Toddlers In Tiaras: Entertaining or Abusive?

TLC is home to the abnormally entertaining and impressively weird. However, where should we draw the line between entertainment and abuse? The popular reality television show “Toddlers and Tiaras” has sparked a nation-wide movement of pageant-frenzy.  This reality TV show is the guilty pleasure of many, and spin-off shows such as “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” earned higher ratings than the Republican National 

Convention.

According to the TLC website, Toddlers & Tiaras is a show that follows little girls who “parade around wearing makeup, false eyelashes, spray tans, and fake hair to be judged on their beauty and personality.”  The dress up game we once played as little girls has developed into a business. Toddler pageants have become a multi-million dollar industry characterized by forcing four year old girls and boys to use unhealthy beauty enhancers and wear provocative clothing.

According to this article written by Dr. Martina M. Cartwright, early participation in activities that focus on physical appearance  can have a detrimental effect on a person’s self-worth and self-esteem throughout adulthood. A study done in 2005 concluded that ex-beauty pageant contestants have higher rates of eating disorders than individuals who did not participate in body-conscious competitions.  This raises the question: if pageants are so detrimental to a young child’s psyche, why do they continue?

In my opinion, the problem stems from two distinct things: money and pageant moms. Any lack of physical ‘beauty’ causes a loss of income for an entire family. Therefore, education takes a back seat to pageantry as a child’s life is devoted entirely to looking like a miniature Beyonce. Five year old girls who should be learning the alphabet are getting spray tans and practicing their smile, instead.  Pageant moms are living some sort of twisted dream through their daughters, and sometimes even their sons, treating them like a source of income rather than a child who needs to be nurtured.

Most would argue that Toddlers and Tiaras is entertaining primarily because it displays the weirdest and quirkiest Americans in the country. However, when does it stop being entertainment and start being abusive?

What are your thoughts? Are toddler pageants a cruel way of gaining TV viewers or are they harmless mediums of entertainment?

Is it SAT Smart or SAT Savvy?

While many students excel on the SAT due to pure intelligence, some excel simply because they are what is known as SAT savvy – they know how to “play the game.” At this stage in the game, I am sure that everyone has taken the SAT at least once. That being said, how many of your friends have shocked you with their scores? Students taking three AP courses, participating in National Honor Society, and receiving distinguished honors every marking period may very well have gotten a less than outstanding SAT score. Of the same accord, students in all college prep classes with below average GPAs have achieved SAT scores you’ve always dreamed of getting. Whether SAT scores are true measures of intelligence has stirred up quite a bit of controversy lately, called to attention in the article “What Does the SAT Actually Measure?”

Fun fact, the SATs were originally intended to be a different form of an IQ test and thus were considered able to measure “innate scholastic ability.” However, it is believed that many individuals famous for their academic achievement, such as Albert Einstein, would have flunked their SATs miserably. If that’s the case, how is it that those of average intelligence are supposed to be able to excel on the SATs if even geniuses couldn’t? Well, it turns out that the SAT doesn’t actually measure overall intelligence. Huh? Then why bother? The SAT actually is intended to measure “a particular kind of academic intelligence.” If you think about it, that actually makes a lot of sense. No, the SAT is not your average classroom test; however, it was never meant to be. It only tests specific academic skills, not overall intelligence. Perhaps that is why they don’t include a history section on the SAT. Since the critical reading portion is already included, all the history section would cover would be the simple memorization of facts – which is not one of the skills the SAT emphasizes.

Maybe the better question is, does the SAT predict success? In my opinion, absolutely not. While the SAT may provide an accurate depiction of intelligence based on the skills it does test, I do not believe that it is a symbol of pure intelligence, common sense, or any indication of how successful an individual will be. How many wealthy and successful adults have told you not to go too crazy over schoolwork, SATs included? Referring back to the Albert Einstein example, if you were him, would you really care about your SAT scores if you were one of the greatest physicists of all time? I don’t think so. Your high school SAT scores are not an indication of what the rest of your life will be like. Who’s to say you won’t end up living in a gorgeous, million dollar apartment in the city working on Wall Street? Tell me, will your SAT scores matter then? Will they even matter once we’re all actually admitted into a school? By May, chances are, the SAT won’t cross our minds again until our siblings or our own children are studying for them.

What do you think? Were your SAT scores an accurate portrayal of your intelligence? Is there a better way to test a student’s intelligence? Do you feel that the SAT predicts success? Do you think it’s important that we even take the SATs? 

