In order to compare sexuality in teen magazines today and compare that with teen magazines of three decades ago, I selected the current issue of the contemporary magazine M Magazine (March, 2014), a magazine directed at teens. To have a standard of comparison, I read a back issue of Seventeen from December 1977.
M Magazine seems to have more sexually charged articles than other articles. If one were reading M Magazine in order to get a grasp of contemporary teenage culture, they would be likely to conclude that teens of today are interested in: what celebrities are doing, who they are dating, tips on dating, and current technological innovations. The magazines mostly cover teen celebrities. The magazine had nine pages of pictures of celebrities in swim ware by the beach. One article was to discuss a recent beach trip of One Direction, a popular British pop band. The questions ranged to a variety of themes, but dating seemed to be the overarching theme of the article. There are also quizzes within the article. Some of these quizzes are without sexual undertones, such as “Personality Quiz: What does your pet mean.” Other quizzes, match teens with celebrities. Though quiz is not overtly sexual, it plays of teen fantasies of being in romantic relationships with their idols.
Appearance seems to be a central concern to many of these articles, and the wording could be seen as objectifying women, such as this sentence, “Get ready to see some incredible pictures, M Girls!”
Comparing M Magazine to the December 1977 edition of Seventeen, and there certainly seems to be a shift in demeanor and interests of what teens were reading then compared to now. Certainly, there are articles that have to do with dating, but the language is much more innocent. One article, “Going steady” pro and con” compared positives and negatives of dating. The message here is that a teen does not have to date. The article seemed to make the case that dating causes a young person to miss out on being around a lot of people, since a teen’s time will be spent mostly with the person with which they are “going steady.”
The magazine also had interviews and stories about celebrities, but instead of being celebrities who were teenagers, these focused on popular adult celebrities of the time. Articles such as “A chat with Charlie Brown’s most cherished pal” have a level of innocence that the contemporary issue of M Magazine did not. And article such as “An interview with SpongeBob Squarepants best friend” would have seemed out of place there.
The conclusion here is that the current issue of M Magazine seems to presume that readers are much more sexualized than the 1977 issue of Seventeen. It is easy to develop a theory as to why this would be. With hundreds of TV channels and the Internet, teens have more access to adult, sexually charged material than they have had in previous generations.
The Change that Marked Childhood
Childhood was marked by change. It consisted of intellectual changes, changes in privileges, hormones and size. It is interesting to reflect back upon a concept that in adulthood seems strange to think about—every year a child grows bigger. I agree with the premise of Chapter 14 that greater changes occur in the first thirty years of life than in the subsequent thirty (Papalia, 2012).
When I was a kid, my parents never bought me clothes or shoes that fit me. Rather, they purchased items that I could “grow into.” My understanding of the world also changed drastically. I remember watching a television news program with my parents that featured Saddam Hussein. I asked my dad the question that went something like, “Who would Saddam Hussein even try to go to war since everybody knows that the good always win.” With adult eyes, I see that this is a very simplistic understanding of military engagements throughout the world. A quick look at history makes a good argument that very often the “good” side did not win.
Reflective of the internal changes that happen in childhood, parental and legal rules are based upon the changes that happen during childhood. By the time a person turns 21, he or she can basically do whatever they want within our society. But before that, legal privileges occur gradually. At 16, I was allowed to drive. At 18, I had the choice to buy cigarettes and no longer needed to obey my parents. But not till the age of 21 does the legal system of our country believe that a person should be able to consume alcohol.
Childhood also was filled with much more doubt in the face of the future. I remember spending more time looking at myself in the mirror. I think this had less to do with vanity. I believe it had more to do with the fact that things were changing so rapidly that I often had to pause to look at myself to try to get a handle on those changes.
Just going through four years of high school, I can mark drastic changes every year to my personality. Looking back on the last four years, I cannot point out such drastic changes. I remember in 9th grade I was afraid to ask someone to a dance. By 10th grade, I no longer had this difficulty. But in 10th grade, I listened to mostly rap music. By 11th grade, I was listening to mostly rock and punk music. In 11th grade, I remember feeling self-conscious about calling up a potential employer to follow up about a job application that I had left there. In 12th grade, I recall applying for another job and thinking how stupid it was that in the previous year I had been nervous about making such a phone call.
There are just a few remembered instances. I would say that my own life, at least enough to convince myself, is proof that the road from childhood to adulthood is riddled with constant changes. A teen is still trying on different personalities in an attempt to determine who they are. By adulthood, much of the clay has hardened, and you become a much more stable and constant version of friends.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Causes, Conditions, Preventions, and Treatments
Arthritis is the medical term for a condition in which inflammation occurs at the joint between the body’s bones. It is difficult to lump all arthritis into one category, since there are over 100 different types of arthritis, and each has different causes and treatment method (Healthline, 2014). While considering other types, the focus of this article will be a condition that many people contract with age, Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is different from osteoarthritis, which occurs do to wear-and-rear on the joins. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, which occurs when the body’s immune system mistakes it’s own tissue for a foreign invader and attacks it. (MayoClinic, 2014). While Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, generally it strikes its victims after the age 40.
There are a number of warning signs for a person to be aware of that could indicate the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis. One is fatigue. This is the first symptom to look for as it usually occurs before the others (Healthline, 2014). This fatigue can occur up to months before the other symptoms of the disease sets in and can sometimes be accompanied by a feeling of depression. A second sign to look for is feeling stiff in the morning, which is another early sign of the condition. Stiffness that occurs in the morning and also after naps or periods of inactivity are especially suggestive rheumatoid arthritis. Joint stiffness, especially in the hands is one of the most common symptoms of the disease. Other early symptoms include fever, dry mouth, general weakness, eye discharge, hard bumps under the skin or your arms, and/or loss of appetite.
Features of the disease in some cases parallel the symptoms. They include pain and stiffness lasting for more than 20 minutes in the morning, loss of energy, joint inflammation, symmetrical pattern of affected join, and warm, swollen and tender joints.
Doctors have not arrived at any definite conclusions regarding what causes rheumatoid arthritis. There is strong suspicion of a genetic component that factor into it. Environmental exposure to viruses and bacteria are also suspected as leading to arthritis. Women are more likely to develop it than men, and people with a family history of it have a higher chance of developing it.
Rheumatoid arthritis has no cure, only treatments which include drugs, treatments, home remedies and alternative medicine. Some medication treats the symptoms of inflammation. Occupational therapy is used to show people how to better protect their joints. In very severe cases, surgery is needed to repair damaged joints. The spectrum of drugs used to treat it includes NSAIDs, Steroids and Immunosuppressant drugs. Alternative medicines used to treat it include plant oils, tai chi, and fish oil.
It is clear from the Mayo Clinic’s “coping and support” section of their information on rheumatoid arthritis could negatively affect work, social and family relationships. When a person is constantly in pain, it is much more difficult to actively engage with the people in their surrounds. Part of the focus that previously went into others, is absorbed by the pain of the condition. People with Rheumatoid arthritis are likely to be much more irritable than they were before the condition set in.
References:
Early Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis. (n.d.).9 Early Signs & Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/early-signs-rheumatoid-arthritis#10
Rheumatoid arthritis. (n.d.). Definition. Retrieved June 23, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/basics/definition/con-20014868
