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

Sylvia Davi, ON MY TEAM

http://media.myfotojournal.com/blogs/svp/header/resized_IMG_9047.jpg

When Discussing Beauty, Personality, and our selves; do you ever question how much you truly know about yourself?

This is a question that is difficult to ask, but also difficult to answer as well.

How are we able to know ourselves without the incredible and strong impacts that society shadows over us?

This is a topic that can be contemplated over and over again.  Society and media in one-way shape and or form affect all humans. And has anyone ever asked or thought about if its effects are contagious?

DO you remember a time when you were young and we all had to dress with the same style, have the same toys and climb this playground of popularity to fit in but yet stand out?

Who set those standards? This is pure proof of how the business aspects of media and society completely run the world. But what if they didn’t? What If we lived in a world where we could not be affected by such things?

This is something called, “Media Literate”. If we were taught to know and understand all the airbrushing, photoshopping, cuts and re-takes that the media is created of and spread onto our society would we still be the same?

The idea of being, “Media Literate”, is to know and understand everything that occurs behind the scenes to sell, entertain and push products’ and create medium between society and media. With this knowledge, do we or would we still take in the media the same as if we did not understand what being media literate.

While I myself struggled with the ideas of society and the impacts of the media, and trying to create a balance with my own wants and desires I worked with Sylvia Davi, a certified nutritionist and health specialist and qualified yoga instructor. Sylvia created a plan to help me with a successful and useful diet I can follow by. As most people see the “word”, diet and suggest it has something to do with “eating and loosing weight”, This was not the case what so ever. With all of Sylvia’s qualifications she created a plan to help me seek a way to loose weight, workout, eat healthier and clear and detox my mind. We planned on creating a balance.

Yoga is the simplest form of balancing exercise and balance within the body and mind and connecting the two.  Sylvia also made me a book full of tips, tricks and exercises to help clear my mind of the worlds wants and help make mind louder.

This consisted of breathing exercises, myths and facts about the media’s false advertisement editing and nutrition facts about foods that help clear the mind and make the body feel “healthier”.

Working with Sylvia has taught me a lot about how much the media plays on society, and how easily individuals like you or me get suckered into the business world.

This is a challenge that I can healthily recognize today as a challenge I will always be working on especially with growth, because with growth comes change.

When speaking to Sylvia on depth about all the areas and ways she thinks society and the media affect people, she managed to say there are many. And in some sad cases many fall under developing serious emotional and psychological issues, such as eating disorders and or depression.

 In a world that is being taken over by technology, it is easy to develop symptoms of A.D.D. How can any individual pay attention or be entertained for any small amount of time without being entertained at every waking moment. Today we are constantly entertained, with cell phones, television, radio- think about your average day-to-day routine. We wake up to an alarm sometimes our alarms are the radio, we wake to the radio or the television we get dressed, showered, eat breakfast sometimes on the go and jump into our cars with the radio?-sound familiar?

It is strange that in today’s generation it is difficult for us to read novels where as the generation before us find no difficulty at all. Media is also taking over the ways that we learn. We can easily loose sight of how to communicate, write papers, and edit papers, read, and research. In the past it is obvious no one had the use of Microsoft word and other forms of technology that enabled us to type a paper, have it edited, spell checked and emailed on a scheduled due date; there where no forms of search engines such as google, yahoo or aol that with the click of a button all of our research is in out hands on an instant. And with the use of texting, skyping, emailing and instant messaging it is obvious our means to communicate properly and effective is becoming more and more difficult.

Although, many of these forms of technology may sound that they can help us to create our lives to be simpler they help to complicate them as well.

They help us subliminally reach for standards of perfection that the media and society expects us to. If we think back to history when women stayed home, and men where the breadwinners technology helped create the women to become more competitive with one another and define who we were. Our jobs were to clean the home, and to tae care of our husbands and children, But as the advancements of technology increased with vacuums and clothing irons it began to be a greater and greater reflection of who we were as individuals.

