Julie's Survey of Professional Media

Reading the article about Generation Diva made me really sad. I mean I have seen everything they talk about in the article on TV and in real life, but thinking about it makes me really hurt for the future generation of girls.

Young girls should be playing with dolls and having little tea parties. The idea of toddlers concerned with fixing her hair and putting on makeup is heart breaking. They lose their innocence at such a young age and grow up way too fast.

The most concerning part of the article for me was the fact that so many girls said their biggest fear was of getting fat. Primping yourself at such a young age is sad, but not necessarily dangerous to the girl’s health. Girls thinking that they have to be super skinny at such a young age could cause major health concerns both mentally and physically though. I did not even think about being fat or skinny until high school when a boy grabbed my side and called me squishy.

For me personally, I was not a member of “Generation Diva”. I started wearing makeup and caring about the way my clothes and hair looked at a pretty normal age (around middle school). When I was a toddler through elementary school, I was much more concerned with dressing up a Barbie than dressing up myself.

I think I was not a part of this movement for a number of reasons. The media was not as prevalent a force in my life as it is for young girls today. The internet opens up a world of images and ideas that girls, even very young ones, are influenced by. Another big reason is parenting. My parents did not allow me to wear makeup, get my ears pierced, or shave my legs until I was an appropriate age. Even though I sometimes complained, I appreciate it now. I had no reason to be concerned with my appearance as a child.

Parents, like the ones on “Toddlers and Tiaras”, who push their children into being little beauty queens are plain horrible. Pushing their ideals of beauty on a baby is disgusting, and I do not think the media should glorify them by giving them a TV show. Watching even a little bit of a show like that breaks my heart. Girls should be allowed to stay young and innocent as long as possible. It is the parents’ responsibility to protect their children, not exploit them to live out some vicarious fantasy.



Ultimately, I do not see any slowing down of Generation Diva, especially with the role models these young girls have. Their biggest heroes are Disney channel princesses like Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens. With the internet these girls Google their icons and see provocative images. These leaked photos were apparently sent to their respective boyfriends but released on the internet. This sends a message to the young girls that you will not get anywhere in life unless you are beautiful and flaunt your beauty for a man.



With messages like this being thrown at Generation Diva, we can look forward to a generation of very insecure, broken women who never had a real childhood, and that is the saddest part of all.