Society sends mixed signals to the general population through social media and various news sources. Usually, self-love and acceptance are encouraged, but methods of self improvement are advertised constantly. Messages regarding weight management, acceptable clothing choices, and fad diets are plastered in large, bold lettering among every magazine and tabloid at every grocery store check-out line. As I unload my grocery cart, individually placing my Cheerios, Powerade, almond butter, various yogurts, and bread onto the rolling conveyer belt, the words forming the sentences, “Eat this and not that! Lose weight fast! Dress to impress!” catch my eye. I scan the rows of magazines. A voice buried deep inside of me digs its way into my immediate …show more content…
Sofia Briceno fell victim to the pressures of unrealistic expectations. Her strong revulsion, though, against these pressures led to her making the decision to break through society’s boundaries and live her life; a life not dictated by how an individual “should” behave. Sofia’s journey is a self-discovery journey. As I sip my sweet peach and blueberry smoothie and listen to Sofia talk, the background noise of the restaurant fades and becomes nonexistent. My eyes are lock onto my subject, and I take into account the pastel pink shirt she is wearing. Her flowy bell bottoms are well-coordinated with the rest of her outfit. The monotone interior design of the booth we are stationed at provides a contrasting setting to enhance the aesthetic of Sofia’s …show more content…
She admires her own ability to sing and play her favorite instruments, and she has learned that through being kinder to others, the universe circles the same energy back to her. She recommends that other young adults feeling self-conscious and not-at-home in their bodies should take the leap and embark on this self-discovery journey. She says that it is, of course, different for every individual, but it is worth finding and being at peace with
The novel Go Ask Alice written anonymously tells the story of one girl’s struggle with drug addiction. The conflict in this novel is person versus self. The protagonist is struggling against herself trying to overcome addiction. The mood is depressing. The main character reveals how drugs ruined her life, which evokes depressed feelings in the reader. The point of view is first person. This is a publishing of a teenage girl’s diary and she wrote in first person. The conflict, mood, and point of view make this book a work of realistic fiction.
Amy Tan and Sandra Cisneros are both excellent writers. Their stories are really interesting and entertaining, especially for college students and for individuals who are just looking for something to read. After reading several papers to do this paper on, I chose two that really spoke to me and were definitely worth the read. These two stories are Amy Tan’s “Rules of The Game”’ and Sandra Cisneros, “Only Daughter”. I choose to analyze these two stories in their socio-economic setting in terms of the notions of success, and compare and contrast how the main characters deal with these conflicts in their lives. Through comparing and contrasting Tan’s “Rules of The Game” and Cisneros’ “Only Daughter”, it is evident that their
Since Connie is a teenager, she relies on her parents to take care of her and provide for her. Even though she fights against her family, they are still the foundation of the only life Connie knows. Her constant need of approval from men becomes a habit for Connie because she doesn’t get approval at home, instead she gets disapproval. “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister? How’ve you got your hair fixed-- what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don’t see your sister using that junk.” Because of this criticism, she isolates herself from her parents. For her, her only way of getting approval is to be independent from her parents and those who are trying to protect her. Connie’s search for independence only comes to her but only in a harsh
Her attendance at the picnic with Tea Cake was an act of faith, taking the relationship into the public arena. Social condemnation was fast in coming, especially because she discarded her mourning colors. She was free of Jody, so she also took steps to defy the restrictions that social convention placed on her behavior. Gaining personal freedom was a two-fold process. First, she had to be free in her private life, but she also had to free herself from restricting social attitudes. Only then could she begin to heal the rift between her outside self and her inside self.
In every magazine and on every page there is another source of depression, another reason to skip a meal or two or a reason to be self-conscious. In present society people are overly focused and determined on the perfect body that both the fashion and advertising industry portray and promote. Through diction, pictures and celebrities presented they are trying to convey a message to their viewers that is “suppose” to be used as a source of motivation and determination. The message they are truly conveying is self-conscious thoughts, depression, and the promotion of eating disorders. It is estimated that millions of people struggle with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem; concentrated on dissatisfaction with their body image (Ballaro). The advertisement and fashion industry are conveying a message that creates an internal battle for their viewers, though they should be creating a fire in their viewers that provides motivation to be healthier, take better care of themselves and a source of inspiration for style.
