YAP Blog - Youth Advisory Program!

Digital Enhancement = Not Cool

Hey it’s Emily!

Just about every piece of advertising that we come in contact with has pictures that have been photoshopped. It is very hard nowadays for girls to be able to tell whether or not a computer program has been used to shave off some pounds to make a model look “perfect”, or if the girl’s body is really her own. This not only puts a lot of pressure on teen girls because they want to be beautiful, it's gotten so bad that the models are feeling the pressure as well. Technology has become so advanced that body parts from one girl can be cut and pasted on another with ease.

In reaction to this craziness, France has proposed a new law which would require a label when an image is digitally enhanced. I totally agree with this law. Girls need to know the truth about the pictures they see in magazines, or they will continue to have unrealistic expectations about their own body image. Girls should also understand that it’s okay to have a curvy upper body, or a body with no curves at all. Young women come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Our world would be too similar if everyone looked the same.

Click here to watch a video from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty that shows step-by-step how a normal looking girl is unrealistically transformed into a "model", using makeup and computer tools.

Here is our guide on self-esteem and body image.

-Emily

Love 'em or Hate 'em: School Uniforms

It’s Ty!

Now about this whole school uniform ordeal. A lot of people may argue that school uniforms should be eliminated because they don’t let kids express their individuality, or because they are too expensive. Well, I wore a school uniform for almost ten years of my life! From my personal experience, uniforms made everything much easier, and it also cut down on the amount of drama. When everybody is wearing the same thing, what is there to talk about? Who can you really make fun of?

Now I go to a high school that doesn’t require uniforms, and girls are too busy worrying about things like who has on “high-water” pants. The fact of the matter is, when everybody is wearing the same thing, it’s easier for us to focus on school work rather than the things that don’t really matter. Another positive aspect of having to wear school uniforms is that it can be very cost efficient. Some parents may argue otherwise, but lets face it, we are in a recession, and I would rather pay for a couple pair of khaki pants and blue shirts rather than designer jeans.

An interesting idea that some schools have are fundraisers called “dress down days” when you can pay a dollar to wear whatever you want. I know this was a huge success in my middle school. It allowed for the students to express themselves without all the extras that can come with doing so. As soon as I hit ninth grade, I couldn’t wait to be done with uniforms. Four years later, I kind of miss them. Don’t get me wrong, I love to wear my colorful graphic tees and costume jewelry, but if I could give them up for at least another year of just wearing a uniform, I would do it in a heartbeat.

-Ty

Sharing Presentations

It’s Ty!

Last Friday we had the pleasure of giving and receiving a health presentation. We hosted the Malden YWCA T.A.S.K. force, a group of 9 girls and their supervisor. Cassandra, a summer intern from the Office of Child Advocacy at Children’s Hospital Boston joined us, as well as Emily, our CYWH summer intern. First, we socialized over pizza and got to know each other, then we took turns presenting. Dennisse and I started off with our presentation on “Self-Esteem and the Media”. First, we talked about the definition of self-esteem and how it can get damaged with negative comments from friends, and other sources like the media. We showed the Malden girls a PowerPoint presentation we had made about different magazine ads that are aimed towards women. The audience had to guess what the ad was selling. The girls seemed surprised with the results. This part of the presentation showed how negative images of women can impact how we feel about ourselves. We wrapped up with a discussion about ways to increase our self-esteem. Our intern Emily had a lot of good points to contribute.

The Malden Y girls then gave us a presentation on nutrition. We had so much fun playing “Food Trivia”, “Calorie Countdown”, and “Food Pyramid Relay”. In the midst of all the fun, we also learned a great deal about calories and fast food facts. I’m glad that we got a chance to learn about their organization and about what they do. I’m also glad that we helped yet another group of young women become more aware of how the media affects our self-esteem and body image, and what we can do about it.

Be sure to check out our guide on Self-Esteem and Body Image at: youngwomenshealth.org/self_esteem.html

Let’s talk about … Texts???

It’s Ty!

