Fourteen & Fifteen

Fourteen

In this chapter Sales writes about social media in a less sexual light focusing on social media celebrities, communication of the new generation on teenage girls, and cyber bullying. She writes how teenagers have made their own celebrities through Youtu
be such as Amanda Steele and Bethany Mota, whom have become famous through makeup and fashion videos and tutorials. Sales jumps around to the affects social media has on the world outside of technology such as schools and their dress codes and television shows, for example America’s Next Top Model. She brings up a case of a young girl who formed a relations
hip with a boy online and went to meet him for the first time in a public place, but also other cases where girls have been kidnapped or stalked by older men through social media by pretending to be younger boys their age. Towards the end of the chapter Sales covers a story of a young girl who attempted suicide after being bullied by a former friend and her boyfriend online and at school. The same goes for many other girls whom have been exposed through technology such as the show Girls Gone Wild or leaked nude photos of themselves.

Amanda Steele Youtube

 Bethany Mota Youtube

 

Fifteen

Sales continues with the causes and effects of cyber bullying into chapter 3 when writing of transgender or LGBT teens victims to harassment by peers. She briefly expands her views on the negative effects of social media when covering cyber bullying and how it has been pinned on the stereotype that girls are mean. Mass amounts of shared videos of girls fighting verbally and physically with each other have spread through the online world much like the fights seen in the movie Mean Girls, contributing to this stereotype.

I really enjoyed these chapters compared to the previous as I could relate to more topics covered in the 100 or so pages. A biggie which Sales writes about is how social media has affected school dress codes. She takes on the point of view that sexualization of girls presented in the media has influenced schools to enforce dress codes, the main reason being to keep boys from being distracted by their female peers and their bodies which may be exposed by their choice of clothing. I have struggled with school dress codes since the 6th grade, not because I would get sent home to change my shorts or shirts, but because the school’s reasoning was incredibly sexist as to why their was a dress code in the first place. I would constantly argue that instead of telling female students what to wear, why wouldn’t schools focus on teaching boys to not harass or  or sexualize their female peers. My main concern was “Why is MY education being taken fromme because a boy can’t keep it in his pants?” This is the reasoning that I belief leads to men thinking it is okay for them to take advantage or to be sexist towards women.               School Dress Codes

I felt a connection with the author when she covered online communication and how dangerous it can be, but how innocent it feels. A former friend of mine spent multiple hours a day on her phone talking to her “friends” on Instagram and would give out her personal information without meeting them in person. I had multiple disputes with her concerning her safety which was a factor that lead to the end of our friendship. Her recklessness never hurt her, but has hurt other young girls, and I ask all women out there to please be safe online

I enjoyed a passage from the third chapter about a group of three girls eating in a pizza parlor; Alex, Hannah and Zora. The three girls were conversing when Hannah mentioned she had a boyfriend at which Alex became upset she had not known sooner and continued to make racist remarks after Hannah revealed he was Mexican. Hannah and Zora then left the pizza parlor angry at Alex. I think this story sums up the mean girl stereotype very well, as social media has portrayed girls as mean when only few are mean in response to this stereotype. Alex is rude to Hannah filling the stereotype well, while Hannah and Zora respond surprised at their friend’s choice of words as they have not been impacted by social media’s wrath towards young women.

I found a separate passage horrifying and surprising as to what some girls have made their norm. A girl in the Bronx, New York had shared revealing photos of herself
which made their way to Facebook. Her response to the leaked photos were to post more revealing photos of herself to prove some sort of point. I could never imagine a situation like this where my reaction or anyone I know’s reaction would be to change to narrative to them and post more indecent pictures of themselves.

Sales uses words widely used by the teenage generation much like her use of “savage” or “Instamom” in the last chapter. Some noteworthy words used were:

“Sink shot”- (n) Photo of a girl in underwear in which her butt is positioned on the bathroom sink to make it appear bigger.

“Beauty guru”- (n) Person who records videos of themselves doing makeup tutorials, talking about makeup, going through their makeup routines, etc. on Youtube.

“Viner”- (n) Person whom has become well known or famous by recording six second videos on the popular app “Vine” mostly for comical effect.

“FOMO”- “Fear of missing out”, an emotion experienced when one feels like an outcast among their friendsor family.

“Finsta”- (n) Instagram account that does not feature owner’s name to avoid their parents finding account.