered.”

These images were taken with oppurtunities D.A had during internships in college, not at her current job. 

Mtv.comVH1.comComedycentral.com

This link will give you much information regarding all the details of Deb’s job;http://www.viacom.com/ourbrands/medianetworks/mtvnetworks/pages/default.aspx%C2%A0