Teen Magazines and their Influences free essay sample

Looks at the influence of teen magazines on teenage girls and how it affects their views of themselves. This paper describes how teen magazines influence the way teenage girls view themselves and affect their self-esteem. The author examines the bombardment of perfect female images on girls, and how they struggle to achieve such standards of beauty. The paper discussed how young women begin to define themselves solely on how they look and how teen magazines teach girls that it is acceptable to be seen as objects. In the past few decades, teenage girls have been tremendously preoccupied with their looks. They are obsessed with their makeup, their hair, their clothes, and their weight. What is responsible for this obsession? If you flip through any one of the numerous teen magazines on the market, you will find on just about every page one of the following: a makeup ad, pictures of super-skinny, flawless models, tips on how to improve your looks or change your body, or pictures of girls being portrayed as sex objects. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Magazines and their Influences or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Free Essays on Hidden Agression In Women

According to Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Odd, â€Å"There is a hidden culture of girls’ aggression in which bullying is epidemic, distinctive, and destructive† (Simmons 2000). When boys bully each other it is done with violence and physical acts. They tend to attack strangers or acquaintances (Simmons 2002). Girls attack within tightly knit networks of friends. This aggression is harder for teachers and parents to identify and increases the damage to the victims. Rachel Simmons says, †Behind a faà §ade of female intimacy lies a terrain traveled in secret, marked with anguish, and nourished by silence†(Simmons 2002). Everyday many girls are being threatened and tormented by girls they thought were their friends. Many of the stories I read came from girls who were bullied by their best friends. When a teacher thinks of a bully she thinks of a boy. When a girl says she is being bullied the teacher just says it is girls being girls and acting catty. â€Å"Studies have established that approximately 15 percent of students are either bullied regularly or are iniators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993). Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary school years, and decline during the high school years. Also school size, racial composition, and school setting do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the occurrence of bullying. Research shows that students who engage in bullying behaviors seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control. They often defend their actions by saying that their victims provoked them in some way. Bullies often come from homes in which physical punishment is used, children are taught to strike out physically as a way to handle problems and parental involvement are usually lacking. Some characteristics of bullies victimize others because they feel bad about themselves. Victims of bullies are usually anxious, insecure, and have low self-esteem. They won’t usually defend thems... Free Essays on Hidden Agression In Women Free Essays on Hidden Agression In Women According to Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Odd, â€Å"There is a hidden culture of girls’ aggression in which bullying is epidemic, distinctive, and destructive† (Simmons 2000). When boys bully each other it is done with violence and physical acts. They tend to attack strangers or acquaintances (Simmons 2002). Girls attack within tightly knit networks of friends. This aggression is harder for teachers and parents to identify and increases the damage to the victims. Rachel Simmons says, †Behind a faà §ade of female intimacy lies a terrain traveled in secret, marked with anguish, and nourished by silence†(Simmons 2002). Everyday many girls are being threatened and tormented by girls they thought were their friends. Many of the stories I read came from girls who were bullied by their best friends. When a teacher thinks of a bully she thinks of a boy. When a girl says she is being bullied the teacher just says it is girls being girls and acting catty. â€Å"Studies have established that approximately 15 percent of students are either bullied regularly or are iniators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993). Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary school years, and decline during the high school years. Also school size, racial composition, and school setting do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the occurrence of bullying. Research shows that students who engage in bullying behaviors seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control. They often defend their actions by saying that their victims provoked them in some way. Bullies often come from homes in which physical punishment is used, children are taught to strike out physically as a way to handle problems and parental involvement are usually lacking. Some characteristics of bullies victimize others because they feel bad about themselves. Victims of bullies are usually anxious, insecure, and have low self-esteem. They won’t usually defend thems...

