The Diary of a Teenage Girl

1/20/2016 

The Diary of a Teenage Girl follows the tale of the intelligent and mature fifteen year old Minnie Goetze as she lives with the constant fear that no one will ever lover her. She is persistent to find love in hopes of filling the emptiness inside her, due to her mother distance. The plot takes a turn when Minnie and her mother's boyfriend, Monroe, begin a sexual romantic relationship. The two carry out their relationship despite Monroe's attempt to break it off after Minnie's mother suspects that there may be more than the two are telling. However, Monroe realizes that he can't break off the relationship with Minnie, in spite of his continuous relationship with Minnie's mother. Monroe is unable to break off the relationship because he realizes that he has feelings for Minnie, and maybe even loves her. In the corse of time, Minnie's  mother discovers the truth. Minnie's mother concludes that Monroe and Minnie must get married. Monroe agrees to the marriage and is convinced that Minnie will marry him as well. Unlike the girl at the beginning of the movie, Minnie runs away in disgust. Minnie reflects back to the beginning of the movie. She remembers how she always wanted to be like her mother because of her beauty and her seductiveness in getting several guys to love her. It is then when Minnie realizes that she doesn't need a man to love her. She realizes that unlike her mother, she does't need a man to be happy. 

The message that The Diary of a Teenage Girl sends is very powerful and has the ability to inspire other young women. Several teenage girls crave a relationship in which we are noticed and felt appreciated. Many of us are in love with the idea of love, leading our thoughts to be clouded. Several girls just want to feel like they are important. This leads many of us to lose sight of the important things. We forget that our happiness is based on our attitudes, not whether or not a guy "loves" us. The movie portrays this message to encourage young women to realize that relationships aren't everything and that we should focus more on our needs, rather then trying to please everyone else. 

Miss Representation

1/14/2016 

We are influenced by the media everyday. Recent studies by CNN have shown that teenagers spend an average of nine hours a day using media. By spending so much time on the media, we are unknowingly absorbing everything we see and read. The consequences of overexposure to media are commonly severe. 

The media often features the ideal "perfect body" that many women strive to acquire. These body images are blown up and displayed on every social media form, but most commonly in beauty advertising. By doing this, the media is sending the message to women that the only way to be beautiful is to look the certain way as portrayed in the advertisement, article or digital  entertainment. By constantly associating a specific body type with the idea of "beauty", many women will start to believe that the only form of beauty is looking like the models in the media.  

Blackfish

1/13/2016

The documentary Blackfish tells the chilling story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale who has taken the lives of several people while in captivity. The film displays shocking footage and emotional interviews that lead viewers deeper into the creature's day-to-day life while restrained at Sea World. The documentary shows viewers the cruel treatments that the species had to undergo while in captivity. 

This documentary triggered an emotional reaction for me. The torturing of innocent animals for our own entertainments is inhumane. The documentary describes the living situation in which the whales had to adapt to. Tilikum's tank dimensions measured to be 100ft by 50ft and just 35ft deep. For a whale weighing 12,500 pounds and measuring over 22 feet in length, it would be the equivalent of a human spending their life in a bathtub. 

Love Stuff

1/13/2016 

No there ain't nothing that I gotta prove

You think your words will make me black and blue 

But I, I think I'm pretty with these old boots on 

I think it's funny when I drink too much, hey 

You try and change me you can go to hell 

Cause I don't wanna be nobody else

I like the chip I got in my front teeth 

And I got bad tattoos you won't believe 

Elle King's most recent album, Love Stuff, was released on February 17, 2015. Both the album and it's lead single (Ex's and Oh's) have unwaveringly worked their way into the Top 10 of both Billboard's US Rock and Alternative charts. Through the popularity in Elle King's album, she is able to express powerful messages through her lyrics to inspire and encourage individuals. 

In the lyrics above, King is sending a very powerful message to society. Elle King is stating that there isn't anything that has to proven to anyone and that the only approval that matters is the approval of oneself. Elle King is encouraging people to stop trying to please others and instead to put their own needs first and please themselves. The next few lines go on to say that the negative words of others will always be present, but rather than accepting these "blows", individuals must ignore the unfavorable remarks and recognize their true beauty. True beauty, and Elle King goes on to say, is finding acceptance in yourself and acknowledging the uniqueness thats makes every individual beautiful. 

