Log 1: Media Analysis

In popular television programs teenagers, girls in particular are portrayed to look perfect at all times. Most network television shows have their actresses looking models on a runway whilst doing the simplest things such as reading the morning paper. The television network known as “The Cw” is notorious for this. The cw has hosted shows such as Gossip Girl, 90210, and The Vampire Diaries The girls on these shows would wake up in the morning with their hair perfectly curled, lip gloss on and with fake eyelash extensions. This is how the media portrays teenagers today. I think that this is one of the main reasons why girls today feel the pressure to be perfect and look good at all times. These are the shows that they look up to. For example in the clip from Gossip Girl that I have attached you see the girls in their fancy uniforms looking like models at Fashion Week, they wear pretty headbands, colourful stockings and lots of makeup. This is not what happens in reality, this is a construct of the media. You see them at parties and other social events dressed up to a great degree. Even though it is the “Upper East Side” and they are very rich, it still doesn’t make it realistic. They also have the typical high school “mean girls,” however Gossip Girl takes it to a whole new level. They have “queen b’s” that run the school and make others feel less about themselves, so I also think that this makes girls feel like they need to be cool or else they will get hate. It’s a harsh world we live in, and the construct of reality that is portrayed in modern television only adds to that.

               Personally as a girl I actually enjoy the program Gossip Girl, but it is not something that I look to for life lessons. Although entertaining, Gossip Girl is a very unrealistic show that if taken too seriously can actually have a negative effect on others.  Gossip Girl shows their main characters drinking martinis at a bar on a school night even though they are minors; this would never happen in the real world. What makes this idea even more ludicrous is the fact that these “Upper East Siders” are well-known so the city knows that they are underage, and yet they still drink and do things they shouldn’t. However something that is realistic in Gossip Girl is that if you were to step out of line you might be isolated from society. This is also shown in my attached clip. The character of Blair Waldorf was the resident mean girl and queen of their elite private school. However she had a pregnancy scare that was broadcasted throughout the entire school, not only did she cheat on her boyfriend with his best friend but she thought she was pregnant. To make matters worse, she didn’t know who the potential father may be. Even though her pregnancy turned out to be false she was isolated from her friends and dethroned as “queen b.” I think that even though it is an extreme case, it relates to reality because if a girl does not meet society’s expectations she will be shunned and become friendless. In high school people have certain expectations, and if you don’t meet those requirements they will be hard on you. This is demonstrated in the clip. So in conclusion modern television alters reality for entertainment and makes girls feel the need to be perfect and feel like they can never make mistakes.