Canadian History Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Canadian History Paper - Essay Example But the problem remains: Canada cannot realize its full political and economic promise with a foreign monarch as its head of state, one whose presence is a constant reminder of the nation’s colonial past. As such, Canada should sever its ties to the constitutional monarchy. In March 2002, Prince Charles visited Mexico City to promote trade between Mexico and Great Britain. As often happens when a member of the royal family embarks on a diplomatic visit to the Americas, Canada’s economic position in the international community is marginalized by what can best be described as an awkward, hierarchical relationship. Charles’ mission to Mexico offers a case in point: Mexico and Canada are trading partners under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and yet according to Canada’s constitutional ties to Name 2 the British throne, the Prince of Wales was there ostensibly as proxy for Canada’s legal head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. In the market place of international commerce, sovereignty and prestige are important to engendering and maintaining confidence among a nation’s business partners. ... When Britain sought membership in the European Economic Community in 1961, Canada, through no fault of its own, found itself in an awkward and potentially damaging situation with the United States. The U.S. complained that Britain’s move into the EEC would pull Canada into a preferential European agreement, which â€Å"would threaten American trading interests by†¦linking Britain and its current and former colonies into the large European market† (Buckner, 109). The constitutional monarchy has also placed undue pressure on Canada’s domestic political scene. Quebec’s lingering separatist movement has for decades drawn on the country’s ties to Britain, the very symbol of imperial/colonialist domination, for political ammunition. The queen’s 1964 visit to Quebec, one of her most disastrous forays into North America, exacerbated anti-union sentiment in Quebec. She was booed in Quebec City, and Rene Levesque, Quebec’s minister of Natur al Resources, boycotted the banquet celebrating the royal visit (Buckner, 89). Worse still, civil unrest followed marked by acts of violence involving protesters and the provincial police, whose actions made martyrs of the separatists. Name 3 Canada’s increasing ethnic diversity has, in recent years, called into question whether a constitutional monarchy is an appropriate institution for a democratic, pluralistic society. It is difficult to imagine that a constitutional monarchy could ever be a unifying factor in a country where citizens of English ancestry are now in the minority (Leuprecht, 68). The continued presence of the Queen (and her successor) affirms a â€Å"symbolic executive (who) would seem to be limited not only for those in Quebec but for the many

Economics and Health Care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics and Health Care - Research Paper Example Cost-minimization techniques, for example, can be used to select the method that uses the minimum resources to produce a certain health outcome. In addition, cost-utility analysis helps hospital management and doctors to evaluate treatments on the basis of â€Å"utility-based outcome units.† Implications of Poor Health Care System As economics mainly deals with market economy concerns, applying those principles to health care while ignoring the differences between health care and traditional consumer goods can lead to certain economic and social problems. Friedman (2013) has identified some of the weaknesses of the American health care system which can help to illustrate the impact of economics on health care systems as well as the costs of a poorly functioning health care system on society. The Medicaid system is an integral part of the American health care system. Since 1960, it has provided affordable health care to many Americans who could not afford it. Insurance companie s have also contributed much by reducing the costs of health care significantly for consumers. However, Friedman (2013) states that the American health care system is not as efficient as many claim it to be. Some of the so-called reforms to the health care system reflect misunderstanding of economic forces by policymakers. Friedman (2013) argues that current reforms are transferring a greater proportion of the health care costs from the insurance companies to those who need health care, with the effect that the consumer will become increasingly price-sensitive and quality health care will become beyond the reach of many Americans. This move is founded on the misplaced notion that insurance coverage encourages people to consume more health care services than they really... This research paper outlines the particularity of applying basic principles of economic to health care. Economics is a social science that seeks to explain how society allocates its scarce resources to satisfy the demand for goods . Howewer, health care is different from conventional goods and services There are a number of ways in which health care may be regarded as an economic good. There is an absence of a â€Å"market price† that is determined by the interaction of demand and supply forces in health care Economic principles can be used to ensure that equal use of health care services is provided to people with equal health care needs Measures such as cost-minimization analysis, cost effectiveness, cost-utility analysis and cost-benefit analysis can be used to maintain high levels of efficiency in the health care system. Friedman identified some of the weaknesses of the American health care system which can help to illustrate the impact of economics on health care systems as well as the costs of a poorly functioning health care system on society the Obamacare reforms have become controversial mainly because of the increased costs of providing federally subsidized insurance plans to consumers Hospital administrations in collaboration with insurers and other stakeholders have developed a host of statistical tools to monitor and evaluate the efficient of health care processes. There exists a statistical tool that compares whether individual physician treatments are more efficient compared to physician teams administering treatments. This tool is used to determine, for instance, whether solo physician treatment compared to group physician treatment may be more effective at reducing the number of patient visits to the physician