Should this be? Does this seem fair? Is this something that can still be occurring in different forms and fashions?

In examining just the physical aspects and expectations of the media, these are some facts to help us contemplate this issue that Sylvia included in book she created for me, and called “Life in its fullness is Mother Nature obeyed”—Weston Price …

1.     Twenty years ago models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today they weigh 23% less than the average woman.

2.     When meeting others your should focus on something besides your appearance. Strive to be interesting, nurturing, witty and a good listener.

3.     Expand your definition of beauty, Define your inner self and be defined by it.

4.     See yourself as a whole person, not as individual body parts

5.     Be realistic about what you can change, and learn to be happy with what you cannot.

6.     Of Barbie was a real woman she would have to walk on all fours due to her body proportions.

7.     If GI Joe were a real person, he;d have bigger biceps than any human.

Sources:

Seek Wellness: http://www.seekwellness.com/weight/body image and you.htm

About Face: http://www.about-face.org/educate-yourself/get-the-facts/#.US423hxt3tg

National Institute on the Media and Family: http://www.familyservices.bc.ca/professionals-a-educators/jessies-legacy/resources-for-parents-families-a-friends/fashion-a-media/314-national-institute-on-media-and-the-family

  

Pros and Cons of Media Influence

Are we at WAR?

with Media and Society? 

In the World we live in today, technology is on the rise. This raises several questions for each and every 

individual about themselves. The struggle to find truth is becoming more and more difficult. Technology allows 

us to bring many positives into our lives but many negatives as well, how do we find a balance? In a world of 

airbrushing and photoshopping, plastic surgery, and social media, are we allowing all of these technological 

advances to take away from who we are and all of our knowledge? Now, many of you may think "How could 

this be reducing our power of knowledge if we are creating these systems ourselves". 

That may be a great point, but also this could be a blinding question. Many Strong and valid questions come to mind while having such a debate. With texting, instant messaging, facebooking, and such we could possibly be hurting our ability to communicate, but we could also be enhancing it. Human beings are and always will be advancing themselves and civilization weather it's for better or worse we will continue to push forward. 

Even though technology can be used to save a dying person or enable people to talk and see each other while at opposite ends of the planet, it can also cause people to become lazy and complacent. Being that there are several positives to the rise of technology, it creates a bigger issue of sight to the realities and effects the media imposes on us. 

 Throughout history we have all been exposed to different ways of living, with this we have all been in a sense taught to act a certain way and our identities were therefore created for us the minute we were born. The main factor of this is not society but the media is the driving factor reminding us of the standards that society expects us to meet. 

According to an article by Julia T. Wood and the communication Department of North Carolina University, 

"All forms of media communicate images of the sexes, many of which perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical, and limiting perceptions"(p. 31, Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender).

This article goes into great detail in regards to the history and all of the areas that women and men are effected by the media and all the issues that it affects them. These are important topics to be aware of, its important to our future and how it affects then just as much as now. Looking deeply into the business aspect of the media and sales, It is not always clear as to whom is taking a bigger hit, male or female. It may appear that woman are affected greater, but today, according to many studies and professionals this statement is being.

 To what extent does the media affect or effect us? This is a challenging question. Where and how can we hide from technology and its incredible growth? In every aspect that technology touches us, we are being effected in someway. There have been many questions about the implications media has on us. Is technology increasing, statistics of teen suicide, eating disorders, school shootings, bullying all of these types of situations can certainly be traced in some way to being or having some part of influence from the media.

 Many people rant and rave about equality and that people want to fight for an even playing field but some may argue technology has done just the opposite. Years ago people could go home and escape ridicule from classmates but now it extends to your home and computer everyday. As a hairdresser and make up artist I am shown many forms of the effects the media has pushed onto our society and it differs in each generation.

 ...Is technology good or evil? I'll leave that up to you.

Thank you for your photo; 
http://networkmovements.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/socialmedia1.png