Social media does not help in this situation either. America’s trending apps and media such as Instagram and Snapchat encourages others to try the food that they have. These social networks make it easier for others to share pictures that glamorize very unhealthy food that might seem appealing but have a harmful effect on the body. Studies show that social norms highly impact the individual’s decision whether they are with friends or not. The study conducted by Dr.Robinson, PhD, of the University of Liverpool, concluded the environment plays a huge role in the trend. He saw that that people are more willing to eat the types of foods that others choose and the portions that they choose because social identity is guided by its community. If the community were to eat unhealthy foods then the person would eat unhealthy foods but if the community eats healthier then the person would eat healthier to maintain a consistent sense of social identity (Robinson). Community influences play a huge role all over the world and has the same effect on its i...
In both “Hungry” and “On Being Educated,” Joy Castro uses “academic” prose through her use of emotional, descriptive, and explanatory words and sentences. It is through her experience and lense that she is able to connect such little things to such major historical occurrences and creations. When telling a story, Castro does not leave it at one short explanation, but she furthers the conversation. Instead of simply stating that when she moved in with her birth father she ate lots of food and bought lots of clothes, Castro chooses to say that she was “devouring tuna, wheat bread, peanut butter, putting on weight, putting on the clothes [her father and his wife] bought for [her] in bulk at the outlet store, since [she’d] run away with nothing”
As a teen, Rayona is in a confusing period of life. The gradual breakdown of her family life places an addition burden on her conscience. Without others for support, Rayona must find a way to handle her hardships. At first, she attempts to avoid these obstacles in her life, by lying, and by not voicing her opinions. Though when confronting them, she learns to feel better about herself and to understand others.
Her father works out of town and does not seem to be involved in his daughters lives as much. Her older sister, who works at the school, is nothing but plain Jane. Connie’s mother, who did nothing nag at her, to Connie, her mother’s words were nothing but jealousy from the beauty she had once had. The only thing Connie seems to enjoy is going out with her best friend to the mall, at times even sneaking into a drive-in restaurant across the road. Connie has two sides to herself, a version her family sees and a version everyone else sees.
This paper will look at two areas, which are physical and mental problems. Fad diets are becoming more popular because the consumers spend a huge amount of their money to follow specific type of diets to lose weight hastily as industry contributes to the dissemination of more books and magazines that deceive people and take their money. The FTC deceives consumers by using advertisement weight-loss and as a result it has collected almost $107 million since 2010 (Giorgianni, 2014). In addition, people need to increase their awareness of fad diets by knowing the negative impacts of it.
We make personal choices about what and where to eat. The government is not going to eliminate the unhealthy food because we think it is the cause of obesity. Ultimately, we must decide to either stay away from unhealthy food or eat them in moderation. Despite all the efforts of education, media and guidance it doesn’t prevent us from grabbing that cheeseburger with fries on the way to work. In his essay “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radley Balko argues that society should take full responsi...
Gloria Naylor creates a peaceful place called Bailey’s café in her book, where people can find their confidence and release their stress. Bailey and his wife, Nadine, are the owners of the cafe, and Bailey is also the most important narrator in the book. By running the cafe, Bailey meets a lot of different customers who share some common but have particular life experiences. Some of the customers are white, while most of them are “colored people”, the same as Bailey. Through describing various stories from those customers who come and visit Bailey’s cafe, Naylor guides the readers to think more deeply about gender instead of ethnicity when we can see how different a male and female is treated in such a society.
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...
Many people in America, from toddlers to the elderly, have shown numerous signs of bad health. People have the desire to keep on eating due to more, new things being merchandised as “new and improved items” from the producers. For example, nowadays, people are eating pure junk that they find satisfying on the grocery food shelf. As, stated by Michael Pollan, in his article, “Eat Food: Food Defined” he affirmed that “real food is the type of things that our
According to recent statistics, every year Americans spend about $50 billion on products and services promoted to help them lose weight. Many of the overweight and obese people that join commercial weight loss programs are looking for a quick fix to lose the weight, such as fad diets and dietary supplements that are marketed to burn fat fast. However, many of these diets offer little success or success for a short time, resulting in many gaining the weight back a short time afterwards. Fad diets are “a trendy practice that has widespread appeal among a population. After a period, however, people lose interest in the practice, and it becomes no longer fashionable. People often lose weight while following fad diets, but usually regain much of