The song carries on to say that individuality is what makes life worth living and that variety is the key to living a fulfilled life. She adds that you should never feel inclined to change or conform to anyone's standards other than your own. She expresses that you are the real thing, and that changing would simply conceal your greatness. The closing lines of this stanza emphasizes the sometimes hidden beauty that everyone carries. She  expresses that in order to let true beauty radiate, individuals must accept and embrace their own unique traits. 

How to Save a Life

1/3/2016 

How To Save a Life is a song by the well-known American pop rock band, The Fray. The song can easily be recognized by any commoner, considering that the song has sold 4.7 million downloads as of January 2015. The song was released on August 28, 2005, instantly  capturing the hearts of mankind across the globe. However, the underlying  truth to the song is easily dimmed by the catchy tune in the background. 

The song was inspired when Isaac Slade, the lead singer, was mentoring a seventeen year old boy at a camp for troubled teens. The teen was a musician who was struggling to overcome his addictions to alcohol and drugs, and as well as depression. On an interview with USA today, Slade described the teen's situation in how his friends and family displayed little to no support in helping the boy to overcome the rough patch that he was currently going through. The boy's friends and family approached him by saying, "Quit taking drugs and cutting yourself or I won't talk to you again." For a teen battling depression and addiction, or anyone for that matter, this was not the type of support that could ever be considered "helpful" in anyway. 

The song How to Save a Life is about being in a difficult situation where you don't know what to do without the guidance and help provided by someone in a positive light, which is exactly what Isaac Slade provided for the young boy. 

Fifty Shades of Feminism

1/3/2016 

It has recently occurred to me that the relationship between the fictional characters, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, will be viewed as the romantic ideal for women. At the beginning of the movie (I have not and do not intend to read the novels), Anastasia seems to possess no sexual identity until the handsome and mysterious Christian Grey enters her life and requests that she become his submissive in a seemingly one-sided sexual relationship. 

In order to become Christian's submissive, Anastasia must read and sign a lengthy and detailed contract, which among other things, requires Ana to exercise four days a week with a trainer that is provided by Christian,  eat only from a list of foods Christian supplies her with, get eight hours of sleep a night and begin taking a form of birth control so Christian will not have to wear condoms. Anastasia manages to negotiate a few terms, such as exercising to only three days a week, but none of the terms are hers independently, nonetheless the terms in their relationship. 

As the relationship between Anastasia and Christian develop, Christian's controlling tendencies influence Anastasia's decisions more and more. Christian's possession of Anastasia is the cause of much of my disgust and fear of the book's influence on people and how they might view romantic relationships. The control he exercises over her does not reflect his love for her; it reflects his objectifying of her.  

Yes, as the movie progresses Anastasia feels confident, and maybe even free, for the first time in her life. However, none of the confidence she gained was from within herself. Anastasia believes that she never felt sexy until she met Christian. Anastasia believed that whatever Christian told her was the truth, so when Christian complimented her, Anastasia believed him. She did not come to the conclusion that she was beautiful from herself, but rather from being told that she was from a man. Because of his influence on her, nothing in her life came from herself — her job, her home, her way of life, and even her self-esteem.

Feel-Good Country

12/13/2015

   

One of the most debatable genres of music is country music. Although many despise this genre, country music plays a major role in my life and is by far one of the best genres to exist. Every song has a unique tone that can accommodate your every mood. Country music varies from feel good days to happy days to sad days, just like life. 

One of the main focuses to love country music is that there is a song for every mood you are feeling. When I'm feeling happy and ready to jam-out I instinctively turn on "How Country Feels" by Randy Houser. The beat that this song provides can make anyone want to jump around and sing right along! Even on sad days, I know I can count on Clay Walker's "She Won't Be Lonely Long." When listening to country music, I feel that a part of me is complete in which I am never alone and I always have someone to dance, and even cry, along with. Country music makes it easy to know that I'm not alone and that someone out there feels the same way I do. 

Country music is often left out or forgotten due to the modernization of new music. However, country music is like no other genre in which it possess the simple aspects that every song should carry. Country music has the ability to remind us all of the good old-fashioned times where simplicity was the prime. Country music has given me the ability to unwind and live a carefree lifestyle.