Everyday we're hit with messages to buy things that if they are put simply, they mean "buy this and you will be pretty" or "buy this and you'll be the most masculine man around". One way teens are influenced by media is through music music can have many different effects on a person. It can cause a simple reaction of bobbing your head, it can lead to a major dance party or it can be as simple as listening to the words. For some artists, listening to the words is what they want most for their listeners. Sometimes their message in the song is more than "Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone" or "It's friday friday gotta get down on friday" sometimes it's a message about American politics, cancer reasearch and how the world needs to change.

Even some of the songs that are at the top of the charts right now have positive messages in them, two prime examples are Pink's Prefect and Katy Perry's Firework.

Could you do a better job?

When does fiction become a reality?

For teens, it may be something as simple as a brand of jeans they choose to wear or a new hair style they try after seeing Amy sporting it on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Although, for the stars that have an impact in the media it can be a quick reality.

A prime example of this is Charlie Sheen with his character of Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men, that has entertained audiences for years with a character who is reaching middle age with girls hanging off his arms although, he also has to deal with a brother who does not have a lot of money and a nephew who grows up on the show to still be as dumb as a stump but still has some fantastic witty comebacks. Charlie Sheen over the years appears to have become unstable as a father and inconsiderate of those who surround him, mainly the mother of his twin boys and his producers. According to Charlie he is not bipolar, he is "biwinning" and ladies and gentleman, he has tiger blood running through him. His character of constantly having women hanging off of him has turned into a reality. He now lives with his goddesses.

Another example of a television character getting the best of someone is Jamie Lynn Spears, that's right Brittney Spears' younger sister. In 2007, at the young age of 16 she got pregnant. Although, her story is a little different, her character on television was a tween at boarding school dealing with roommate and boy drama. She did however make a statement after her pregnancy was public knowledge that said "I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."

The price of fame for some can be overwhelming, being constantly in the eye of others, with the constant judgement and disappointment. Celebrities in a lot of ways have it rough when it comes to their personal life being on display. As much as we believe that money will solve all our problems or they just should have known better, we've never stopped to think if we would do any better if we were in their shoes. We would all like to think we would but, would we really?

We always have the opportunity to experiment with things such as drugs, sex and alcohol, does it mean it is a smart idea? No, not really but do we anyway? Sometimes yes, for some all the time, for others no. I'm not say that yes we should go out and test ourselves to see if we can handle having a baby or "biwinning" although, I am saying that we don't actually know what could happen. We have the opportunity to do our best with what life hands to us, we try to make wise decisions and create better opportunities in the future.

Storm

Everyone meet Storm,

Storm is an adorable four month old baby being raise without a gender. Why you may ask. The parents of baby Storm are hoping to raise their children without the consequences of gender stereotypes.

66 % of 18 to 34 year olds said they'd like to know the sex of their child before it is born, according to a 2007 Gallup poll. Although, What does knowing the sex actually accomplish?
The colour you paint their nursery, the colour of their baby blankets, whether they get toy cars or a doll.

As many parents do establish the child's gender for them, Kathy Witterwick and David Stocker allow their children to form their own identity. Although, this unique situation could have more than it's share of challenges ahead, it allows for the parents to create a safer environment for their children.

Without advertising the gender of their children, the children are able to explore the stereotypical characteristics of both genders to establish their own preferances. For example, Jazz, Storm's 5 year old brother is able to wear his hair long and styled in braids. As they mature the older boys and Storm will be able to establish their own views of the world.

The media sends out constant messages of gender stereotypes although, now we are seeing more and more advertisment for individuality. Individuality includes your morals, beliefs and identity. Children deserve the opportunity to grow up without judgement and labels and this is the Stocker family's way of doing so.

Although, they will have to pay close attention to the forms of media their children have access to because of the different biases. Television is used the most to represent gender stereotypes however, the radio may also be a huge aid in how people form stereotypes. Listening to the radio, hearing the voices that use detailed descriptions to help the audience form images in their minds can be a large contributor to stereotypes. The Stalker family will have to establish ways to discuss stereotypes with their children and be open to any questions they may have in the future to ensure healthy development.