Introduction to Islam- Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Introduction to Islam- - Essay Example Seen in this context, Islam is a world religion that not only cherishes the man's relationship with God, but also encourages a self imposed discipline and a consideration for the rights and privileges of others. After the atrocities of September 11, many of us who are Muslim intellectuals living and working in North America made a discovery that deepened the horrors of that terrible day. We learned, to our intense dismay, that some of the Muslim organizations around us were getting their notions about Islam from Middle Eastern or South Asian preachers who preached a deeply illiberal "us against them" worldview and reviled the proposition that Muslims should learn the basic civic virtues and responsibilities of life in a free,. democratic, and a pluralist society (Sachedina 307). Never before the Islam was in a danger of being so grossly misinterpreted, by the Muslims and non Muslims throughout the Western world. The post 9/11 situation left the liberal Muslims in the developed world with a painful dilemma. Not only they found themselves to be the victims of the acts of hatred perpetrated by a small but intimidating section of the local population, but they also realized that the hardliners within their own community and throughout the world looked at them with suspicion and disgust. It left them with a predicament that urgently called for an intense catechism about their allegiance to their faith, their rights and duties as a citizen and their responsibilities as the devout Muslims in the countries adopted by them as their homeland.While projecting themselves as the authentic and legitimate champions of Islam," these preachers of intolerance continue to promote seclusion and mistrust (Sachedina 307)". The fundamentalist elements within the Muslim community are trying hard to project a picture of Islam that is incompatible with the contemporary ethos of democracy, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. They are bent upon unleashing a war of civilizations. Such an unhealthy trend gives way to many pertinent questions. Is Islam incompatible with the contemporary Western mores and values Do Muslims living in the Western world will have to make a choice between their faith or "basic civic virtues and responsibilities (Sachedina 307)" Has Islam got no message or relevance for the modern world and is anachronistic in a modern context Infact, any person, be it a Muslim or a non Muslim, who has a basic insight into and an understanding of the tenets of Islam is often surprised to find that Islam propagates a holistic attitude towards life that propagates and asserts the rights and duties of all the sections of the society, be it the women, the children, the aged, the physically challenged, the non Muslims, the capitalists, the laborers and the pe asants, the colored races, the intelligentsia and almost everybody. The issues and causes supported by feminism, the anti globalization movement, the

