Social Awareness Project

Interview:
 "Stereotypical Perfection" and the social issue bullying is a huge thing in our society right now and something that many people have different opinions on. As a teenage girl body and face image insecurities is something I know a lot about. Many people feel different about what a "perfect" person is supposed to look like and the fact being this topic is something i feel for and can relate to I sat down with two of my close friends Phoebe Donovan and Cassiopeia Land, where I asked them a few questions about the topic.


What is the stereo typical "perfect" girl to you?
Cassiopeia- Skinny, Boobs, Butt, Curves, Blonde, Tall, Big Blue eyes
Phoebe- Skinny, thigh gap, curvy shape, white, long straight hair

Do you ever feel the need to live up to that standard?
Cassiopeia- All the time, there's a lot of pressure for teenage girls these days which is completely unfair and untrue. Anyone can be beautiful even not meeting those standards.
Phoebe- Yes, a lot of people who are very judgemental make you feel bad about yourself if you don't fit exactly that.

Has anyone ever commented on the way you look?
Cassiopeia- In a negative way- when I was younger, people used to call me fat, it took away a lot of my self confidence.
Phoebe- Yes, I've been called fat or that I have not a good body and it took away a lot of my self confidence.

Is this a big issue for you?
Cassiopeia- Personally not really but I understand how hard it is to feel good about yourself
Phoebe- For me it is a problem because I have a lot of friends who do fit that standard

Have you ever seen someone be bullied about the way they look?
Cassiopeia- Yes I have and there's something that needs to be done about, it sucks.
Phoebe- Yes I've seen a lot of people go through lots of judgements and people be genuinely hurt and bullied.

What do you like about yourself?
Cassiopeia- my eyebrows, cheekbones, legs I've never really thought about it before
Phoebe- hair eyes, skin, my health

Poem "All the images add up to one big picture" 

People make fun
Everyone stares walking through the hall making death threatening glares
Risking it all, running away these people can't seem to realize the impact of what they say
Faking my smiles just to seem strong but all I ever wanted was to tell them they're wrong
Even though I try to laugh along, I'm hurting inside but no one can see
Crowning me with a beauty award? But don't we all see  princesses have hurt.
Taking a deep breath and letting it go, everyone is beautiful that goes to show.

This poem I wrote is based on bullying and all the horrible things it does to you, from the outside bullying may seem innocent but from the inside its something entirely different. The way bullying can make someone feel is scary. We really need to start drawing awareness to this topic because it’s something that there has to be done about.

Media News/Immersion: 
Over the course of 5 days I read different articles about body types and bullying and it talked a lot about the real issues with teens going way too far when it comes to being bullied for things they can't change about themselves. Many teens result to self harm or even sometimes going to the extreme of killing themselves. Its an issue that needs to be worked on, many people are aware of the subject but just shrug it off when no one's talking about it, like it states in the article "Social Media and Distorted Teen Body Image" by Steven Woda they talk about the brainwashing that goes on from  Social Media convincing teens that they aren't good enough because they aren't perfect. This made me realize how shallow social media can be and how easily it is to be persuaded you aren't good enough. This is a topic I feel strongly about and think should have attention drawn to.