 

So, there is a big controversy going on about sexting. I know many of you have heard about it either on the news or from your friends. But for those of you who don’t know, sexting is when you send sexually explicit pictures of yourself or someone else, via text message. Some people are doing this to gain attention from boys, or because they find it “sexy”. Whatever the reason may be, sexting is not cute, and if it gets in the wrong hands, your once private pictures may be available for the world to see. If you are under 18 and send inappropriate pics of yourself, you and whoever views them are violating the law. Taking and sending nude photographs of minors is considered "child pornography" and sending inappropriate pics is considered "pornographic production and distribution" which is a felony. So, have respect for yourself and don't get involved with sexting and if someone says, "send me a picture of your _____"(what your mama gave you), ignore them or tell them that you respect your body much more than that AND besides you're not looking to get arrested for pornography distribution. Remember, if any inappropriate pictures are sent to your phone, delete them immediately.

 

-Ty

 

 

Teen Dating & Violence

It's Ty,

So we all know about the whole situation with the pop superstars Chris Brown and Rihanna. Regardless of what the tabloids may say, domestic violence is not okay and it should not be condoned in any way, shape, or form. Nobody deserves to be verbally or physically abused. In a survey conducted by channel 4 news, most teens said that it was Rihanna’s fault that she was hit, and that she must have provoked him. This just shows that teens are trying to find excuses for teen dating violence. But, the reality is, there are NO excuses!

If you are in a relationship where you feel unsafe or threatened, get out of it immediately, do not stick around. And for all my boys, putting your hands on a female does not make you “cool”, nor does it make you a man. So if you feel like you are about to say or do something that may be harmful to your significant other, walk away and cool off, and realize the mistake that you are about to make. Just like Chris Brown, you will never be able to fully live this down. The same goes for the ladies as well. Though it may sound weird, women can be just as abusive as men can.

If you have any questions about safety in your relationship, visit our guide online at: youngwomenshealth.org/safety_in_relat.html.

-Ty

Spreading Self-Esteem all over Beantown

The requests for presentations have been rolling in, the girls and I have been so busy! Self-Esteem and the Media is probably our most popular presentation, and we have been spreading the message of positive self-esteem all throughout Boston. On Friday, March 13th we had the opportunity to visit an organization called Teen Voices, an awesome magazines for teen girls. It doesn't include any negative advertisements or articles on how to alter your body by dieting. So with their experience at Teen Voices, these girls were ready to tackle this issue.

Initially the girls and I were apprehensive because we knew we were presenting to a large group of about 30 girls. Usually our presentations are for small groups (maybe 15 girls at the most) so we had to make some changes to our presenatation to accommodate the group. Also, since these young ladies work for a magazine we didn't know how familiar they were with subliminal messages in the media. Presenting to a large group was definitely intimidating, but with the help of the instructors and peer leaders the group was very dynamic. The girls from Teen Voices took on leadership roles to help other girls in the group feel comfortable and engaged. The discussion around photoshopping and airbrushing women to take away their flaws and make them look "perfect" was intense. These young women were outraged about the lies of media. Knowing the truth about media images made the girls feel much better about themselves.

We hope the girls at Teen Voices continue to empower young women through their positive magazine. We also hope they take what we've taught them about the media and use that to their advantage.

*Nisi

Self-Esteem & the Media Presentation

On Tuesday, February 24th, the Blue Hills Boys and Girls Club came to the Center for a presentation on self-esteem and the media. Before they arrived we spent a lot of time preparing ourselves. They got here at about 5:30 and as soon as they came in, we felt comfortable with our audience. It started off sort of awkward, but we quickly broke the ice and started laughing with them as if they were our old friends. None of them seemed to have any issues with self-esteem, but they were definitely open to everything we did and everything we had to say.

Our first activity was called “tear it up” and they girls seemed to love it. None of them volunteered to go first, so Erica, Dennisse, and I got it started and after that they were eager to continue. During that activity, we got to know a lot about more about them, and they got to learn more about us. We also showed them a website that shows how professional advertisements are airbrushed, and got then started on a magazine scavenger hunt where we looked through magazines to identify unrealistic images of women. The conversation around the topic went extremely well and we finished off the evening with pizza and drinks. If you would like more information, visit our health guide about self-esteem and body image.

~Tynaya~

Love Your Body, Everyday

Did you know that October 15th was Love Your Body Day? Nope? Neither did I, but I wish I had! This morning I was checking my favorite design related site (Quipsologies), and saw that someone posted a link to the gallery of the NOW Foundation's 'Love Your Body Poster Contest' winners. I saw the artwork there and realized that it was too good not to share with our readers!