Nine Months From Now Will it Still Be Funny?

Do you think it is cool to be pregnant?

Many shows and movies right now give off the impression that it is all for laughs and jokes and the occasional challenge when you are pregnant. A few of these movies and shows are 16 and pregnant, teen mom and knocked up. 16 and Pregnant is a show about teens who are pregnant and how they handle life before the baby is born, teen mom is an extension showing the lives of a few of the teen mothers.

Originally, it was argued that teen mom and 16 and pregnant were shows that helped to spread awareness to teens around the world about the risks surrounding teen pregnancy. These shows were used as advocates for abstinence in the past although, things have recently changed.

These shows have turned into scandals all over the media, on

magazines, online and on television. Every time you leave the grocery store you see Amber or Macy's names all over the covers of magazines. If you think about it though, do you actually know Macy or Amber's last name, do you see how the father's of their children live their lives every day?

Yes, you get to see the problems and drama between the stars of the show but, does everyone realize that these problems can be avoided, some teens may feel differently. These shows and movies can be dangerous for teens because they may have a different interpretation. They may read pregnancy as the source of all problems and never wish to have children, or some may believe that becoming pregnant may help their chances of becoming famous. It may just seem like another popularity contest, who they've slept with, who the father of their child is and if MTV will be calling them to ask to film their drama filled lives. Is that what really happens though, that you magically get a call and get on television, think back to how many people are on these shows, maybe 4 or 5 sets of parents, and how many of them do you see struggling to keep their relationship a happy or civil one, or how often do you see them fight.

So what is so funny about a couple who end up having a child because of a drunken night at a club, or an abusive girlfriend, or constantly being reminded of the child you gave away. Is it a confidence bust that your life is not actually that bad because you could not go to that concert, or is it a refresher for why you take precautions when it comes to the opposite sex. What ever your reasoning is, remember there is always more than one side to things and that even if you laugh now, if the situations were reversed it would not be as funny.

Teenage abortion rates, by age of women at end of pregnancy, women aged 15 to 19, Canada, 1974 to 1997

Data sources: References 5,6,7; Health Statistics Division; Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base; Canadian Institute for Health Information

Who's message is it anyway?

Have you ever felt like a walking billboard?

You might be thinking, "um... what?"

Have you ever noticed how many advertisements surround you on a daily basis? Take a moment to look up from your computer screen, look around the room, are you

at home in your room with posters on the walls, at school with your bag on your desk and you're staring out the window or even just look down at your t-shirt.

Is there a logo or symbol of some sort?

I bet there is.

We no longer seem to care if we are being used by a company to sell their product for them. How often do you look around on your way through the halls at school and notice a brand name sprawled across someone's chest?

Which one's do you notice the most?

Do they look different...

Or the same?

The part that is really amazing is how often products are the same, the only difference is the brand name, whether it is aero postale, abercromie or holister people go out of their way to purchase clothes that look the same as the next the clothes at the next store over.

It is as if people are settling for a brand name instead of choosing to create a personal style. It is everywhere, on your t-shirts, on your jeans, even on your bags. Have you noticed your shopping bags lately, the new reusable bags with large spread logos as an upgrade from a regular plastic bag with the logo in giant letters. It is even on your pants, mainly women's pants with giant labels across the booty of the pants because companies have determined the back side as the most noticed part of the female body, only when you are walking behind them of course. Once you see them from the front the strategy changes to focus on the chest of a person. Does this demonstrate a positive outlook on our bodies? That you only get attention for a few reasons one being what brand you wear and two for what you allow others to see. That isn't a positive image for anyone.

Even the messages on clothing can be taken to the extreme

What does this tell you?

That you're a cool kid when you spend a Friday night at home with a cup of tea and a good book or that you should be out drinking until you can't think straight. Which option sounds more appealing and exciting.

Now think it over a second time, which one will you regret the following day and which will you remember. If you hadn't thought about it a second time, what would you take away from this t-shirt.