A World Obsessed With Barbies

When I was seven, Condoleeza Rice was using her unwavering drive to protect the United States as the first female African American National Security Advisor, Sandra Bullock worked tirelessly and completed her 30th major film before she turned 40, and J.K. Rowling had released five of the seven books which would later turn into a profit of millions of dollars from merchandizing, movies, and an amusement park. I, along with thousands of little girls, sat in my room picking out a bright pink Barbie outfit to go along with her marker-highlighted hair, as I watched Snow White being rescued by Prince Charming on my TV.

From childhood, girls are influenced by an attitude of "pink, pretty, and sassy". Being anything else, it seemed, is unacceptable. In the article What's the Matter With Girls These Days?, written by Marilyn Wedge, the drastic affects of this societal influence are explained through the increase of adolescent girls with different types of depression, low self-esteem, and poor self-image. Since "society" doesn't seem to value girls who are smart, confident, and driven, adolescent females with these qualities are torn between being themselves and being the "sexy" young woman that society wants them to be.

Take the character Cady Heron from Mean Girls for example. Originally an intelligent and compassionate teenage girl, she eventually dumbs herself down to get a boy's attention and begins to hurt the people she loves in order to gain popularity with girls she thinks are the "in crowd". Spoiler alert, at the end of the movie she realizes that she wasn't being herself, just what everyone else wanted her to be, and she fixes her mistakes.

Before we had such "wise" characters like Cady Heron to learn from, women struggled for years trying to attain equal treatment to men. Now that their mission is almost complete, Snow White and Cinderella have come along and quickly ruined what progress they made. Now, instead of dreaming of becoming the first woman president of the United States, girls are sitting at home wondering when their Prince Charming will come along and save them too. It seems almost impossible for young women to grow up when the world around them is still obsessed with Barbies.

Why do societal values have such a large influence on girls' lives? Why does today's media emphasize the "pink, pretty, and sassy" image of females over that of strong, successful women? Does the conflict between being yourself and being what society wants you to be personally affect you?

Facebook v. Reality

I bet it's safe to say that most (if not all) of you have a Facebook account. Social media, Facebook in particular, has become such an integral part of our lives; so much so that to go without one of our networks can actually create stress.   Now don't get me wrong... I love being able to stay connected and up to date with my friends, family, and former students [you can friend me when you graduate].  I know days/months in advance of my family when friends of mine are getting married, are pregnant, bought a house, etc. But....there are always 2 sides to every coin.

In this recently published article  Is Facebook the New Reality TV?  in Psychology Today, Dr. Goal Saedi questions how Facebook is changing our lives and the psychological impact it may have on us.

When I started reading this article, I was first captivated by her description of being in an ornate, peaceful church disrupted by others snapping photos. It immediately brought me back to my summer trip to Europe, where my husband and I visited countless churches including the awesome St. Peter's Basilica and breathtaking Notre Dame Cathedral. As tourists, we certainly took our share of photos, but at times I did feel like I was missing out on the experience, too worries about capturing it to revisit later.  Of course, we were able to access wifi and upload several pictures to emails and facebook. I even created an album entitled: "A Few from Along the Way" for my friends and family to track our trip. Why did I feel the need to do this? Of course, with no one in my family ever traveling out of the country, I felt incredibly grateful to have the chance to share my trip with them....but I could have just done that via email. Why did I feel the need to share my experience with my 718 "friends" (most of whom I likely will never see again in real life).

As Dr. Saedi writes, it is hard to ignore how Facebook shoves everyone's successes in our face. It seems we all are captivated by each others' lives and are constantly comparing our own to theirs.  Does this make us feel worse about ourselves?  I often remind students that no one wants to post pictures of what their boring weekends look like...only the fun times at parties with friends. Then again, I've noticed the recent Instagram tags #WIDN (What I'm Doing Now) where people post their actual momentary happenings...such as sipping coffee, organizing clothes, or lounging on the couch with their dog. While it seems more "realistic" it still does keep us in the constant "what is everyone else's life like" mode.

What do you think? Has Facebook taken over your life in this way? Is this a good or bad thing? Do you find yourself comparing your successes and failures to others?  Do you think that your college process has been/will be influenced by facebook (think... "she goes to ___ college and her pics look fun so I want to go there..." or... "She goes to ___ Univ. and it looks SO boringgggg...." ..or... "I'm friending my roommate today to see if I like her..."). What are the pros and cons to these situations?   If you do not have Facebook, tell us why! Do you ever feel "left out" of what's going on with everyone else?

Read the article and share your opinions. Don't just repeat what others say.... share your experiences, link us to other articles, show us proof... 

p.s. as I wrote this, I did not capitalize Facebook in one spot and it was highlighted as a spelling error....seems that the term is now in our dictionaries... what's next?