Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Images of Beauty
In the story Plaits the author is saying that society is inputting on us this image of being attractive. In the story the author explains that she wanted to look and feel pretty. And the image that she uses is Shirley Temple. She wanted to have beautiful curls just like Shirley. She wanted to have this golden hair that represented sweetness and light. Instead she describes having bad topsy hair. She says that everyone wanted to have these blonde silky curls. The author is telling us that the American society only gives images of these creamy-skinned people as how we are suppose to look. Every time society gives us an image like that we are brained washed into looking that same way. Society portrays females as being beautiful and good-looking with blonde hair or curls. Society has always had a lot of power over us and unfortunately we are manipulated.
Self Discovery
What is identity? It is something only he or she can fully define. It is one’s personal qualities. It’s impossible for anyone to understand me completely because nobody has experienced the things I have. My identity is something only I can define. So who am I?
As you can see I am of the Hispanic race. I am Mexican American. I am a city girl born and raised in the city of L.A. I am short, have black hair, and brown eyes. This is the obvious side of me, everyone can tell by just looking at me. Yes this is who I am in the physical area but that doesn’t make up who I really am.
When it comes to characteristics, I am an introverted, friendly, and highly moody person. Ever since I can remember I’ve been on the timid side. I recall that in middle school and high school we would constantly speak in front of the class. I hated speaking in front of the entire class but what choice did I have? When my name was called and it was my turn to go up I would get red all over my face. I thought everyone would make fun of me if I made a mistake or stuttered. Sometimes I felt like crying and running out of there but of course I held it in to safe myself the embarrassment. Besides that I’m a calm and subtle girl. I’m friendly towards others. I don’t like being rude because I was always taught to be polite and have proper manners. On the other hand, I am very moody. Although it may not seem like it I can throw loud and huge tantrums. I have a bit of a bad temper at times but that’s how I am and although I try to control it, it’s very difficult. These adjectives surely describe me accurately, but they are only abstract versions of me.
One the deeper side I am a girl with hopes, dreams and also doubts. I have all these hopes and dreams for the future but on the other hand doubts of not making it. My future goals are to graduate from college, get into graduate school, and have a well paid high quality job. I want a successful career, doing something that I love, although I don’t know quite yet what I want to do. I guess you can say I want to be well off. I am very ambitious and want to aim only for the best. I know it’s probably too much to ask but who knows it could happen.
I am a teenage girl scared of what may come in the future and the obstacles life has for me. I know many things are coming my way and not knowing makes me nervous. I sometimes wish to live in a world where everything stays frozen, where nothing changes. This way, I can never grow up to be an adult and deal with so many transformations. When I was younger I thought my life was perfect, everything was how it would always be. I had a big happy family. Little did I know that all that was about too change. Unfortunately my parents got divorced, something which I thought would never happen. Since then I knew things would change and nothing would be the same again. I am fearful living in this complex world of adulthood but I have to accept the responsibilities and consequences that come with growing up, to avoid the pain of maturing. I can honestly say that change is difficult and I learned that the hard way.
“Life is a pursuit to find one’s true identity.” I believe that all throughout my life I will keep discovering who I truly am. My identity makes me different from every other individual. It’s what sets me apart from everyone else.
As you can see I am of the Hispanic race. I am Mexican American. I am a city girl born and raised in the city of L.A. I am short, have black hair, and brown eyes. This is the obvious side of me, everyone can tell by just looking at me. Yes this is who I am in the physical area but that doesn’t make up who I really am.
When it comes to characteristics, I am an introverted, friendly, and highly moody person. Ever since I can remember I’ve been on the timid side. I recall that in middle school and high school we would constantly speak in front of the class. I hated speaking in front of the entire class but what choice did I have? When my name was called and it was my turn to go up I would get red all over my face. I thought everyone would make fun of me if I made a mistake or stuttered. Sometimes I felt like crying and running out of there but of course I held it in to safe myself the embarrassment. Besides that I’m a calm and subtle girl. I’m friendly towards others. I don’t like being rude because I was always taught to be polite and have proper manners. On the other hand, I am very moody. Although it may not seem like it I can throw loud and huge tantrums. I have a bit of a bad temper at times but that’s how I am and although I try to control it, it’s very difficult. These adjectives surely describe me accurately, but they are only abstract versions of me.
One the deeper side I am a girl with hopes, dreams and also doubts. I have all these hopes and dreams for the future but on the other hand doubts of not making it. My future goals are to graduate from college, get into graduate school, and have a well paid high quality job. I want a successful career, doing something that I love, although I don’t know quite yet what I want to do. I guess you can say I want to be well off. I am very ambitious and want to aim only for the best. I know it’s probably too much to ask but who knows it could happen.
I am a teenage girl scared of what may come in the future and the obstacles life has for me. I know many things are coming my way and not knowing makes me nervous. I sometimes wish to live in a world where everything stays frozen, where nothing changes. This way, I can never grow up to be an adult and deal with so many transformations. When I was younger I thought my life was perfect, everything was how it would always be. I had a big happy family. Little did I know that all that was about too change. Unfortunately my parents got divorced, something which I thought would never happen. Since then I knew things would change and nothing would be the same again. I am fearful living in this complex world of adulthood but I have to accept the responsibilities and consequences that come with growing up, to avoid the pain of maturing. I can honestly say that change is difficult and I learned that the hard way.