Education Via Facebook Benefits And Challenges Education Essay

Education Via Facebook Benefits And Challenges Education Essay As many teachers might attest, students diligently clicking away at their laptops during class are not always taking notes or interacting with class material. If their minds are wondering, chances are they are browsing the Internet. Though the internet provides many options for diversion, statistics show that one of the most likely places students are spending a portion of their class time is on Facebook. As likely as Facebook is to be a distraction in the classroom it also has the potential to be a teaching tool when used strategically and creatively. Social Media is an emerging technology with growing popularity. Most students and educators are familiar with Facebook. Some argue that Facebook isnt a reliable mean to transform knowledge between educators and students and is viewed as rather distracting than beneficiary. In this paper, I will review findings by some researchers to understand the relationship between Facebook and education, and whether it could be a reliable mean to b e used in Education by educators and students as nowadays, people are divided into two major groups in terms of familiarly with technology: digital immigrants and digital natives (Siegle 2011). Digital natives are those who have always relied on technology as a way of life where Digital Immigrants are people who live in two worlds, one of which technology is overlooked. In the second world, it dominated our lives and became a recognized necessity (Siegle 2011); e.g. while digital immigrants prefer to use emails; digital natives prefer to use text messaging. Conventional media such as radio, television, and newspapers are associated with many challenges related to high costs and access limitations. Social media, on the other hand, is highly accessible anytime and anywhere the internet can reach (Tiryakioglu and Erzurum 2011). Conventional media cannot be changed after production, whereas social media can be immediately changed and/or updated via comments, likes, and dislikes. According to researchers, social networks can help developing communication skills and encourage participation and social commitment (Tiryakioglu and Erzurum 2011) Facebook can be defined as an online platform where users can create profiles, generate and share content and information, and interact with other known and unknown contacts (Boyd and Ellison 2007). Following its launch in 2006, Facebook has grown rapidly in terms of the number of users and the amount of time its users spend browsing compared to other websites. Facebook is now considered to be the dominant network of all the international social networks and has led people to abandon other websites like MySpace, which some have gone so far as to refer to as the ghetto of social networks (Siegle 2011). In this paper, I will present and discuss what other scholars have concluded from their research on the use and effects of social networks (i.e. Facebook) in education. The studies used in this paper were conducted on teachers, university professors, college students, and high school students to understand and assess the usage of social networks in the light of education and its effect on students academic achievements as well as fulfilling the desire of promoting knowledge and maintaining effective and efficient student interaction with educators. This paper will eventually answer the following question: does Facebook usage by students and educators improve the interaction between both parties to promote knowledge? The objective of this essay is to present the benefits and challenges that face students and educators in practicing their role in education in the light of using Facebook. Communication through Facebook is different from traditional face-to-face communication. First, friendships through Facebook are explicit, where traditional friendships usually tend to be implicit. Secondly, conversations through Facebook are persistent. They are permanently stored and easily retrieved at any point in time. Finally, Facebook conversations are shared with all friends who can access someones profile (Siegle 2011). While Facebook enhances the process of communication, it is important to perceive it as a possible threat to its users privacy, which may in turn cost them educational and career opportunities (Siegle 2011). Fortunately, this threat can be avoided by a simple application of personal judgement before sharing private matters a person does not desire to be shareable with anyone at any point in time. Before I discuss the usage of Facebook by college students, lets take an overview on the first time Facebook is used by young users (teenagers, for example). Unlike the past, teens dont need to physically leave the house to socialize. Facebook is used as a primary communication activity through which they post, comment, and share information with each other. To preserve this tool, young users ought to be advised from the beginning as to how to use social networks responsibly and be aware of all the issues that might arise from such activity including exposed privacy. Facebook can provide a window into anyones life. Given that fact, it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor and provide guidelines to their children once they start using Facebook. The use of Facebook by students entails education-related interactions, while some use it to obtain information on a missed class, others may use Facebook to engage in humorous comments about their own and their teachers actions. Todays classroom lexicon contains words with different meanings, including post, message, tag, poke, and inbox (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). No one can deny the fact that Facebook broke down the barriers between students and educators because the informal learning that occurs in the context of sharing media offers important opportunities for increased student involvement in formal learning settings (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). Psychologists have argued that a learning community would perform its best if the characteristics of connectedness and trust have been established amongst the learners (Fewkes and McCabe 2012). For this reason, education remains one of the areas most heavily impacted by technology. Although some argue that technologies like Facebook could involve some challenges for students, that is, when implementing new technologies in classrooms, it is important that teachers focus on promoting knowledge rather than simply being a source of information (Siegle 2011). Moreover, the nature of multimedia can captivate students easily; too much multimedia stimulation can interfere with the deeper cognitive processing that is critical to learning (The American Psychological Association). Aaron M. Fewkes and Mike McCabe conducted a survey on a sample of students at Waterloo Regional District School Board after the latter had made a decision to embrace the growing popularity of Facebook to verify if their vision of using Facebook in schools aligns with the actual behaviour of the students. The results show that 48% of students do log on to Facebook at least once during class time, moreover, the research exposed a possible disconnect between school board and students due to improper implementation of this policy. Facebook, however, can be a powerful communication tool that could serve as a professional resource for educators. ( Pilgrim and Bledsoe, 2011). Educators can respond to the use of technology in their classrooms in five ways: 1 1. Ban it: This has been deemed ineffective due to the fact that technology is becoming a part of our life that we constantly use. Typical workarounds are hiding devices behind books and texting from pockets. 2. Do business as usual: I disagree with this behaviour of educators as it is the educators responsibility to engage the students in their classrooms 3. Limit the use of Technology: a clear guideline indicating what is to be tolerated and what would be unacceptable. 4. Enhance traditional practice: Technology is dependent on users. 5. Use the technology to restructure the educational process: encourage students to use technology for inquiry, problem solving and/or instruction. If I was an instructor, my choice would be the fifth option, as it is the most effective and efficient according to the studies conducted by Pilgrim, Beldsoe, and Siegle, who all have concluded in their studies the importance of learning how to incorporate Facebook into the education process. The use of technology allows students to use social media websites like Facebook to engage in formal or informal discussions with their instructor as well as their fellow students. There are many ways educators and students can connect using Facebook. For instance, the teacher can post comments for the students, students can post their final work for their peers to review and provide feedback, and also students can use the wall feature to ask questions and respond to each other. In addition, I would set up a central page where all classroom mates can join to participate at any time of their choice to exchange knowledge and understanding of the subject being studied. Using social media should be, however, accompanied by some important precautions which educators should adhere to when using Facebook as a tool for educating students:2 1. Teachers should consider setting up a separate Facebook account 2. Educators should obtain signed parental consent prior to interacting with young students on Facebook. 3. Teachers should refrain from installing any applications on their page that would negatively affect their professional image. 4. Educators should remind students that they need to transfer the respectful tone teachers expect in class to their online interactions with them and ensure that students are aware that a teachers ethical responsibility will continue online. According to some studies (Seigle 2011), educators who relied on Facebook to follow professional organizations were more knowledgeable than those who did not (Pilgrim and Bledsoe 2011). We live in an age in which we are fully dependent on instant updates and information, the rationale behind using Facebook as a tool for professional learning adopts the idea that the internet is this generations defining technology for literacy (Pilgrim and Bledsoe 2011). Facebook is indeed an important source of information for educators who seek to continue their learning. According to a study conducted on university instructors in Turkey, all instructors who participated in the survey somehow use Facebook in their courses; even the instructor with the lowest frequency had used Facebook to make announcements about the course by creating a group. The study concludes that instructors have adopted Facebook and they are using it intensively, with a greater tendency toward its use for educational purpose s. According to my cited sources, the studies recognized Facebook as a reliable source for academicians because it is flexible and user friendly, in addition, the sources emphasized on the role of Facebook as a medium between students and instructors and argued that Facebook can neither be solely dependable for conducting courses nor can it be ignored. After I have explored the usage of Facebook by educators as well as students and identified the benefits and challenges of such usage by each party, I can assert that Facebook is a dependable, reliable, and popular medium through which both educators and students can interact appropriately. In order for this medium of communication to work in its most effective and efficient way, students need to be trustful and self-regulated, that is, to refrain from the over- use of Facebook and eventually the addiction to it leading to damage to their potential academic achievement. In conclusion, Educators and students use Facebook; the education process should be focused on the interaction of each party with the other and not the technology itself. Facebook opens new doors to students and allows their knowledge to grow. Facebook also allows them to learn about themselves from their peers. It is my belief that social networks like Facebook will continue to evolve and optimize the education channels in the context of human communication. Educators should consider Facebook as a mean of enhanced communication that provides traceability to what has been discussed and a source of feedback and/or evaluation on whether the discussion has fulfilled what it is mandated for or not.