Just to backtrack a little bit, the NOW (National Organization for Women) Foundation describes themselves as "the largest, most comprehensive feminist advocacy group in the United States. Our purpose is to take action to bring women into full participation in society — sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination." They have a very resourceful website which covers issues that run the gamut from abortion rights to women in the military (and more).

For over ten years, NOW has celebrated Love Your Body Day, and encourages others to do the same. The organization holds an an annual poster contest on this theme, and you can see all of the winning images on their campaign website. There are a number of categories, including best posters from middle school, high school, and college students. (girls — get out your markers for next year! ) All of this years winning posters were beautiful, but I would have to say that my favorite poster was from the high school category winner, Shanti Rittgers. (see image on the right) Her poster radiates with positivity and promotes good self-esteem with a sunny image and a smiling face.

Self-esteem is so important, and it's great to see others spreading that message. Keep in mind though, that although it's a super way of reminding others to celebrate their wonderful selves, you don't need a holiday to celebrate yourself — love your body all day, every day!

- Amanda

Reaching for the Gold

While watching the Olympic athletes perform their routines this week, several thoughts went through my head. My first thought was, “Geez, they make it look so easy” followed by, “Are you kidding, it takes hours and hours of practice to perform at that level.” It occurred to me that all of these athletes whether they were male or female, black or white, born in China, Russia, the USA or another foreign country, had something in common. Aside from being an inspiration to others, all of these fine athletes believed that they could accomplish great things. They believed in themselves and even when they didn’t finish at the best time or they didn’t have the best routine on the balance beam, they held their heads high, and continued to compete. I believe the lesson here for all of us is that having good self-esteem and confidence in your own abilities is key to being successful at many things.

As a parent and a mentor of young women, I dream about a universe where all young people have a positive body image and good self-esteem. Good self-esteem is important for everyone because it helps you keep a positive outlook on life and makes you feel proud of the person you are, both inside and out. Most teens with good self-esteem find life much more enjoyable. They tend to have better relationships with peers and adults, find it easier to deal with mistakes or disappointment, and are more likely to stick with a task until they succeed. Not all of you have the genetics to become gold medalists but you all have the potential for accomplishing great things. You can be great at advocating for others, great at starting a recycling project in your neighborhood, great at raising awareness about violence prevention; you may even be a great athlete too.

Having good self-esteem gives you the courage to try new things, the power to believe in yourself, and the confidence to make healthy choices for your mind and body now and throughout your life. Building a healthy body image and good self-esteem can be hard work because it takes time to become confident. But as you work to improve your body image, you will experience self-acceptance and learn to recognize the qualities, skills, and talents that make you special. Check out our newest health guide, Self-Esteem: A Guide for Teens to learn more about self-esteem and ways you can create it. You’ve got the power!
- Phaedra

Let Yourself Try

So let me tell you a little something about Dennisse.  When she first joined our Youth Advisory Program, two years ago, she was a highschool junior with some work experience.  She had been working as a cashier over at Boston's Aquarium, sitting in a booth outside on 90 degree days.  When we met her at her interview it was obvious that she was smart and full of passion, but she was shy, and had a tough persona, to protect herself I think. So Dennisse didn't know what to expect from us, and we were kind of nervous that she'd be a handful.  I remember the first day I sat down in the Resource Center with her and Paoli. I was orienting them to the Center, showing them where everything is, describing what it would be like for them to interact with patients and hospital staff.  Paoli was smiling and nodding at me, and Dennisse was slouched in her chair, staring at the rug.

So there was Dennisse, with all her shyness manifesting as attitude, and I thought "uh-oh." But what I didn't realize was that she was actually paying attention, and taking in all that information.  What I didn't know was that she really wanted to be there, and she wanted to learn how to be part of the team and reach out to her peers.  Now that I look back and see how it all unfolded -- the amazing and inspiring thing that Denisse did was, even though she was nervous and negative at first, she stuck with it. She kept showing up to work, and learning more and more, and getting more comfortable with the people she was working with. Day after day she gave herself a chance. And that is one of the best things you can do in this life when you're facing a new situation -- even if you're scared & uncertain -- let yourself try.

- Freedom