“Life is a pursuit to find one’s true identity.” I believe that all throughout my life I will keep discovering who I truly am. My identity makes me different from every other individual. It’s what sets me apart from everyone else.
Body Image
The essay by Susan Bordo, “Never Just Pictures” really impacted me and gave me a message to which I am exposed everyday by the media. According to the media anorexic is the new look.
To me this essay is saying the media has been giving us the perfect, ideal, and beautiful body that these models have, basically saying that this is the new look. In reality no one has the perfect body. It’s true that ads feature anorexic looking models and when I get a glimpse of these images I feel insecure about my own body. The author is telling us that media is very powerful and that it speaks to us not just about how to be beautiful and desirable but how to get control of our lives. It really stuns me that people want a wasted and models that look like junkies. If we have images that everyone is going to want to look the same and we will disappear slowly literally because of how skinny one gets.
I can relate to what the author is saying because I had problems with my image. For a while all I ate were energy bars and nothing else but sometimes I couldn’t help it and I would just eat anything. I would even try and throw it all up to get all that grease out. The media pushes us to do these types of things. They don’t make us do it but sometimes we are just influenced by what we see.
To me this essay is saying the media has been giving us the perfect, ideal, and beautiful body that these models have, basically saying that this is the new look. In reality no one has the perfect body. It’s true that ads feature anorexic looking models and when I get a glimpse of these images I feel insecure about my own body. The author is telling us that media is very powerful and that it speaks to us not just about how to be beautiful and desirable but how to get control of our lives. It really stuns me that people want a wasted and models that look like junkies. If we have images that everyone is going to want to look the same and we will disappear slowly literally because of how skinny one gets.
I can relate to what the author is saying because I had problems with my image. For a while all I ate were energy bars and nothing else but sometimes I couldn’t help it and I would just eat anything. I would even try and throw it all up to get all that grease out. The media pushes us to do these types of things. They don’t make us do it but sometimes we are just influenced by what we see.
Fulfilled
As a child my first language was Spanish. My parents always spoke in Spanish to me and my first words were in Spanish. I’m proud to say that I speak two languages. This is extremely important to me because I can communicate with a lot of people whether it’s with Spanish speaking people or English speaking people.
I guess you can say I so often speak a normal English. Although I was brought up with Spanish speaking parents, my English is very elevated. I never had any trouble learning English in school. Over the years I mostly spoke English since that’s all we spoke during middle school and elementary school. What I did have to learn again was Spanish. I learned in high school. I didn’t forget. I just didn’t know how to write or even read in Spanish. Not knowing how to speak proper Spanish, my family’s language and my language was embarrassing to me. Now I’m pleased to say that my Spanish is very advanced. I mean I don’t speak excellent Spanish and there are times when I feel that I have an accent when I speak it but that’s just the way it is. I know most of us teenagers have an accent when speaking Spanish but I don’t want to be like everyone else. I want to speak fluent Spanish so it can be as impressive as my English.
When I’m with my friends and family I tend to let my English flow in whichever way it comes. When I’m with my family at home we tend to talk Spanish but sometimes my dad pops up talking to me in English, so we just go on and on and by the time we know it we are talking Spanish again. I know that mixing Spanish and English may sound weird but sometimes we can’t help it. I know that’s not the proper way but we don’t always talk like that. I myself don’t like mixing the two together. It’s what I call Spanglish. A lot of my friends talk using Spanglish and although I don’t like it I sometimes get sucked into it.
I have never been ashamed to speak Spanish maybe when I was younger I never felt like speaking it, but as I got older that changed. Now I’m full of pride knowing that I speak two languages. Yes the way I speak both English and Spanish is different but they’re two completely different languages that’s how it’s supposed to be. I can honestly say that both languages have brought me many good memories.
I guess you can say I so often speak a normal English. Although I was brought up with Spanish speaking parents, my English is very elevated. I never had any trouble learning English in school. Over the years I mostly spoke English since that’s all we spoke during middle school and elementary school. What I did have to learn again was Spanish. I learned in high school. I didn’t forget. I just didn’t know how to write or even read in Spanish. Not knowing how to speak proper Spanish, my family’s language and my language was embarrassing to me. Now I’m pleased to say that my Spanish is very advanced. I mean I don’t speak excellent Spanish and there are times when I feel that I have an accent when I speak it but that’s just the way it is. I know most of us teenagers have an accent when speaking Spanish but I don’t want to be like everyone else. I want to speak fluent Spanish so it can be as impressive as my English.
When I’m with my friends and family I tend to let my English flow in whichever way it comes. When I’m with my family at home we tend to talk Spanish but sometimes my dad pops up talking to me in English, so we just go on and on and by the time we know it we are talking Spanish again. I know that mixing Spanish and English may sound weird but sometimes we can’t help it. I know that’s not the proper way but we don’t always talk like that. I myself don’t like mixing the two together. It’s what I call Spanglish. A lot of my friends talk using Spanglish and although I don’t like it I sometimes get sucked into it.
I have never been ashamed to speak Spanish maybe when I was younger I never felt like speaking it, but as I got older that changed. Now I’m full of pride knowing that I speak two languages. Yes the way I speak both English and Spanish is different but they’re two completely different languages that’s how it’s supposed to be. I can honestly say that both languages have brought me many good memories.
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