Childhood Obesity Essay -- Obesity in Adolescents

Childhood Obesity Introduction The past several decades have seen an escalating trend in the rate of childhood obesity not only in the United States where 25%-30% of children are affected, but also in many of the industrialized nations. Childhood obesity has continued to be a major issue in the public health care system. The economic cost of the medical expenses as well as the lost income resulting from the complications of obesity both in children and adults has been estimated at almost $100 billion (Barnes, 2011). Overweight children are more predisposed to the danger of becoming overweight in their adulthood unless they ensure healthier eating habits and exercise. It is worth noting that the current lifestyle in which many children spend a lot of time watching television as well as the consumption of sugary and fatty foods has significantly contributed to the high prevalence of childhood obesity. Regarding the causes of childhood obesity, several theories of etiology including genetic, developmental, and environmental, have been proposed. Despite the prevalence of childhood obesity rising dramatically over the past 3 or 4 decades, major challenges still face the fight against the condition due to its underdiagnosis and undertreatment. It is worth noting that with careful physical examination and evaluation of disease history, unnecessary diagnostic procedures and the need for expensive equipment can be avoided. Given the rising concern about childhood obesity, this paper will discuss several issues. These include the history, epidemiology, etiology, course and prognosis onset, and how the disorder is represented in the DSM IV TR with its associated features. History of childhood obesity The health risks associated with ob... ... and substance abuse in the DSM-IV. Therefore, some people have strongly suggested that childhood obesity be regarded as a food addiction which has a psychological origin and thus deserves to be fully represented in the DSM-IV TR (O’Brien & Volkow, 2007). It is also vital to note that despite the increasing association between obesity and mental health, this relationship has been inconsistently confirmed in literature. For instance, researchers have established that as a child grows to yound adulthood, the prevalence of obesity and depression increases. Certain prospective studies and a significant number of cross sectional studies have alluded to the link between obesity and depression. However, a precise summary of the links between the two conditions is unavailable in literature (Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences Management & Yagnik, 2009, p. 4).