Tv's Effect on Girls

Television is one of the greatest twentieth century inventions. It has become so obligatory to people that it is almost unbelievable to not have a television in your home. Not only is it a piece of furniture, it is a type of entertainment, for all people of all ages. It is a source of advertisement and learning, with programs such as: cooking shows, arts and craft shows and news reports. While television is all of this, it also ruins Americans. It makes people lazy throughout the day and it kills the creativity of individuals. It makes people, specifically younger kids, more aggressive and possibly violent. When the television is on, it is capable of ruining family interactions. It is capable of taking over the minds of people in the younger generation. Television has positive and negative effects on people today, especially girls.

Television has had and still has a major impact on girls in the society. This impact is capable of being positive and negative. It has a lot to do with whose watching television and what shows they choose to watch. There are not too many positive effects from watching television, but one positive effect from watching television is that people can learn a lot from it. Some television shows can be uplifting, educational and motivational. When girls see strong, educated, independent women on television, they are motivated to be much like these women. When they see weak women, who are striving to become better, girls are inspired and motivated to be like these women or even better. A great example to support my view on this argument is a quote from “Study Says Girls Affected by Reality TV” written by Jamie Sotonoff found in the Daily Herald “Emily Davidson, 14, a Buffalo Grove High School freshman from Arlington Heights, said she was inspired by a "Project Runway" contestant who had HIV. "I thought, wow, if you had HIV and you could do that, imagine what I can do?" said Davidson, who is interested in fashion design. "There's always someone who comes from nothing and does well." News reports and current events are also a big help. They help people stay up to date with things happening in the outside world. Educational programs like Discovery channel and animal planet are filled with facts. They can help teach old and new things about culture, art, and even music. Some television programs help widen the way girls view different situations, such as: race and politics. There are plenty of shows that make people think logically. Instead of just watching these programs, you are pulled into the story and have the ability to interact and think as if you were in the program.

On the other hand, there are much more negative effects from television on girls, than there are positive ones. Let me take the eating disorder conflict and the women of Fiji from the article “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji” written by Ellen Goodman as an example to support my argument. In Fiji, everyone is obsessed with food and nobody worries about losing weight. Being big in Fiji is a sign of wealth. It lets people know that you have enough money to eat well. In fact, if a woman is thin or thinking about losing weight, people automatically assume that she has a serious problem. Around 1995, television came to the Fiji island. Ever since television has been put in the faces of Fijians, eating disorders have seemed to increase. “Within 38 months, the number of teenagers at risk for eating disorders more than doubled to 29 percent” (Goodman 502). The previous quote is Goodman proving her argument by stating statistical evidence. The women of Fiji are now looking at television seeing that every women or girl is not only thin, but also beautiful. They are most likely thinking that they have been deceived, because in Fiji “big was more beautiful-and people really did flatter one another with exclamations about weight gain” (Goodman 502). It is not surprising that the girls and women of Fiji were influenced by television. If everyone you see on there looks the same, then of course the women and girls of Fiji are going to want to look like them too. I agree with Goodman’s argument. I strongly believe that television can cause some young girls and or even older women to develop eating disorders or wish that they looked a certain way. Obviously television has become a very big influence on the women and girls of Fiji.

Reality television shows can also have an impact on girls. Some reality television shows actually teach girls how to become stronger and more positive, while others only belittle them. According to the article “Study Says Girls Affected by Reality TV” written by Jamie Sotonoff found in the Daily Herald “The study of more than 1,100 tween and teenage girls found reality TV — shows like "Teen Mom," "American Idol," "The Bachelor," "Project Runway" and "Jersey Shore" — have mixed effects on girls.” I believe that most reality shows have a negative impact on girls. Let me take “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” as an example to support my argument. This is a show about a group of six women that live in Atlanta, Georgia. These women are very rich. Some of them are happily married to football players and doctors, while others are happily divorced. Each one of these women or couples own and live in an enormous house in Atlanta and drive the most luxurious cars. These women spend time going out to dinner, shopping, partying, creating clothing and shoe lines and raising money for charities. Even though they may do one good thing like raise money for charities, the bad outweighs the good. Every time these women go out in public, they fuss, fight, and cuss each other out. They talk behind each others back and even lie to each other. These are not a group of loyal women. I don’t think that this is a good show for girls to watch. It sends out the wrong message of how a young lady or a woman should act in public. Getting drunk, cussing and fighting is not the correct behavior for a young lady and it is definitely not appropriate behavior for a woman. If some girls actually take what they see on television seriously, they can definitely get the wrong impression of how a woman is supposed to be.