I grew up in the New York City Private School social circle that Levy graphically illustrates in the beginning of her chapter “Pigs in Training”. I have heard about and seen many of the sexually charged scenarios that these teenagers surround themselves with. About 3 months after “Swiffergate,” I was in my best friend’s house watching TV at about 1 in the morning after his parents were asleep. We were just hanging out, and my friend turns to me and says that a girl named Danielle was coming over to give him a blowjob. Being only 15 or 16, and still a virgin, I picked my jaw off the floor and asked him who this girl was. He told me that she was the girl the entire island of Manhattan had been buzzing about due to her explicit activities on the Internet. Soon after, she came over and introduced herself to me before her and my friend went into his room. I had to stay in order to stand guard for his parents. I left shortly after Danielle did as it was late. As I walked back to my apartment, I couldn’t help but wonder why this girl would continue to allow herself to be taken advantage of and exploited again and again.
Levy hit the nail on the head with her assessment of teen culture. At the time, I was too immature to understand that this girl continued to act in such a manner because she had become a virtual celebrity among teens in the tri-state area. As Levy points out, “These are not stories about girls getting what they want sexually, they are stories about girls gaining acclaim socially, for which their sexuality is a tool.” (p.146) Herein lies the main issue; and worst of all it is a chicken and egg dilemma. Who’s to blame here: the boys who give loose girls more attention, or the girls who willingly play into the patriarchy? Regardless of the correct answer, the fact remains here that there are serious issues with the teen culture in America. However, Levy makes the claim that, “Adolescents are not inventing this culture of exhibitionism and conformity with their own fledgling creative powers. Teens are reflecting back our slobbering culture in miniature.” (p. 146) The necessary changes must come from the top-down, in so much that teens will contain to serve as a microcosm of adult raunch culture unless mainstream society alters its ways, preferences, and overall sexuality.
I completely agree that we have reached a point in teen culture in America in which there are serious issues at hand with mainstream society. Essentially, we have gotten to a point where we are to some extent unaffected by stories about teen promiscuity. I think that a large portion of this is because we are surrounded by these types of raunch culture images in both the adult and teen worlds. As a result, teenage boys will continue to feed into teenage girls' sexual flaunts and the girls will continue to represent themselves in a highly sexualized manner. We must realize that this needs to come to an end as teen pregnancy and STD rates increase amongst teenagers in the United States. The root of the problem must be acknowledged and changed very soon if we are going to stop self and public exploitation of teenagers.
ReplyDeleteTeen culture has definitely reached frightening heights. If you just watch television for an hour or two, the effects of this highly sexualized teen culture are quite obvious. I think t.v. shows like "Secret Life of an American Teenager" and "Sixteen and Pregnant" are sending the wrong messages to young teens. Although I'm sure these shows are created with the intention of bringing the epidemic of teenage pregnancy to the forefront, these shows are also glamorizing teen pregnancy. Young teens watching these shows may start to believe that having a baby at such a young is desirable. Instead of having all these television shows with hyper-sexualized teenaged actors, more emphasis should be placed on sexual education. As Levy notices, teen girls act out in such behaviors because they want/like the attention they are receiving. I think this cycle of behavior gives young girls the completely wrong idea about sexuality and intimacy.
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