Are they all the same answer, for some it might be and for others it may change.

Think about this, is it right for us to be wearing someone else's message; is that any different from putting on a mask.

You be the judge, but judge carefully.

Listen Closely

Everyday we're hit with messages to buy things that if they are put simply, they mean "buy this and you will be pretty" or "buy this and you'll be the most masculine man around". One way teens are influenced by media is through music music can have many different effects on a person. It can cause a simple reaction of bobbing your head, it can lead to a major dance party or it can be as simple as listening to the words. For some artists, listening to the words is what they want most for their listeners. Sometimes their message in the song is more than "Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone" or "It's friday friday gotta get down on friday" sometimes it's a message about American politics, cancer reasearch and how the world needs to change.

Even some of the songs that are at the top of the charts right now have positive messages in them, two prime examples are Pink's Prefect and Katy Perry's Firework. Both of these songs are about being who you are and always remembering that you are important to the world. It's also about remember that people care about you and that to them, you are perfect just the way you are.

There is non of this

Or feeling like this

These artist have made an effort to put positive messages out in the media, other artist have chosen different issues to tackle with their music. The Dixie Chicks and Pink have both created music about the way America is being run, challenging at the time George W. Bush about how people are treated. There are so many songs out there about different world issues it is simply amazing to say the least.

If you want to take a look here is a few to start:

Pink-Dear Mr. President

Dixie Chicks- I'm not ready to make nice

Mugshot ft. Rob Dyer- Skate 4 Cancer Song

U2- Sunday Blood Sunday

basically anything by Bob Dylan

Brett Dennen- Ain't no Reason

John Lennon- Working Class Hero

Rascal Flatts- Stand

Ludacris ft. Mary J. Blidge- Rynaway Love

Just to name a few

Enjoy

Monday Night TV date

On a Monday night, with little homework and nothing to do what is your first instinct? Most teenage girls will turn on the tube for eight o'clock, switch to Much Music and sit down for a two hour date with Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. Both shows are filled with a world most of us could only dream of, but why? Why would we dream of a world filled of lies, betrayals, secrets, cheating and stealing?

Pretty Little Liars is built off of the concept of a small town, rich families and dark secrets. Secrets centered around the death of a girl who appeared to be as innocent as the average 7th grader, but as the story progresses all the personal information she knew about her so called best friends begins to unravel. Everything from student and teacher affairs, stealing your sister's boyfriends to questioning your gender identity. These scenarios on their own sound unbearably delicate to handle and would most likely make the lives of teens today unpleasant and stressful. PLL has become so captivating because of the way these deceptions are presented. Remember the small town and rich families mentioned above, families willing to keep secrets private to avoid humiliation and foreclosure, family members committing similar acts and parents that are unwilling to accept their children's true identity. The young ladies with these secrets are constantly decked out in the latest fashions,surrounded by expensive shops and cars. Not only this, but they also seem to luck out when you feel that the last few threads of the web of lies will come undone. Someone or multiple people that the girls only know as A seem to have control over their lives because some how they know the details to all of their secrets. The main thrill to watching the show is the race to see if you can guess who A is before they tell you. The show being wisely thought out, leads you in different directions to keep your interest.

A parallel to this is Gossip Girl which has the same general scheme, connected through family and friends, relationships and lies. GG has had more deceptive turns than you can count and many more in store for the future. GG also has a secret identity, an internet blogger unidentified to all, who updates Manhattan's elite young adults with each other's secrets. Again this show holds the ideological messages that are in PLL.

The similarities between the two television programs are endless, hidden identities, rich, beautiful, happy, glamorous people all trying to keep their status. The pair both shed light on the latest in peer pressure issues among teens, such as sexual orientation, drugs and alcohol giving both the "positive" or fun side and the negative down side to each issue. They also give the audience the opportunity to choose their own meaning. The best example of this is attempting to determine the identity of both A and Gossip Girl.

Even with all of these details both shows are still captivating, thus being able to keep rating high and keep viewers interested. Don't believe me? keep an open mind and tune in next Monday.